Georgia Hesse, a much-traveled writer/editor, was hard put in last Sunday`s Travel section to narrow her list of most memorable destinations to 10. Having traveled far less extensively, I have seen most of her choices only in photos.
On my list of would-do-it-again destinations in the 49 states and 22 countries I`ve traveled in, the place that started it all would be first:
Bavaria
In 1953, as an untraveled skinny lad from a small town in California, I found myself (in more ways than one) in Munich. My freshman year of college there was a life-changing experience, mentally and physically-I gained 30 pounds. (Hearty Bavarian food and wonderful real beer is not for the diet-conscious.)
Southern Germany`s sightseeing opportunities-which many of us consider a primary reason for travel-range from preserved medieval villages to the Black Forest to the German Alps to the castles of ”Mad” King Ludwig. And, of course, always Munich, the capital and heart of Bavaria.
My other favorite destinations:
Seattle and the Pacific Northwest
My birthplace (Seattle) and boyhood home (Oregon) continue to lure me with an almost mystical pull. The now-famous Pike Place Market pictured on our cover is where my grandmother used to do her regular food shopping when it was the Pike Street Market. The fish mongers` stalls near Puget Sound yielded tasty pieces of smoked salmon, my food passion for 40 years since.
Washington and Oregon coastal roads deliver views of pounding surf, driftwood beaches and rocky cliffs that inspire painters, photographers, hikers and horseback riders.
The green and mountainous northwest corner of the continental United States barely edge out my third choice:
San Diego County
There is more going on for vacationers of all ages and interests in the southwest corner of the continental U.S. than any similar-sized area on Earth. Beaches, mountains, desert, a great city, a border with Mexico, all are a short drive from clogged Orange County and Disneyland and Knott`s Berry Farm and LaLaLand farther north.
And to complete my list of favorites:
Western Norway
The fjords knock me out with staggering water-and-mountains beauty, wonderful salmon dishes, cleanliness and friendly people.
Alaska
Three college summers spent working in a salmon cannery on America`s last frontier left me with a 30-year craving to return to the magnificent territory that became our 49th state. Alaska has become such a popular cruise destination that ships have to wait their turns to anchor in some towns that have become tourist ports.
Wisconsin
This neighboring state, our grown daughter`s chosen home, has been our family`s favorite auto destination for long and short trips for nearly three decades. We`ve traveled cheap and we`ve traveled expensive, and never have been disappointed.
London
Having spent nearly a month of the last 18 in London, I am beginning to appreciate how little I know of the ancient-and-modern world capital. Prince Charles is right to criticize the horrible boxes that blight the skyline, but there are remarkable examples of preservation of the past. And interesting people live-not just reside-in London. West End theater experiences
(particularly ”Les Miserables” and ”The Phantom of the Opera”) have made us feel a year ahead of Broadway . . . and who-knows-how-far-ahead of Chicago.
Chicago
If this were`t home, it would be a vacation destination. The skyline is remarkable from whichever land direction this spectacular city is approached; from Lake Michigan the Chicago skyline is world class-right up there with Manhattan, Hong Kong, San Diego and Acapulco.
Spain, except in summer
Franco was running the show and guns were much in evidence when I first visited Spain in the 1950s. The Spaniards that tourists came in contact with then seemed both happy and grim; women`s attire at the beach and in church was a matter of stern Catholic concern and the church held sway.
Spain since Franco is no longer the great vacation bargain; membership in the Common Market has brought with it VAT (value added tax) on every purchase. The church`s influence on attire has visibly lessened; topless sunbathers decorate public beaches.
The Grand Canyon, except in summer
I`d broaden that to include the entire Southwest, particularly New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The canyon and the red rock desertlands are unique to the U.S., sights that visitors from ”Back East” and from foreign lands never forget.
The ”except in summer” qualifier on two of my choices is a reflection of my dislike for heat and crowds. There`s no island destination on my list because I become islephobic (islandphobic?) after a few hours surrounded by water.
So, you see, I believe there`s a vacation place for every taste. And many will be great in `88. Just pack and go; you won`t regret it.
GRAND CANYON
A WISH LIST BEGINNING IN A GREAT DITCH AND ENDING ON AFRICAN SAFARI SOURCE: By Don Frost, Travel staff. It`s Cmdr. Whitehead`s fault. Ever since he was on television, shilling for Schweppes, I`ve known that to be an eminently admirable and worldly fellow such as he, one had to be well traveled. After the commander, I was hooked on travel as an avocation and, ultimately, a vocation.
