Please, can I go mom?

Tonight my mom and I were talking about the trips we'd like to take when we have the time. Ever since I set foot on European soil, I knew I'd be doing much more traveling in my life. In fact, I would say my trip to Boston and then my brother's wedding in Aruba are what really gave me the travel bug. It would take weeks and weeks to see all the places and do all the things I'd love to do all over the world. Where would I go first? Such a hard decision...let's see:

*Ireland and Scotland--I'd love to hike and tour all over those countries, checking out castles (like "famous" Castle Doune--"You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're bangin 'em together!", local pubs, the Book of Kell, the Blarney Stone, the beautiful coastline, Dublin, Edinbourgh, and some small towns inbetween). I'm pretty sure that if I do go there, my mom's going with me--no way she'd miss out on that trip.

*Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden--I've been to Germany, but I couldn't tour the "Romantic Rhine" since it was during the winter season. Rick Steves made it sound so beautiful and rich with old culture, villages, castles, hills and valleys dotting the river along the way. Switzerland has the picturesque mountain scenes, and Sweden has my old roommate Angelica that I promised I would visit. Sounds like a do-able trip, doesn't it?

*New Zealand--Tricia said her roommate Rachel might be moving there for a while, so of course she'd like to visit her. And who wouldn't? It'd be awesome to see even a portion of the great landscapes shown in Lord of the Rings, AND New Zealand has plenty of fun and exciting activities to keep a person busy. My mom said maybe New Zealand will be next on her list of places to go--sounds like an adventure. She just hopes she could talk my dad into going somewhere besides Aruba. Hey, plane tickets are just about 1,500 (give or take a couple hundred).

*Japan--Something about the huge city of Tokyo just makes me want to go there some day. And Japan has plenty of cool things like volcanoes, mountains...not sure what else, but I know there's a lot. I mean geez, with all the anime I've watched, how could I not want to check out the culture that could produce such good and messed up programming? Too bad Japan is the most expensive place to visit.

*The Mediterranean--I'm talking Greece, Italy, and maybe a couple islands around there. I'd love to see the old architecture, and lots of historical places, not to mention the nice beach lines, and maybe Vatican City too. I probably wouldn't venture too far towards the Middle East...and I'm not sure I'd plan this trip now, but maybe in a few years things will cool down a little. It'd be sweet to see Egypt, but I'm pretty sure that's a really bad idea, and I also hear that the pryamids are sort of a let down when you see them in person. Still, I think I'd be impressed. Just as long as I'm not completely stripped of my possessions or killed in the process.

Oh, I could go on and on. The Yucatan Penninsula of Mexico, another trip to England, Australia, Russia...pretty much anywhere, as long as it's fairly safe and there's a nice hostel or hotel nearby. Only question is, who's going with me?