It’s our final passion blog of the year! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited! We have two weeks left and then it’s good bye Penn state and helloo summer! I was browsing through my posts to see what places I’d talked about and was surprised to find out I hadn’t talked about this certain place. I been watching one of my favorite TV shows and the setting is located there.  I’ve never visited this place, but hopefully in the near future I will. So for my last and final post I’ve decided to talk about the place I’ve always wanted to visit, Scotland.

Everyone that visits Scotland talks about how magical the place is, and that I should visit it as soon as possible. They talk about the lush green emerald mountains, the eternal prairies full of flowers. They talk about the history, and the majestic views they’ve witnessed while visiting Scotland.

Did you know that the birthplace of harry potter was in Edinburgh, Scotland? Or that the supposed location of camelot is also in Scotland? How amazing is that?

I’ve heard the if you find yourself in Scotland you must absolutely visit the Fengal’s caves located on the Island of Staffa, in Scotland. Fenga’s cave is this unnatural looking cave, that was created by nature. Just by looking at the pictures it’s noticeable that the cave seems ominous, danger emanates from it, luring you in. But nonetheless the caves look absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring.

Don’t even get me started with the high lands. Not long ago, I’ve started watching this TV show not many of you might know about but the name is The Outlander and every time I watch the TV show it shows you the most incredible sights. In between those, the highlands of Scotland. In the olden times it’s in the highlands where the clans used to reside. Each clans had their own colors, and they normally didn’t like outsiders, much less english. They were big, nasty, they worse, quilts, rogue, they were warriors. In the highlands english was not spoken but gaelic, and each gaelic depended on the clan, since each class spoke with a different slang/accent.

Scotland is home to some of the most beautiful sights the world might ever see. But it is most certainly not the only beautiful sight in the world. In every place there is something beautiful, and Scotland, just holds a few of those beautiful sights as does every other country in the world.

We have come a long way since the beginning of the year writing a post every friday, I would miss this if I had nothing else to write about, or if it didn’t signify that summer was coming soon. Hope you like my post! If you have any inquiries please don’t hesitate to comment down below! Have you ever visited Scotland? If so, when? Would anyone ever want to visit Scotland in the future?

Good luck with all your exams, we have two weeks left!

The good thing about writing blogs, is that they remind me that friday is around the corner. I’ve written about so many places, that the hassle of writing this blog isn’t writing it, it’s finding a place to write about! For this blog post I’ve decided to talk about a place I’m visiting this summer, a place that no matter how many times I visit, It always leaves me surprised. This place will always hold a spot in my heart. So with no further do, the place I’m talking about is The Dolomites (Dolomiti).

The Dolomites are these mountains located in northern italy, you can either hike to the top, get on a gondola, or just drive to the top. It doesn’t matter what season it is, the cold there is something fierce. Wind wiping you hair, freezing the tip of your fingers, your nose, you cheeks. But even though it’s cold, it doesn’t stop the place from being beautiful. 

With a good coat covering you up, you can have the time of your life. as you hike your way up, or walk around, you might find a house once in a while, surrounded by sheep, and goats. farmers live in said houses where they take part in the family business of creating goat cheese and selling it to the hikers, or tourist that climb up the mountain.

The best time to visit these mountains is either in summer or spring, with flower fields surrounding them and the snow long gone. The lakes are crystalline and freezing at the same time. The mountains so high up, that even though it might be the middle of summer, at the very top, you might still spot a patch of snow.

The Dolomites are located in the northeastern part of Italy. So if you do ever find yourself in Italy, I recommend that you rent a car, grab a couple of friends or family, and drive up to the Dolomites. Look at it this way, hiking might be hassle, but by going to the Dolomites, you get to witness a beautiful sight whilst at the same time burning some calories. Which trust me you will need, because in Italy, foo is something you won’t be able to pass by. It’s like killing to birds with on stone! Don’t waste your time anymore I recommend you print up all my posts, put them in chronological order (by country though, otherwise you might find yourself visiting a place twice) and travel through all of them.

Because as I’ve said before, and will continue saying. The wonders of the world are beautiful to look at, but I feel that a country has more the just those wonders. Everyone should step in and get a closer look, the hidden wonders each place has to offer. Those are the prettiest places of them all. If you have any comments don’t hesitate to do so below! any Recommendations on what I should write next? trust me I need them!

So, after almost almost two semesters of writing about different places, and how everybody should visit these places, it’s safe to say that I’ve written about many. So many, that it takes me long to know what place to write about next. The thing with my blogs is that I like to write about places I’ve visited so that I’m able to give in the personal experience, and show everybody my opinions about a place I visited. I wouldn’t want to talk about how great this place is when I haven’t even seen it in real life only for it to be horrible. With that in mind I’ve chosen my next place.

