Wanderlust

Maybe it's just winter in Chicago, but I've been feeling a little more restless than usual recently. Pictures of foreign countries incite more desire in me and I've found myself daydreaming about going away to somewhere where I don't know the language. I've been thinking about it for awhile now, but I think I want to learn another language. I took Spanish in high school and could probably muddle my way through conversation, as long as people don't care about what tense I use (no past perfect for me anymore). When I was a little one, going to day camp during the summer, I used to take French. I think maybe I want to start learning French again. I know it's not particularly useful in the United States, but I'm optimistic that one day I will travel to France, and besides that it's a beautiful language. And how can someone not want to go to a country that looks like this:

source: A Cup of Jo

Of course there are other countries on my list as well. Basically anywhere I've seen a beautiful picture of recently. The J. Crew website showcases behind-the-scenes photos from their catalog shoot in Lisbon. Portuguese is another language that has intrigued me, though my fascination with it sprouted from my love of the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card. Ender, the protagonist, spends time living on a planet with a Brazilian colony, so there is Portuguese interspersed into some of the English dialogue and narration. Books have a large influence on places I want to go. I hope someday to go to Prince Edward Island in Canada, due to my passion for Anne of Green Gables as a child (and currently. I could read Anne of the Island all the time).

I never thought that Croatia would make it on to my list (or not this soon anyway) but that was until I saw this picture:

source: here

That is a real place. A national park in Croatia actually looks like that. When I first saw the pictures I didn't believe it was real - it looks like a set for a fantasy movie, but there are actually places in the world that are that beautiful and magical looking. I've already told my friend who will be in Serbia for the summer that she should take a trip to Croatia to visit this place. I know I want to.
Maybe someday I'll have enough money, and perhaps a flexible writing job that I can go and visit all of these places. In the meantime, I'll spend my days dreaming and reading and accumulating pictures.