I still haven`t achieved the globe-trotting status of Whitehead, there being far more places I would like to visit than places I have visited. So my list of great destinations is heavy on the former and light on the latter.
American desert
Flying over the desert en route to Las Vegas several years ago I found myself mesmerized by the vast panorama below that just went on and on. The sun glancing off the rocks created a veritable Easter egg of hues and textures. The Grand Canyon, of course, is the quintessential desert experience, a metaphor for the desert. I know, I know-to actually be in the desert probably isn`t nearly as wonderful as it looks from 30,000 feet while sipping a vodka and tonic. But there`s just enough adventure in my soul to want to give it a try.
England
Whitehead, Errol Flynn, Charles Dickens and James Herriot (author of the
”All Creatures” series about a Yorkshire veterinarian) had a great deal to do with my fascination for the land of my ancestors. You bump into history wherever you turn. It also is the land that contains the one city in all the world I consider worth visiting: London. (Las Vegas, wonderful though it is, doesn`t count as a city, belonging more properly in the same category as Disney World, Great America and other large playgrounds.)
Egypt
Talk about history . . . Eternal monuments stand as silent sentinels to the great civilization that once flourished here. The pyramids and the sphinx are ”musts,” but the Valley of the Kings is the place to ponder this past.
Greece/Italy
Greece, cradle of democracy, and Italy, base for one of the great empires of the world. One day I`ve just got to stand on the steps of some Greek building that is today the object of wonder and reverence, but once was just another office building, city hall or the ancient Greek version of a church. That almost dictates the Parthenon, the temple of Athena on the Acropolis. And I`ve got to get into the Coliseum, where Romans once sought an afternoon`s entertainment as casually as contemporary Chicagoans do at Wrigley Field.
Australia
Even before Paul Hogan and ”Crocodile Dundee” the land Down Under beckoned, largely because, I suspect, visiting it would be more like visiting a large, carefree family than a country. Australians I have met have been open and friendly and the island/continent offers some of the most stunning scenery in the world.
Canadian fishing lake
Since I was 8 years old the word ”vacation” has meant going fishing, and the ultimate fishing destination has been Canada-that`s where ”the big ones” are. This is a trip I`ve done and plan to do again. For a feeling of being at peace with nature, nothing tops sitting in a row boat on a lake lined with rocks and pine trees and not a single sign of man.
American Western ghost towns
There`s something sad and appealing about a town that sprang out of nothingness and then died, leaving behind nothing but sagging buildings. If those walls could speak . . . With a liberal dose of imagination, I bet they do.
Little Big Horn
Was it incredible stupidity, incredible heroism or incredible brashness that led to the slaughter of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 264 men of the 7th Cavalry on June 25, 1876? I don`t suppose I`ll find the answer to that particular puzzle on the Montana battlefield where they died, but there are some reputable people with surprisingly similar accounts of ghostly apparitions on the battlefield and even in the visitor`s center.
Hawaii
While you read this I am-literally-savoring the last hours of a one-week stay in paradise, my second trip to Maui. From the dead of winter to the dog days of summer, Hawaii has average high temperatures that fluctuate in a mere seven-degree range-76 degrees to 83 degrees. If it`s solitude, glitz or action you`re after, you`ll find it in the Hawaiian Islands-and you don`t have to worry about the weather mucking things up. It will be pleasant.
Pitcairn Island
This South Pacific island is one of the most storied pieces of real estate on the planet. It was the refuge of the 18th Century mutineers of H.M.S. Bounty. Here they hid while the Royal Navy, hangman`s noose in hand, scoured the world for them. Today, 50 or so descendants of that crew and their Tahitian wives remain on the island, as does the Bounty`s anchor and some of the crew`s original dwellings. It`s well off the beaten tourist track and its inhabitants take rather a casual attitude toward their romantic history. A friend who visited the island told me she found one of the mutineers` muskets half buried in the sand. A native who was with her couldn`t have cared less about the relic. With no facilities for aircraft and little contact with the rest of the world, outside of an occasional supply or cruise ship, the people remain unspoiled. I know that`s a cliche, but I hear it`s true.
African safari
Several months ago we ran a story which described a visit by a group of humans to a tribe of mountain apes in Africa. Some of the cardinal rules governing human etiquette in such encounters is to remain very still; don`t play with the babies; don`t stare at your hosts; and if a bull should roar, scream and charge at you, his arms flailing threateningly, his hair bristling, you must not run away. It sounds like great fun.
