This week's theme is supposed to be CHARACTERS I'D LIKE TO GO ON VACATION WITH. But I couldn't come up with anything creative or clever for that one. So I changed it up a little. Here's my list of 10 Vacations I'd Love to Take (and the book I'd bring along to read while on them).
1. I'd really love to go to Easter Island one day and see the Moai statues there. You have to fly there from Chile, so, of course, I'd also want to spend an extra week exploring parts of that country. And the perfect book to bring along on this trip: The Moai Murders by Lyn Hamilton.
2. Death Valley is another place I'd really like to visit someday--see those rocks that seemingly move by themselves. I've heard it's very beautiful there. And the book I would take with me: Wanderer of the Wasteland by Zane Grey. (Because it's set in Death Valley, of course.)
3. There are some cool Dude Ranches in Wyoming and Colorado that have Girls' Only weeks where I could spend a week with my two sisters and cute niece just hanging out and riding horses. I would totally love to do that! And of course, the perfect book to take along would be a cowboy romance like The Rough Rider by Maisey Yates.
4. I've never been to Yosemite National Park but I'd love to take a trip up there, stopping to see the Redwoods along the way. And I would definitely bring along Trapped in Yosemite by Dana Mentink as my vacation read.
5. For me, no vacation list is complete without Paris! It's such a beautiful and fun city. I've been there once, but I'd love to go back, revisit my favorite museums, buy some yummy crepes from the street vendors, stroll along the Seine and read a good book or two. Like The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull.
7. Venice, Florence, and Verona, Italy are all places I've always wanted to travel to...All of Italy really. And I've read A LOT of books set there, so it was a bit of a challenge to find a new book that I would want to take with me. I finally settled on John Berendt's The City of Falling Angels.
8. I am a birder and I love to go birdwatching. And ever since 2011 I've kept a life list of all the different birds I've seen. (It's currently at 207.) And I've always wanted to go birding in Texas because they get so many migrating birds and birds that don't come to Utah. I'd especially love to go to High Island during peak spring migration. And I can't think of a better book to bring with me on this trip than Chasing Birds Across Texas by Mark T. Adams.
9. A tour of Morocco is another trip I'd love to take someday. There are so many cool sights to see in that country: from the marketplace maze in the heart of Marrakech, to the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis, to the city of Tangiers, not to mention Fez and Casablanca. I'd love to see it all! And In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah would be the perfect bookish companion.
10. And just for laughs, I've always wanted to check out Roswell, New Mexico. They have a UFO festival in the summer that I think would be a blast. And while I'm down that way, I'd also stop by Santa Fe, and then make a side trip back to Chaco Canyon, which is one of my all-time favorite places. And The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis seems like the perfect book for this trip.
So there you have it... 10 vacations I'd love to take someday.
Happy traveling..and happy reading along the way!
I wallowed in this post, Lark. We are of such a similar mindset when it comes to travel. I hope you get to go to Hay at some stage it's a really lovely bookish town. And I would happily show you Cornwall. 😀
ReplyDeleteIf I ever make it to England (which I really hope I do within the next few years) I am definitely looking you up! It would be so great to take a tour of your favorite bookshops in Cornwall. I would happily buy you lunch. :D
DeleteYes to Paris. Regine
ReplyDeleteParis is the best! :D
DeleteEaster Island would be such a cool place to see.
ReplyDeleteHere is my Top Ten Tuesday.
Lydia
I so want to go there someday!
DeleteThese really do sound like fun places to visit. I haven't been to any of them.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Paris, but not to any of the other places on my list. Hopefully someday!
DeleteSuper creative, Lark!! I love the direction you went.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy! It was too hard to come up with any fictional characters or reasons why I'd want to vacation with them. This was easier. ;D
DeleteTrapped in Yosemite is a great read! And I'd love to visit too... in spite of the dangerous conditions in the book haha. My TTT
ReplyDelete:D Reading about dangerous conditions is much better than actually experiencing them! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI've got Yosemite on my list as well! I will say, too, if you're a fan of castles, you don't have to confine yourself to Wales--plenty of good castles in England and Cornwall as well!
ReplyDeleteThat's very true! And I do love a good castle. :D
DeleteLoved this post! I'm with you - Paris is a must! Roswell - yes! How fun would Hay-on-Wye be?! Such a fun post :)
ReplyDeleteHay-on-Wye would be SO much fun. I'd have to pack an extra suitcase just for all the books I know I would end up buying. ;D
DeleteI've been to Death Valley and you have to make sure you don't go there in the Summer time. Way too hot.
ReplyDeleteIt would be way too hot in the summer! Probably too hot in the spring and fall, too. :D
DeleteI really like your take on the topic! I drew a complete blank -- but I love that you focused on vacation destinations and the books to read! Yosemite is well worth the travel and the crowds... and I didn't know there was a Yosemite book, but now I need to track it down!
