Thousand Things To See Before I Die

Have you heard that expression, "the thousand things to see before you die?" (or visited the website?) The challenge is to make a list of 1,000 things you really want to see before you die (and that website list is a great place to start).

I think about that challenge frequently, and I have made such a list (though I can't say it has 1,000 items on it.) I am pleased that I have seen many of the items on my list, but have many more to do.

What I want to see sometime

• Machu Picchu, Peru
• The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
  
• Antarctica
  
• The Calgary Stampede (with Clay as a guide)
• Harley "cruise" through the Maritime Provinces of Canada
  
• Dore Alley Fair in San Francisco

Some grand locations I have seen already (outside the U.S.)

• Great Wall of China
• Forbidden City
• Hong Kong and Macau
• Tokyo to Kobe via the JR Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train)
  
• The Louvre
  
• The Vatican and the Pope (John Paul II)
• The Colosseum and Roman Forum
• Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Uffizi Museo e l'Accedemia (where David is) in Fierenze
  
• Torri di Bologna
• St. Anthony's Basilica in Padova (Padua, where I went to school)
  
• Venice and her canals
• Pompeii and Mt. Etna
• Portofino e Almafi Coast via Ducati motorcycle
• The Romantic Road through Bavaria via BMW motorcycle
  
• The Parthenon and the Acropolis
• Delphi and the Greek Islands in the Med
  
• The Danube via cruise from Austria to Romania
• Transylvania, Romania
  
• Pyramids of Egypt
• Jerusalem (and Israel)
  
• The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in Turkey
  
• The Kremlin and Red Square
  
• St. Petersburg and The Hermitage
  
• Stonehenge
• Ireland via Harley
• Uluru (Ayers Rock) via "The Ghan" (train) in Outback Australia
• Great Barrier Reef (Eastern Australia)
  
• The Great Ocean Road via Harley (southern Australia)
• North to South Islands of New Zealand via Harley and ferry
  
• The Taj Mahal
• Serengeti migration
• Victoria Falls
• The North Pole
• Each province of Canada
  
• Most of Mexico, Central America, and South America
• All countries of Europe, including Albania
  

I have been richly blessed to have had a father who wanted his kids to see their own country, and brought us to each state on summer holiday while we were growing up. Subsequently, business travel with a former employer brought me to each state of the fifty United States (many, many times), and each territory and possession: Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, CNMI (Saipan, Tinian, Rota), Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and even the Panama Canal Zone when it was held by the U.S.

Frequent flyer miles earned from all this travel brought my partner and me to a number of other places listed above, including many places in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. Of course, that was back when my partner could travel.

What were my favorites? I enjoyed them all; each has a great story to tell and richness of history. Where would I return? Probably Italy, as I speak the language, love the people, and know there is much more to see. Also I long to return to Australia, where we own property and have many friends.

There are a thousand more things I want to see, yet haven't figured out if I will, or if my interests have changed and I am no longer interested, or if I can or am willing to afford the travel, or if my partner will (ever) travel again.

What's on your list?