I can’t believe we only have one week left in our vacation! Tomorrow we are off to Athens for a few days. I can’t wait to eat some Greek food.
In the meantime, please welcome Mandy from Knowing the Difference. Mandy writes some of the most beautiful and thoughtful posts in my reader!
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While Amber is off on her dream vacation gallivanting around Europe, I find myself thinking about my dream vacation.
Growing up my family took annual summer vacations to fun locations that were jam packed from the moment we woke up until long past our bedtime. We took vacations to the beach that included side trips to historical places. A Disney World trip also included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center so we would have a little bit of education thrown in too. There were summers spent traipsing around Gettysburg, Williamsburg and Washington DC. When I wanted to sleep in, an alarm went off early. When I wanted a nap, there was someplace to be. When I wanted to sit and read, we were on the move. While these vacations were always fun, they were tiring and I often returned home feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation.
Regardless of what our summer vacations entailed, my family always managed to rent a house on a remote, largely unpopulated island in the middle of Lake Erie. It was during these trips that I could completely relax and unwind. The island boasts one restaurant and one grocery store that is stocked once a week with items from the mainland. Golf carts and bikes are the main modes of transportation and the island is only accessible by a ferry. It’s the sort of place you can rise early in the morning with the sun, sipping coffee while sitting on the edge of the lake watching the sun rise as Canadian geese fly off into the horizon. With nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do, one is free to read all day, go fishing off the dock, or simply nap in the hammock. After the sun seemingly sinks into the lake, a bonfire quickly follows and burns into the wee hours of the night. Then the day is capped off by lying on your back watching for shooting stars only to go to bed to repeat the whole thing over again the next day. The gentle waves lapping against the shore provide a soothing soundtrack for the time. It’s absolutely glorious.
When I think about my dream vacation, my thoughts always return to island. It’s always the most relaxing time where I can just decompress and just be. Of course it’s always nice to visit new places, see new sights, and experience new adventures but when I want a vacation, I simply want to relax and enjoy my time doing as little as possible, just restoring the natural balance of my life.
What about you? What does your dream vacation entail?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I want to be on that lake you described right now!!!
I think that next week is going to be my ideal vacation! Going from place to place, tucking into small towns to go exploring, visiting friends along the way, and having breweries to tour. And seeing the ocean! You can’t forget that =)
Those kind of escape vacations are so great for recharging! I go to my grandparents cabin 1-2 times per summer and it’s so secluded that it’s that perfect opportunity. My cell phone goes off for a few days because the service there is pretty bad. My dream vacation is heading off to a remote cabin on a lake, or enjoying a beautiful place like Mexico/Hawaii where you can spent part of the time exploring and hiking and the other part relaxing by the pool or swimming in the ocean.
That cabin get away reminds me of weekends at my parents cabin. I don’t wear make-up, I rarely do anything with my hair, I live in my swimsuit, and I read and knit all weekend! It’s lovely!
My dream vacation these days is a return trip to Paris, though. I want to try to make a trip there around my 30th birthday. We will see if I can swing it or not. I want to rent an apt in the Marais area. I want to wake up, grab a coffee, and meander through that historic neighborhood. I want to sit on the patio of an outdoor cafe and sip wine while watching the world go by.
My family used to spend a week on Prince Edward Island every summer and that’s what immediately comes to mind when I think “vacation”. There were things to do when we wanted to do things (pllays to see, tourist traps to visit!) but we spent most of the time relaxing on the beach. I can’t remember the last time I had an actually relaxing vacation …
That sounds lovely! I prefer relaxing vacations to those that leave you without time to breathe or think.
My DREAM vacation is to be spent in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. I plan on marrying a rich husband one day
I think I would want a vacation where it feels like an escape from real life and I can just relax, unwind, and enjoy the world around me. I don’t want to be going, going, going from one place to another. That feels too much like real life for me.
(Which isn’t to say I’m not totally jealous of Amber’s vacation. I would LOVE to do something like that and in her case, you have to go, go, go to see everything and experience the cultures/cities!)
ahhhh sounds like you are having SO much fun!!!!
It sounds lovely and totally relaxing.
My dream vacation is to backpack through Europe with my husband and kids (when the kids are old enough to carry their own backpacks) . I want to take a cooking class in Tuscany. Drink a beer in Ireland. See the Eiffle Tower, etc.
My dream vacation would be to backpack around Asia or Europe, and spend a few months seeing all I can see!!
Sounds lovely! But I need internet capabilities. I’m just not that girl that can go and “unplug” for a week or two. It’s sad, I know.
My dream vacation…I don’t know really. Either spending a few months travelling through Europe, or sitting on a white sandy beach with crystal clear water at a fancy resort for a week. I can’t decide. As long as they have internet
For me it would be a beach, a stack of books, gorgeous sun, palm trees, and endless daiquiris. No interruptions. No sun burn. Just sleep, reading, relaxation and fun.
There is a part of me that likes a full trip, and then there is a part of me that likes a relaxing vacation. I think the practical side of me finds the relaxing variety kind of indulgent and I feel guilty considering it. Yet some of my best memories are weekends with my friend at her family’s cabin on the lake where the biggest things we did was sit on the dock, take a walk, and figure out what to have for dinner. I think in my ideal world I would have a full vacation followed directly by a relaxing one.
Currently my dream vacation is to be technology-free somewhere tropical with the husband since we haven’t gone on our honeymoon yet. I hope we do soon!
Sounds like your having a wonderful vacation. I love reading about it. Thanks for sharing