ReplyDeleteYosemite is high on my list...mostly because it's a pretty easy drive from where I live and I love a good road trip. :D
DeleteI was visiting Hay-on-Why the day Princess Diana died so I will certainly never forget it. However, I wish someone had told me that by the end of August the stock is very picked over. It was fun and I liked the atmosphere but I found very little there and wound up doing much better in the Goodwill-type stores in nearby Hereford.
ReplyDeleteGood to know not to go in August. I never would have even considered how picked over a place like that could get. Thanks for the tip! :D
DeleteThe Yosemite novel and Texas birding book look especially good. I have been to Yosemite once and it was wonderful and went to college in Texas long ago so I can vouch for both. Places to visit!
ReplyDeleteBoth places are close enough to where I live that trips there seem very feasible. So hopefully I'll get there soon. :D
DeleteI've seen a few who chose this path and I said to all of them: take the characters with you. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT about Characters I'd like to go on vacation with.
You found good characters for your list; I honestly couldn't think of any that I'd want to vacation with.
DeleteMaybe your characters prefer other holidays than you do.
Delete:D Maybe they do.
DeleteThis is such a fun twist to the topic! I'd love to visit Paris someday. :D
ReplyDeleteParis is the best! I loved it, and would go again in a heartbeat.
DeleteEaster Island and Hay-on-Wye are both places I would love to visit.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/its-check-in-time-ten-books-set-in-hotels/
Both would be amazing trips! Hopefully someday we'll both get to see them for ourselves. :D
DeleteOooo, The Moai Murders is going on my reading wishlist! I too want to visit Easter Island some day. I recently watched an amazing documentary on YouTube about Easter Island. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j08gxUcBgc
ReplyDeleteGoing to check out that documentary! Thanks for the link. :D
DeleteGreat travel destinations! I've been to Chile, but not to Easter Island. It would definitely be a fun place to visit. I was close to Hay-On-Wye on my U.K. trip last month, but it was too far out of our way on a day in which we already had too many miles to cover so we had to skip it. I'll have to go back someday. I've been to Paris once. I don't need to go back to the city, but there are other parts of France I'm keen on exploring. Ahhh, it's always fun to dream, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
It is fun to dream! And I've managed to go on a few big trips like to Cambodia and Egypt and the Galapagos Islands...so sometimes dreams do come true. :D
DeleteAll sound like great places to vacation, but maybe Easter Island and Hay-on-Wye would be my picks.
ReplyDeleteThose two places are definitely at the top of my list. :D
DeleteYes to Easter Island and I desperately want to go to Hay-on-Wye. Wales is pretty high up on my to visit list so of course I have to go to a town full of bookstores. The question would be how I would get the books home. Great list!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they could ship the books home. Or else you'd have to buy an extra suitcase. ;D
DeleteLove your take on this week's theme. Roswell made me laugh--it's quirky enough that it could be really fun. I'm in alignment on Paris--I've been there twice on vacation and a few times on business, and it just never gets old. I love Venice, and have read Berednt's book 3 times. Always intriguing. Yosemite is also near and dear to my heart. Loved reading your choices and travel dreams.
ReplyDelete:D This was a fun post to do because there are SO many wonderful places in the world to visit...near and far.
DeleteYes, I would like to go to Hay-On-Wye. I read Sixpence House already but it would probably be fine as a reread. I did not know that Texas is such a good birding state. How interesting. The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis is on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteLots of birds go to Texas. It's a birder's paradise, especially during spring migration. Which is when I'd love to go. :D
DeleteI couldn't come up with anything for this TTT so I just skipped it. Love your modification! I've been to England, but just for a short time. I did visit Bath when I went, but I'd love to explore so many other places! Cornwall is definitely on the list. Never been to Italy and want to go. Love Paris! I need to look up that birding book for Texas now that my daughter lives in Austin. It's funny, I was there at the beginning of the month and went to a bookstore, looked for a birding book, but wasn't thrilled with the offerings. Great TTT, Lark! :)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many places in the world that would be so cool to visit...it's sad that my list is always longer than my time off, or my travel funds.
DeleteThis is a great topic! I've been to Death Valley but I swear I didn't know about the rocks that move?? I'll have to look into that:-)
ReplyDeleteI saw some documentary once about these mysterious tracks left across Death Valley by rocks that had moved...I can't remember if they ever figured out the mystery behind it, but it was certainly interesting.
DeleteWhat a great post, Lark. A place to visit and a book to read about that area, what a great partnership.
ReplyDeleteI can never travel without a book! And when I can't travel, books take me around the world. :D
DeleteLove your twist on this! I'm in Texas and currently listening to all the birds chirping. ;) Come on down!
ReplyDeleteI would love to! Someday I'm definitely heading your way. :D
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