Places you want to go:

Well I have been planning these trips for quite some time. Real Life has seriously got in the way recently, what with living in two homes, in two towns, over a hundred miles apart. In the last year or so I started a new job and have been committed to getting that running how I would like it to (properly, ooh how pretentious); as well as juggling my fatherly duties for my three teenage daughters and all the other aspects of my busy life that has been made busier by having the extra journey time of two and a half hours minimum, added to almost every task as I scoot up and down the country.

So my next trip away may not be to any of these destinations,  as I am guessing that what will actually happen is I shall be looking for a flight/hotel to one of these four, but after finding a cheap late deal on-line; I begin stuffing a few things in a suitcase and fly out immediately to the sunshine to sit poolside/on the beach for a nice relaxing ‘do nothing’ holiday somewhere else first. But once I have gotten that out of my system and have composed myself, I shall be going for the minimum of a long weekend to one/all of the following:

Paris

Paris at night

Shakespeare & Company

Why? For romance, the French language, the wines, the cheese, the café culture, for the fresh bread, croissants and pain au chocolat, for the people watching, the adventure, for the heritage sites to visit and the art galleries to view . Montmartre, the Louvre, Notre Dame and Shakespeare’s Bookshop and the wine (have I said that already?).

Bruges

Bruges (Brugge) at night

Balloon over Bruges

Why? For the romance, the canals, to taste the chocolate, and the local food and beer. To walk the cobbled streets and float along the historic canals, to absorb the culture of the Flemish, to visit the medieval architecture,  Saint Salvatore’s Cathedral, the Groeningemuseum and maybe to take a hot air balloon ride over the city with a bottle of local beer in my hand (is there a pattern forming?).

Rome

Rome at night

Sistine Chapel ceiling

Why? For the romance, the architecture, the renaissance, the Roman’s remains, the fountains, the cafés, the art galleries and public sculptures. To visit the Collosseum, the Trevi Fountain, to drink the wines, the beers, to eat the pasta, the bread, the olives and the ice cream. To watch the traffic. To see the birthplace of an empire and of what it has become and the artists it has inspired.

Liverpool

Liverpool at night

The Cavern Club

Why? For the romance, to visit the Cavern, the Liver building, and the brand new Museum of Liverpool, to take a ferry across the Mersey and to explore the World Heritage Site of the industrial British Empire, to learn more about the great and not so great things that made this country a rich and powerful nation. To hopefully meet some dear friends and drink some beer and some more beer and then maybe a little more.

I guess it is either going to take me a lifetime or just one busy summer to visit these four, let’s wait and see, I promise to write about it.

I’m following a couple of brilliant bloggers (Lori at She’s Awake & Chrissa at A Little Wicked) who are undertaking a blog challenge to write 50 lists that will lift your spirits. I love lists, I like having something to blog about and I love them, so I’ve decided to join in.