How I See It...
Hello, This week’s Bucket List Holidays made me think about travel. These days it’s coupled with not just location but the people I want to share it with. Funnily enough my sister and I have been discussing the very topic.
Since Mum died, we want to take our 90 year old dad on a few adventures. We know Brian inside out, his passions, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and after putting them all into the mix we’ve come up with three, all of which we fully intend to make happen. One is within our own glorious country and the other two will need a passport although they’re not very far away.
Stunning Scenery
When I did Celebrity SAS with Ant Middleton and his crew 3 years ago – I know, what was I thinking? – we were plopped down into our exhilarating torture chamber on the island of Raasay in the Scottish Highlands. It sits between the mainland and the Isle of Skye. During the journey – part plane, part road, and finally a boat – all I could think about was how, as a teenager, I’d complained to my parents for dragging me there for holidays. Now with adult eyes all I could see was exciting, stunning, wild, craggy beauty. So as a way of grovelling apology to Dad, I need to return with a smile on my face.
The other two involving a passport are on the same theme. Dad studied geology at university in the ’50s and although I only managed O Level, growing up I went on many excavations searching for fossils so the next trip is to Iceland. Presenting holiday programmes like Wish You Were Here...? means you visit a vast number of locations – about 23 a year for me – albeit all for a very short time but it’s enough to work out the ones you’d like to return to.
Iceland for a geologist is spectacular – its volcanic plateau erupting constantly, lava fields, mountains, glaciers and glacial rivers flowing into the sea.
Finally, if he’s not too fed up with me and my sister, it’s the Norwegian Fjords.
I first learnt of their existence in 1970 with the film A Song of Norway, about the struggles of composer Edvard Grieg to develop an authentic Norwegian national music. I was plainly dragged along and would have preferred Love Story which came out the same year! However, the scenery stayed in my mind.
If you can find the film, either on a download or
DVD, I’ll bet after seeing those stunning fjords it’ll be on your bucket list, too!
Love Anthea x