In my opinion I haven’t spent that much time in Asia, last semester I believe I talked about Laos, but that’s it. I was in between talking about Palau or Phuket. All of them are beautiful places, that hold breathtaking sights. So I’ve decided to talk about Palau, because even though both are equally magical, Palau is less known and that’s the whole point of my blog.

So, before I start I’d like to say I’m a nature kind of gal. I prefer the mountains, the forests, the jungle. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like the beach, I do! But sincerely, I prefer climbing rather than swimming. So when I like a beach that has no mountains, well then the place has to be pretty  much mind blowing.

You have beaches with a myriad of colors, changing randomly depending on the depth of the ocean, or on the location of the corals.

Every time I visit a beach, I’m still on the amount of activities that they have. I’ve talked about scuba diving before, so I won’t spend much time talking about it. But, imagine yourself breathing under water as you’re able to witness a whole other world! It’s like watching Nemo in real life, and experiencing it yourself.

But honestly, that isn’t the beauty of Palau. The part worth remembering, the unimaginable part, is a lake. Yes, you read correctly, a lake. What can be so interesting about a lake you might as yourselves, so interesting that it’s even more memorable than one of the most beautiful beaches in the world?

This time I’d like for you to imagine that you are underwater, not in a beach but the lake. Basically no fish, the water isn’t crystalline more like murky. So what is so beautiful? The answer is the jelly fish. Not one, not ten, hundreds, seemingly thousands and you’re in the middle of everything. So many jellyfish that you won’t be able to count them all, jelly fish up above you, below you, surrounding you. Now if that isn’t a memorable sight i would’ t know what is.

Your heart thumping, the speed increasing for every jellyfish that skims right by you. Their bodies velvety, the amount outstanding, the sight? Beautiful.

Now that you know such a place exists, I hope that in the near future you get to visit it. Because everyone has to visit this place at least once int heir lifetime.

Since I’ve talked about the United States for a while, I just wanted to take another break on my future road trip and talk about something else. Since summer is coming soon in less than two months! hurray! I’ve decided to talk about one of the few places that will forever have a spot in my heart. Before I start I’d just like to say that I’ve officially talked about all the continents except Antarctica (not talking about this one since Ive never visited, and don’t plan to, I’m not one to seek the cold). My favorite places are those where History is vibrant, where you can feel the antiquity of the place just by looking at it. I’ve recently been studying Ancient Mesopotamia, once of the greatest civilizations if you ask me (and my teacher). So I’ve decided to talk about a place in the middle east, it does’t have anything to do with mesopotamia per say but it’s close enough.

This place is a dream come true, I was talking about it the other day and some of my friends didn’t know it existed which surprised me. Normally when someone asks me if their is a place I ever want to visit new or old I alway name greece, or the place I’m going to talk about.

So wait no more! For those of you that don’t know it, well, you soon will, but I’m pretty sure most of you do (hopefully). So with no further due, have you guys ever heard about a city made in stone? The lost city? Befitting of it’s name I’m going to talk about the City made in stone Petra, in Jordan.

The Rose City due to the color of stone it’s a city located in the Middle East. Its a city completely made of stone, the building were literally carved out of the mountains. I know that I said I wasn’t going to talk about tourist attractions, but I’ll have to make an exception. The city was constructed around 312 BC and it was the capital city of the Nabateans.  The Nabateans is a group that derived from the Ancient mesopotamians, hence the reason I wanted to talk about Petra Jordan.

So I would like for you to imagine this. Imagine your riding a camel as the Sun is weighing you down, you neck is burning from all that exposure, no amount of sun screen will stop the inevitable sun burn. Tired, sweaty, and parched, you keep on riding that camel attempting not to think about how the poor creature feels since it’s not only taking itself but it’s also carrying you. When the rocks open up and you enter through the Siq, the profound impact that you’ll feel as you witness such an attraction. It is the perfects atmospheric introduction to this magnificent ancient city.

After crossing it You would come out the other side of this passage at The Treasury, a rock-cut temple that’s the most-photographed part of the site due to its starring role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The next big thing to do is to hike up 822 steps carved out of the mountain to the Monastery building – its large, intricately carved façade and views looking out over the surrounding valleys are stunning. Other things to see include the pillars of the Hadrian Gate and the Cardo beyond it – a long street that was once the ancient city’s main thoroughfare.

The rock-face holds the carved-out tomb of Nabatean ruler Uneishu, as well as other fantastical tombs named the Obelisk, Urn and the Silk Tomb. The ‘street of facades’ also holds smaller tombs that were used by less rich families.

