As I lounge in the living room of my villa in Sicily, looking out at the clear blue sky and Mt. Etna, it’s easy to forget about the rain and chill back home in Seattle. It’s summer in Sicily, and I’m going to soak up 8 glorious days of it!
Although it’s not this warm and sunny back in Seattle, I know that by the time I return, summer should have arrived. While I’ve lived in the Seattle area all of my life, I don’t know that I’ve ever completely come to love the weather. Oh sure, it’s green and fresh and all of that, but if I didn’t have the ability to escape the winter dreariness (and sometimes that dreariness can extend into all the other seasons, too), I think I’d go crazy.
Before you know it, it will be time to start thinking about a winter escape from Seattle. A winter escape to somewhere warm, a little exotic, some place new to discover. I always have a great list going so that all I’ll have to do is check the budget and match it up with the time of year and I’ll have the beginnings of my tailor-made holidays.
Heading to the southern hemisphere during our winter months has always had appeal to me. I’ve gotten close to the equator when in Columbia, but have never ventured to the lower half of our world. So dream with me about a few of those southern hemisphere places I could choose:
- African safari – Choose the country based on the animals that I want to see, and this is one trip of a lifetime. Must sharpen my photography skills before going!
- Galapagos Islands – Just off the coast of Ecuador, this isn’t too far below the equator. But the temperatures are fairly nice all year round, and the flora and fauna is incredible.
- Buenos Aires, Argentina – Fascinating history, architecture, and I’ve heard the food is to die for. The carnivore side of me would be in heaven.
- New Zealand – There are lots of reasons for takings holidays to New Zealand. The weather, they speak English so I wouldn’t have to struggle with the language barrier, and I could meet Christine.
- Chile – So much time needed to see what this country has to offer. From the mountains to the desert, to the city of Santiago, and to the beaches, there is incredible variety. And part of Antarctica is in Chile, although then the whole warm weather thing gets a bit skewed.
So many choices, and never enough time or money for all of them. Where would you go first?
Photo credit: SXC
NOTE: This post was sponsored by Bridge & Wickers; the opinions expressed herein are those of the author.
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