What Country Have You Visited and Want to go Back to?

Japan. Stunning vistas and rich subcultures. And it just hits slower outside of the big cities. Give the language a little effort and the people are warm, friendly and helpful. (That happens no matter where you go). Kay and Abby would love it.

Spain #2. Lived in Barcelona for about a year. For an adventurous outsider it was perfect.

Croatia would be #3. While I liked the west coast of Italy when I worked at Livorno, crossing the Adriatic to Dubrovnik for a weekend getaway left me wanting more.

This has me thinking. Kay wants to visit Sicily because that's where her roots are.....🤔
 
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Yeah...it's hard to beat the fresh seafood for sure, I bet that was awesome experience and setting too.

We stayed in a place that was linked to the Gherardini family, later of Florence, Mona Lisa's people. It was, without a doubt, an interesting place. Nice gardens too, a plus for a guy like me.
I would go down real early and drink coffee, and attempt to chat with the gardeners...by day 4 or so, they gave me pruners, and had me working with them for an hour or so the rest of the stay.
Lots of laughs with them. It was actually one of the highlights of the trip.

Love me some Wild Boar Ragu w/ Pappardelle.
 
Lot of places I'd like to visit again. Though I found over the years that I always wanted to come back to the northwestern US in the end.

If I had to pick one country to go back to again, it would be Eritrea. It's a pariah country now days. But because of that and history of conflict it's also locked in time - great art deco architecture in the capital Asmara, cool old Turkish buildings on the coast. Great friendly people. Ethiopian and Italian food and coffee. What I'd really like to do, if I ever got in the physical shape, head space, time and fly fishing experience to do it - spend a month exploring the coast and islands in the Red Sea looking for good fly fishing. There has to be so much to discover and experience.
 
Just a few highlights.

Nonfishing

China, would def go again. Awesome stuff to see even in Beijing where we were.

Jordan: archaeology paradise. Doesn't hurt that I spent a month and a half as a teenager on a dig. I'm so glad I got to take my kid 4 years ago. Amazing street food.
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part of the dig site I worked on...My dad facing us talking about the site. My brother on the left plus other relatives...
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Fishing:

Australia: I didn't even hit it during prime time, but damn that was fun carving out a couple of days on a family vacay. I probably won't ever make it back, but it's on the list.
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Mexico: both fishing and nonfishing. I spent a week and a half in Oaxaca for a conference and just traveling around eating, seeing archeological sites, visiting people in their homes, experiencing the cuisine....oh yeah!
Baja fishing has a special place in my heart.

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gotta get back.

I've got a few Beijing pics somewhere....I'll try to find them.
 
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In Beijing a McDonalds quarter pounder came with a sunny-side up egg on top...
Burger King in Florence has a Cacio e Pepe burger
 
I had a "Maharaja Mac" in Delhi. Although the only reason I went there was because it was the fastest access to a Western toilet that I could find. I never got the hang of the "faucet and cup" method and Delhi Belly is a real thing.
 
Yeah...it's hard to beat the fresh seafood for sure, I bet that was awesome experience and setting too.

We stayed in a place that was linked to the Gherardini family, later of Florence, Mona Lisa's people. It was, without a doubt, an interesting place. Nice gardens too, a plus for a guy like me.
I would go down real early and drink coffee, and attempt to chat with the gardeners...by day 4 or so, they gave me pruners, and had me working with them for an hour or so the rest of the stay.
Lots of laughs with them. It was actually one of the highlights of the trip.

Love me some Wild Boar Ragu w/ Pappardelle.
Grand Hotel Golf in Tyhrrenia was our housing base. Nice place, good food but I think the hotel kitchen staff were upset I only ate there once a week and I would only order one dish with drinks and appetizers. My first night there I ordered insalata de mare and there was so much I took left overs to the room (a rare kitchenette).
 
between surfing and business 20+ countries. Buncha faves for different reasons, none more than West Australia. The waves, color of the water, the character of it's people, the pure rawness of land and water.
Standing at the intersection of the Southern and Indian Oceans with nothing between me and Antartica.
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I have long said that if I had traveled to Norway or New Zealand before I had a young family, a business and employees, a mortgage and the miscellaneous strings that kept me from uprooting myself I would have found a way to permanently relocate to one of those two places. And now it is only health that is keeping me from doing so.
 
Just a few highlights.

Nonfishing

China, would def go again. Awesome stuff to see even in Beijing where we were.

Jordan: archaeology paradise. Doesn't hurt that I spent a month and a half as a teenager on a dig. I'm so glad I got to take my kid 4 years ago. Amazing street food.
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part of the dig site I worked on...My dad facing us talking about the site. My brother on the left plus other relatives...
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Fishing:

Australia: I didn't even hit it during prime time, but damn that was fun carving out a couple of days on a family vacay. I probably won't ever make it back, but it's on the list.
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Mexico: both fishing and nonfishing. I spent a week and a half in Oaxaca for a conference and just traveling around eating, seeing archeological sites, visiting people in their homes, experiencing the cuisine....oh yeah!
Baja fishing has a special place in my heart.

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gotta get back.

I've got a few Beijing pics somewhere....I'll try to find them.
thats a good assortment of pics and locales.
 
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