WEverb 11 day 6: Travel

So last year one of the blogs I've read the longest, Bella's, did monthly posts in December called Reverb (I think that's a label I used on my posts, so you can see examples if you want).  It was a fun series of daily prompts.  After reading her first post or two, I jumped on the bandwagon and did the posts as well.  I got behind a couple times, but I would catch up on older posts when I had time.

Well, with a new job this year, an intense yoga month in November that made me far less prepared for the holidays than I usually am, and probably more blogs that I now enjoy reading, I've had less time to write this year. But I still read Bella's blog, so I saw that though there wasn't Reverb this year, there's something similar called WEverb. 

Today I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon, but the prompt on the website is actually yesterday's prompt (or I read a post on the topic yesterday).  But since it's one of my favorite topics, I'll go with it!


As you know, we love to travel.  Our big spring trip this year was to Boston (for the marathon), then on to Italy and Paris.  In Italy, we first went to Pizzo, then Lamezia, then we drove to Lecce (and did a day trip to Santa Maria de Leuca and to Gallipoli), then we flew to Paris to wrap up the trip. 

Very tough to say the favorite part of the trip. 

The marathon was insanely awesome (I already reviewed it).  It is possibly my favorite marathon, possibly because it took me many attempts to get fast enough to qualify.  The marathon happened to be on our second anniversary, so we had a fabulous celebration dinner.

I also loved Easter lunch in Italy with my husband's family.  The food was possibly the best meal I've ever eaten in my entire life.  And sitting around the table with hubby's aunt (who wasn't well this year), uncle, and many cousins and some cousins' kids, laughing, struggling to understand them when they spoke in dialect, and conversing to the best of my ability (helped by wine).  Ah, what a day.  I felt dangerously like I would hurl if anyone touched me or if I bumped into something the rest of the day, but so worth it! 

And I would put the day in Paris that we ate crepes, went up the Eiffel Tower, wandered along the Seine, found an adorable cozy restaurant for dinner, and then hiked the steps to Sacre Coeur as one of my favorite memories of all time.

So all 3 of those landmark events were on our trip this year -- favorite though?  I guess I'm going to say Paris.  But tough call.

Our other travel for the year was mostly for family weddings -- Detroit (a little jaunt to Canada), and Milwaukee, ah yes, my brothers picked lovely wedding cities.  Haha.  They were still both wonderful events and I loved the family time.  And there was last month's trip to San Antonio for the marathon, which was a fun visit with a friend.  But I'd put a night in Paris with hubby and no one else as my favorite part of my 2011 travels. 

And for the final part of the question (wait, why would they limit a question about next year's travels to people who didn't travel in 2011?  that doesn't make any sense!), 2012 travel plans.  I think there will of course be our 1 big annual trip, and 2 running trips and 2 family/friends trips. 

First, a friends trip -- Mardi Gras in Mobile in February with my bestie.  Hubby doesn't love going (he thinks the whole clan/society thing is creepy, elitist and racist), but I adore the time with her.  She has two little kids now (twins), so it will no doubt be calmer than years past (well, Mobile is always calm and sedate compared to New Orleans).  Still should be a fun long weekend.

Second, a running trip -- White Sands, New Mexico in March, probably solo.  Hubby probably won't join me because a couple days after this marathon, he's going to Italy without me.  But I am finally going to do the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon.  With weight.  That means I will (hopefully) be carrying 35 pounds throughout the race -- a very small amount of pain to commemorate the sacrifice of all those men in Bataan.  Fortunately, if I stop running or walking to rest for a few minutes and take off my pack, no one will behead me.  I think it will be one of my most difficult undertakings ever.  Hubby actually is far from convinced I will succeed.  But we shall see...

Then a long, hot summer in Dallas with no trips.

Third, another running trip POSSIBLY in August to run H2C in Oregon.  This is so tentative.  Just yesterday (12-6-11), I was invited to run on a Hood to Coast relay team by a former colleague.  You go from Mt Hood to the coast, 197 miles, over 2 days, running 3 legs of a relay, less than 20 miles total per runner.  I'd love to do that race someday, and given that all I'd have to pay for is airfare and hotel, it seems like this would be the perfect year to do it.  It's hard to get in because the race fills up fast, and this team is already in.  I'm leaning toward doing it, but planning to call a couple friends who've done it before in the next couple days to pick their brains. 

Fourth, a family trip -- brother's wedding in Milwaukee in September.  Love the family time, especially since given the other 2012 travels planned, I don't see a lot of time visiting with them before this wedding.

Fifth, our big annual trip.  The plan is to go to China in October.  We'd like to do Beijing (I actually want to run the marathon there, but, FRUSTRATION, though the marathon is only 10 months away, they haven't announced the date (or even whether there will be a marathon) and the website is useless, just 2011 info), then go to Xian, then to Chongqing, then to Yichang, then end up the trip in Shanghai.  I'm nervous about the trip -- logistics of the marathon, logistics of everything else, language, food, etc., but it's somewhere I've wanted to go for so long and I think it will be interesting, informative, memorable and beautiful. 

Oh, and then of course trip 6 -- home for Christmas.

I guess we'll have to squeeze in a trip to Pittsburgh during the year too to see hubby's parents.  He'll see them in March and April around the Italy trip, but maybe we can make it out there together in the summer or fall.

Travel. Where did you travel this year? What was your favorite part? If you didn’t get to travel, where do you want to go next year?