Wanderlust

My Book of Birthdays, says that February 19th is the birthday of wanderlust, and people born on this day love to travel and have new experiences. This is certainly true of me. However much I love living in London, there's always a part of me wanting to go off and visit somewhere I've never been, and so I thought I'd share my top ten places I'd really love to visit [in no particular order]:

1. Finland

I love Northern climes, perhaps because I'm always physically a couple of degrees warmer than most people seem to be - in Summer, I often feel too hot and uncomfortable, so I'm attracted to places that most people associate with Winter. I also want to go to Finland, because it makes me think of one of my favourite fairytales, The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

2. Greece

Greece appeals to me, because I suffer a little from islomania, which means that I love islands. The idea of hopping from island to island, finding new treasures on each one sounds like the perfect holiday [although it might be too hot for the likes of me!]

3. Tokyo

I want to go here because I think it's the closest I can get to visiting another planet - I just think it would be so different to what I'm used to. I think it would be a fascinating treat for my mind - incredibly stimulating.

4. Singapore

I primarily want to go here for the food - I love trying new foods [although no insects please] and Singapore is famous for having a huge variety of different types of cuisine. Yum!

5. Estonia

One of the reasons I love Europe so much is that there are numerous magical looking cities just waiting to be explored. Eastern Europe in particular has an edgy energy that Western Europe lacks [although I like both] and given how much I enjoyed visiting Riga and Krakow, I think I would also enjoy visiting their sister city Talinn, which has beautiful architecture.

6.  Sweden

When I think of Sweden, I think of running through meadows picking flowers [is that just me?]. I think this Alpine wonderland would be a breath of fresh air [literally] after months in my lovely but polluted city.

7. Bruges

Since I live in a great big behemoth of a city, I like cities that are easy to walk across and Bruges is tiny so it fits the bill. Plus it's absolutely stunning, and I can get the Eurostar there [if I change at Brussels] so it's very accessible as well.

8. Luxembourg

I want to go here primarily because it's novel. Despite being a lovely little country, Luxembuorg isn't on many people's travel lists - which is precisely why it's on mine - even though it's easy for me to get to, it's feels like its somehow off the beaten path...it's not a must -see destination for most people, but I think it looks charming!

9. Bali

Yes, this is a result of watching [and reading] Eat, Pray, Love. It seems like such a free-spirited and bohemian place that I feel drawn to it like a magnet.

10. Alaska

I loved the rugged countryside of canada's national parks and I think the wilderness of Alaska would be even more wild. I think there's something innate in all of us that makes us stand still in the face of natural beauty, and I think Alaska would leave me breathless.

I can't wait to go travelling again - but luckily for me I'm jetting off to Switzerland soon! Happy travels everyone...