Lauren's lists

 We were married in 2008.   I really wanted to go on a Honeymoon to Europe on a "grand tour."  Jordan (CORRECTLY) said we really need to relax and go on a tropical honeymoon.  He was right and we spent a perfect eight days in Montego Bay and fell in love with Jamaica.

Well, I really still wanted to go to Europe.   I had studied so much history, read so many books and watched a lot of old movies that centered around Europe and this Western Culture that I had to go.  We bought tickets for a 18 day journey in 2009.   I made a top ten Europe list in 2009 and here is my best recollection - in no order:

1. Amsterdam (Anne Frank's house)
2. Paris && Versailles
3. Tour a real castle
4. Octoberfest
5. The Black Forest / Grimm's Fairytales
6. Rome (Coliseum)
7.  Capri
8. Stonehenge
9. A Swiss Alp
10. A concentration camp

I added Normandy, France for Jordan.   I did not count my dream of visiting Russia, as it is not Western Europe.  On our first trip we saw #1, 2, 3, 4 and went to Normandy with bad planning.

As of 2021, I have accomplished all of this top ten list but two - a concentration camp and Stonehenge.   In ten years time, we managed to go to Europe nine times.   One short of the goal, but we went on two other international trips during this time so ok.   As we have exceeded our wildest dreams for traveling through Europe, it is time to reflect on the next ten years of traveling.

My new top ten list for the next 10 years of visiting Europe would be:

1. Take my son to Switzerland to see the wonder of nature - including the Matterhorn + Gimmelwald
2. Take my mom back to Paris
3. Take a wine-filled friend trip (Portugal, France?)
4. See if Jordan wants to live in Finland 
5. Take my son and my daughter to their namesakes in Ireland/Italy
6. Do the full Scandinavian jaunt from Copenhagen to Sweden to Norway
7. Do an old-school Eastern Europe tour of Berlin, Prague and Budapest
8. Go to another race (F1 or Le Mans)
9. Tour Greece for our honeymoon (the best weather the week we got married is Greece)
10. STONEHENGE - I am not wavering on this one.....

We will save our Monte Carlo trip for another decade of savings and life....

As our life is never a straight path, let's see where we end up in 2032.