Bucket List: Top five countries I want to visit

I've always been a free-spirit and I swear I was born with the soul of a Gypsy. I have always wanted to travel the world. However, life doesn't always give us the best hand. Don't get me wrong, that isn't an excuse and I am not using it as a crutch, but life happens and sometimes those dreams get pushed to the back burner.

The last time I traveled out of the country was in 2016, when I studied abroad in Paris, France. It was one of the best experiences I ever had. Before going to Paris, I had never been on an airplane. It was the scariest thing I ever did. Even now flying scares the living daylights out of me. Although, I haven’t really traveled much I still have a bucket list of places I want to eventually visit.

I have compiled a list of the top five countries to visit. I have several on my bucket list, but these are my top picks. Being a history buff, I of course want to visit countries for the history, but I am also interested in the culture, the food, and the experience.

  

*Not listed in any order*

London, England: Other than the popular tourist attractions and the famous Fish and Chips, London’s history dates back 2,000 years. An interesting thing about London culture: over 3oo languages are spoken there. Did you know Jimi Hendrix lived in London?

Athens, Greece: I am obsessed with Greek food and am so glad I found the best place to get Greek food in my area. However, the food isn’t the only thing I love. Athens is Europe's oldest capital and date back centuries. Athens has a past and history a history buff like me would love to uncover. Now do you understand my interest in the history? Did you know Athena’s is home to over 100 theater stages?

Amsterdam, Netherlands: The Dutch have an interesting culture of art, theatre, film and so on. Along with the culture Amsterdam, has quite the history. Amsterdam was once the center of the world economy. It was also founded as a fishing village. Of course, if you’re into history the Anne Frank House is located there. Do you like beer?  Then the Heineken Experience is something to investigate. Or you can visit one of the many popular “coffeeshops,” if you’re into that sort of thing. 

Rome, Italy: Food, food, and more food! I’m being serious now, I would spend the rest of my life living there, but Italy has so much to offer from the major cities and tourist attractions to the small villages and the culture. What an experience it would be to travel all over Italy drinking wine and eating the best Italian food. Rome does have a lot of history...remember Julius Ceasar? If that isn't your thing you could always head to the Vatican City, who knows you might get to see the Pope.

Munich, Germany: I’ve always been interested with German culture and of course the history that dates back centuries. I can see myself strolling through the market or taking in the sites in the Old Town. And yes, I'd be down to try some awesome German food. I read somewhere that there’s over 1,000 types of Wurst. Anyone want a Brezel? It’s a pretzel and man do I love pretzels apparently there are good with German beer. Speaking of beer…. Oktoberfest, anyone?

Whether or not I will get to visit these countries is unknown. However, a girl can dream right?

Until Next Time

Samantha Jan