Happy New Year, Late of Course

First of all, happy new year!

Yeah, I know. The year started over a week ago. Well, I've finally caught up and am just now, er, finalizing my resolutions. Because this is my travel blog, these are my Official Travel Goals of 2011; I feel like if I get 'em in writing (or typing or whatever) they'll be more likely to happen. And I'll have a nice little reminder. Also, if you read this and have been to any of the places or done any of the activities I mention, please comment! Or if you aren't crazy and want to join in or something...

First, blog related: I said it last year and I'm saying it this year. I will post more. For me as much as for the approximately three people who read the blog (and like it? I hope?) and oh, I'm pathetic. But really, more posting. Now on to the real list!

1. I'm going to London (England. Not, say, Ontario or Kentucky. England). Yup. Now that it's in typing, it's definitely going to happen. Hopefully in April. Yes, I've been there before but at the moment I have a place to stay there and I must take advantage of that. Plus, it's a really fabulous city. Since I must always incorporate pictures, London-related pictures:

Hampton Court Palace. It's close.

A crappy picture but a special one to me, this was the view out of my window of the lovely New Cross area of London.

2. Related to number one, on that same trip over to London I'll definitely leave the metropolitan area, hopefully to go to Normandy. Yes, I know that Normandy is so far from Metropolitan London that it's across the Channel in another country. I've also been there but not to Mont St. Michel, Bayeux, Rouen, or the D-Day beaches. For example. I have a nice little Normandy rant if anyone's interested. Basically, I went on a school trip to Lille when I was in eighth grade. We went to the aquarium in Boulogne, one random monument, and not much in the way of historical or cultural sites. I do have many fond memories of that trip but I still don't understand why we went to the aquarium. I love a good aquarium as much as the next person but, seriously, there are fish everywhere. The world only has one Bayeux Tapestry.

Monet's Garden in Giverny. It's related.

Again, now that this is all typed out, it's more likely to happen.

3. Walk/hike some part of the Appalachian Trail. I was just thinking about this today (fine, yesterday) as I drove underneath a small section of the trail (where it crosses I90/the MassPike in case you were wondering. You weren't? Oh). I'm not much of a hiker and I'm not totally at one with nature but I do totally support nature and I think the AT is an awesome thing so yeah, one mile, one hundred miles, or one thousand miles (it'll be closer to one), I want to hike part of the trail.

I've actually walked a tiny section of the AT before; part that's on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. But I was young and we didn't go very far. Next time, slightly more.

4. Hike the Indian Ladder Trail in John Boyd Thacher State Park. This is probably the closest to home for me and you've probably never heard of John Boyd Thacher State Park. It's in New York, by the way. I hadn't heard of the park until maybe a year ago and I was pretty amazed when I visited last summer. I actually wrote a little about Thacher State Park on my crappy little website here. The Indian Ladder Trail is pretty famous (supposedly it was used by Native Americans a long time ago) and it's supposed to be really beautiful. I didn't hike it because I'm afraid of heights and I thought I might fall off the edge. Hopefully I'll manage it this year.

5. This one's much more of a maybe. Seattle. I hope to go there (again).

I know it seems a little silly and self-indulgent to write out the whole post of stuff I want to do but there is a reason behind it. Last year, although I didn't post about them, my goals included visiting Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands and Almanzo Wilder's boyhood home near Malone, NY. And wouldn't ya know? I managed to do it. Uh, Laura Ingalls Wilder-themed post still to come. Someday.