catapult magazine

I was just wondering what places people have traveled. As a person passionately fond of far-off and exotic (and even non-exotic) locations, I’d love to hear where people have been—any recommendations on places to visit? (This is for future reference, when I’m fabulously rich and can afford to visit all the places on my list.)

Most relaxing and exotic place I’ve been: Moon Beach—on the Red Sea, in Egypt. Great windsurfing, if you’re into that type of thing. Dahab, on the Gulf of Aquaba, has great diving and snorkeling areas.

The Middle East is great for traveling if you don’t want to spend a lot of money—and if you don’t care if you share your room with ants, cockroaches, and various other six-legged creatures. :)

Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey . . . beautiful, rugged, deserty, full of ancient cities and artifacts and history. Syria’s very pristine and untouched by the West; Turkey is very Westernized but has some lovely mosques and mountains. And the people are incredibly hospitable; they love foreigners and will offer you coffee, tea, food, food, and more food, and probably even a place to sleep.

Other places: Ecuador, Ethiopia, Belgium, the Netherlands. Belgium has some great beer. And European public transportation is much more reliable than that of the Middle East, though not quite as exciting.

Other interesting places?

Wow. You’ve been to places I probably will never get my husband to visit – but they sound great!

I’d highly recommend London for its museums and theatre. I’d also recommend driving through the Scottish Highlands and visiting the Hebrides. The isles of Mull, Iona and Skye are beautiful. The food stinks, but the landscape is majestic. All your pictures will turn out professional-quality because everywhere you look, it’s beautiful. Ancient fortresses still stand, victims of gentle neglect, but not commercialized for tourists. We spent 2 1/2 weeks in the Highlands and loved it. We drove into Inverness one day and were completely discombobulated with city life after communing with sheep and cows.

My friend just spent three weeks in Tanzania climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. I’ll ask him what he thought.

I’ll tell you where NOT to go.
Bonn, Germany. There’s really not much to see (oo, except the Rhine River..terribly exciting…insert sarcasm) and it certainly helps if you don’t go with 8 other females who may or may not be pms-ing. Check out Koln (aka Cologne) and the amazing cathedral if anything. I’m sure there’s cooler stuff in Germany, I just never got to it.

And if you ever go to Amsterdam, hang out in the city a while (great public transportation), frequent the red light district (make sure to check to see if the hookers have adam’s apples before making any moves), and BE SURE to rent a bike and take a little trip out to the country-side where, seriously, the lambs frolick and the cows graze and it’s the most picturesque thing you’ll ever see. Um, I was kidding about frequenting the red light district.

Here’s a question…I’m thinking of going to Spain in the fall. Anyone ever been around the Rato/Seville area and can recommend anything?

The only reason I liked Bonn was because I got to tour some of the gov’t buildings and meet some people involved with the set up of the EEC. That was kinda’ cool.
Most of the travelling I’ve done was in Germany as an exchange student. Berlin is awesome. Potsdam, just south, is equally impressive. The Sancoucci (sp?) gardens are worth the trip to Europe all by themselves. Venice, Verona, Munich were all nice. Koln was very cool. I loved Alsace more than anything though. Very rustic little villages (smaller than Strassburg) and very friendly french folk. The best wine I’ve ever had.
I think Banff can rival any place in Europe for beauty. It’s becoming more commercialised, but it is still amazing. I can’t wait for a chance to go back (up through Jasper next time). Hopefully in 2005 for the Wielinga family reunion (wife).

Tricia—
It’s one of those “must do in Spain” kinds of things (at least, you can buy T-shirts for it), but . . . Las Sagradas Familias in Barcelona is pretty friggin’ amazing. I’m no architecture connoisseur (sp), but I really dug these buildings by Guadi. It’s like someone took a normal building, then stuck it in the oven and melted it for awhile.

Norbert, I think God paid special attention to Banff when he was creating the world…. Although I agree with you that it is becoming more commercialized, as is Jasper.

May I suggest Kananaskis? Just a little south of Banff, but virtually untouched by civilization. You will be hard-pressed to find anything more luxurious than an outhouse at least a kilometre away. But the ruggedness, and the stunning beauty, and the sense of solitude that is indescribable….

good call Sarah. That’s where we were in the summer of 2000 for Amy’s reunion. We will most likely be going back to the same spot in 2005.

Tricia—I haven’t been to Sevilla, but the area around Malaga is absolutely gorgeous. (southeastern coast) The islands are fun (Ibiza, Mallorca,etc.) but full of tourists. My favorite place I visited in Spain was the southernmost point—you can see to Morocco on a clear day.

I thought of another great area in the Rockies near Banff—Yoho National Park. West of Banff, across the border into BC. They have great hoodoos there. It is even more desolate than Kananaskis, and just as beautiful. (half of the fun is getting to say “yoho” and “hoodoo” over and over, with a straight face)

Its interesting to read all the talk of travel. It’s COLD again here “up North” and thinking of warm places is wonderful if not, alas! not affordable right now.
But I LOVE the Canadian Rockies and aggree that Kananaskis is a wonderful alternative to the commercialism of Banff. We have also camped and splurged on cabins closer to Lake Louise and it is much more rustic there too. Go along the 1A Highway rather than the Trans Canada
One place you might want to check out is Waterton National Park which is at the north end of Glacier in Montana. It is quiet and quaint and has awesome hiking trails. Feels more European.
If you are in that part of Alberta you should check out Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump by Fort Macleod. It is a UN World Heritage Site and one of the most beautifully designed and best centres we have seen on Native Culture.
Keep on talking about great places to see!

The American southwest is also a beautiful area—though many of the national parks are pretty commercialized. Bryce Canyon in SW Utah is gorgeous, with tall orange-red rock formations stretching out in all directions. Arches National Monument, also in Utah, is a great place as well. The desert can be so alluring . . . Some of these places are far less populated in spring (say, March) than in the summer months, although tent camping can get a little cold. :)

I just read an article in National Geographic about the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in SE Alaska—if you’re looking for rugged, non-commercialized, pristine beauty, that stretch of land seems to be an ideal location.