So with all this in mind I just recommend you buy a ticket to Petra, Jordan, because it’s a place everyone must visit at least once in their lives.

As I stated last week  i skipped a few stops since I didn’t want to talk about canyons any more. So this week I’ve decided to talk about said stops. For those who haven’t read my posts, and don’t know what I’m talking about; Ive decided to take a road trip around the U.S.. I feel that as college students a road trip from one coast to the other is a must do before graduating. I’ve always wanted to leave the house, hop on the car, start driving and never stop. Some people say it’s not about the destination but about the journey, and I feel making as many stops as possible to all these breathtaking places will make the journey a destination on itself.

Last week I talked about California, this week we’ll go a few steps back and talk about some canyons, that I didn’t even know existed until I searched for beautiful places.

Sixth Stop

Vermilion cliffs, Arizona

The cliffs are also located in Arizona, same place where the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and many other canyons are located. I’m unsure as to whether these cliffs are part of the grand canyon, so i’m not going to say so since I don’t want to give false information. What I feel is so unique and beautiful about these cliffs is the mirage that they posses. The cliffs are so big, yet they don’t look like cliffs, It’s more of a a red ocean, waves upon waves, an illusion itself. I wouldn’t know if it’s the heat, that makes it look that way, but I feel that witnessing something like that might be unforgettable.

Seventh Stop

Bryce Canyon, Utah

the seventh stop might be in a whole other state, but it’s actually not that far from the sixth one, since the vermillion cliffs are close to the borderline between Utah and Arizona. The Bryce Canyon is rather odd looking and difficult to explain, so I’m going to let the picture right beside this do it for me. These canyons are inexplicable just like the many others I’ll see right before this one.  As a national park many people come visit Bryce Canyon because of its unique qualities and it’s beauties. Since this is a themed road trip about the “natures” of the U.S. I decided that the Bryce Canyon was a must visit along with the many other stops I’ll make. A

Eighth Stop

Zion National Park, Utah

After many canyons stops, a national park with a lot of foliage, and rivers, will be much needed. All joking aside, this place seems like a picture out of the movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron. The mountains might not be floating, but it’s as close as you can get. Mountains seem to touch the skies, emerald tree’s surround you, the sound of streams nearby, with the occasional chirping of the birds. After Zion I’ll be heading to cali, and that would be the post I posted last week. So the week after Spring Break (Yay!) I’ll be back on track.

So I’ve been talking about this road trip for a while, last time I posted I talked about The Grand Canyon, and many other places associated with it. I have three other stops close by, one more in Arizona, and two others in Utah, but I’ve decided to not talk about those stops on this post given I want a change of scenery. So I’ll talk about those stops on next weeks passion blog and on this passion blog I’ll talk about my first two stops in Cali. I have a total of four stops in Cali, but I’ve decided that Yosemite and Lake Tahoe warrant their own particular post. So after traveling for about ten hours from Utah to California, I will have landed on my first Stop in Cali

Ninth Stop

Sequoia National Park, CA

The reason I’m stoping here is because I’ve hear wonders about this Natural reserve. Tree’s attempting to reach the skies, foliage wherever you walk. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? I will spend the night looking up at the trees listening the crickets chirp their melodious harmony that won’t let me go to bed. I’ve learned to appreciate the things that nature has created much more than man made inventions, because no one helped nature create these magical wonders, and I feel that’s what truly is magical. Staring up at trees, whose stem is larger than ten men combined standing side by side is fascinating, it makes you question things, it makes you appreciate the tree’s abnormality.  After spending the night in a campground close to the tree’s we will wake up in the morning and head to the beach, because after many mountains, trees, and canyons a beach is necessary.

Tenth Stop

Pfeiffer Beach, CA

This beach is a must go, towards the end of the beach close to the shore there stands a lonesome yet imposing rock. With an archway in the center as if inviting you to come. The pictures that I’ll be able to take here will be spectacular. The only down side on Cali’s beaches is that they are normally cold, and I’m not that into swimming in freezing waters, plus I might also fear sharks coming to get me since it’s a known fact that they are prefer living in cold waters, and I’m not one to become bait.

So imagine yourself standing in the beach, cold sand contrasting with the sun hitting your back. Gazing at the immense stone archway in front of you, all the feelings it might incite! The sea breeze tangling your hair, or brushing past it, the sea gulls flying around and finally the faint taste of salt wafting from the ocean.

Thank you for reading my post! Have you ever been to one of the stops I’ve named above? if so did you like it, would you recommend it? As I’ve said before my next post will be on the stops I’ve skipped today, and then everything will go back to normal once I talk about Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.