A Country I Would Like To Visit

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes

Marcel Proust 

Travel agencies tempt tourists to discover new places and people during their holidays: "Visit and enjoy the wildlife in national parks and game reserves, Meet new people from all continents, Learn about their culture, Take delight in watching the architecture and art of ancient civilizations, ..."  

Missing the opportunity to travel seems to be out of the question ... if you are willing and have saved some money for food, transportation and lodging,....Hostals, B&Bs, cabins, campings, ... offer varied solutions to your stay.  Much better if you have friends or relatives abroad, they are a plus....

Mole National Park, Ghana, Africa

Where to go? The answer is simple: anywhere or everywhere as the world is becoming within your hands' reach and finding your place in the world is, for some people, a must. 

Technological advance in air, land and sea transportation has significanly contributed to make man's dreams come true, permitting to fly comfortably around the world, to cross the oceans in modern ships, to take high speed trains, to move in modern vehicles, ... 

  

I think back in time to the incredibly unglamorous long journeys across the sea of ancient sailors; most of them, explorers looking for places to settle in or treasures to take to their countries. Some were adventurers, but most of them, people in need. Ferdinand Magellan started a dangerous three year-long circumnavigation of the earth (1519-1522); he died during a battle in Phillipines... his expedition was completed by Sebastian Elcano. Others like Marco Polo (born in 1254), Vasco de Gama (1469), Sir Francis Drake (1540), James Cook (1728), ...  remind us of the sacrificed endeavour of ancient explorers. 

A few decades ago, a bold Chilean pilot, Roberto Parragué Singer (born in 1913), was able to fly for the first time to the Eastern Island (1951). The flight was considered suicidal by the experts of the time. The plane, named Manutara, took off from La Serena, went over  the Pacific Ocean and landed after a 19-hour flight on the island... the danger of running out of fuel had disappeared.

This exciting venture led me to Around the word in 80 days, the novel writen by Jules Verne in 1873 that reflects the restless, adventurous nature of man in a world too big to be known in such a short period of time... and with this in mind, I start thinking of the country I would like to visit... just for the pleasure of it.

Venice, Italy

Italy is certainly a must! Mediterranean climate, warm people, varied monuments, superb natural scenery, magnificent castles and churches, art everywhere, modern and ancient cities at the same time, air filled with music, elegant and mysterious places... Venice with their channels, gondolas, bridges and floating constructions, .... Italy is a country with plenty of interesting cities and towns, a country that deserves a visit to enjoy, learn and breathe historical events... a place that will surely be painted in the canvas of your mind for a long, long time. 

Acropolis, Greece

And, of course, Greece is at hand to go on... I imagine myself lying on the grass or sitting on a rock watching in my mind famous Greek gods and goddesses such as Zeus and Aphrodite.... On the other hand, can you imagine yourself being in Socrates', Plato's and  many other philosophers' land? Maybe some day....

Now, it´s your turn

- Which country would you like to go to? Why?
- What do you know about it?
- What would you like to do there?
- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.
- Upload pictures
- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post
- Word Count: 160 words