Good afternoon!
I hope your day is going simply swimmingly! I feel much more “with it” today. For whatever reason, yesterday felt rather hazy, so it’s nice to feel like my old self again!
After working through the morning, lunchtime was a welcome break and I took a few minutes to throw together a protein-packed lunch that included fresh fruit and vegetables.
A winner all around.
Along with a cup of strawberry banana Greek yogurt and a Jazz apple, I made myself a batch of chicken salad.
In addition to the usual three ingredients that always go into my typical chicken salad (Miracle Whip, mustard and relish), I added shopped celery and two chopped carrot sticks.
I loved the extra crunch from the vegetables!
Delightful!
The Travel List Challenge
Last night’s Food List Challenge was so much fun that I thought we might enjoy round two today! Thanks to blog reader Lisa who told me about the Travel List Challenge!
Apparently a bunch of different “List Challenges” are popping up right now, but my love for travel made the Travel List Challenge especially intriguing to me.
The list features 100 “must see” places and includes a bunch of places I’ve always wanted to visit.
Like I did with the Food List Challenge last night, I highlighted the places I’ve visited below. I’m still at a loss for why my lovely hometown of Ocala isn’t on the list. What’s the deal?
1. Alamo
San Antonio, Texas, USA
2. Alhambra
Granada, Spain
3. Andros Island
Bahamas
4. Angel Falls
Venezuela
5. Angkor Wat
Angkor, Cambodia
6. Atlantic City Boardwalk
Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
7. Ayers Rock
Australia
8. Big Ben
London, England
9. Bora Bora
Polynesia
10. British Museum
London, England
11. Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
12. Cathedral of Seville
Seville, Spain
13. Cave of Crystals
Mexico
14. Christ the Redeemer
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
15. Cinque Terre National Park
Italy
16. Colosseum
Rome, Italy
17. Crater Lake National Park
Oregon, USA
18. Dead Sea
Israel/Jordan
19. Death Valley National Park
California, USA
20. Devil’s Tower
Wyoming, USA
21. Dome of the Rock
Jerusalem, Israel
22. Easter Island Statues
Polynesia
23. Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
24. Eiffel Tower
Paris, France
25. Empire State Building
New York City, New York, USA
26. Forbidden City
Beijing, China
27. French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA <—Going in August this year for my friend Leah’s bachelorette party!
28. Galapagos Islands
Ecuador
29. Gateway Arch
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
30. Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
31. Glacier Bay Basin
Alaska, USA
32. Glacier National Park
Montana, USA
33. Glowworm Cave
New Zealand
34. Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco, California, USA
35. Grand Canal
Venice, Italy
36. Grand Canyon
Arizona, USA
37. Grand Mosque in Mecca
Saudi Arabia
38. Great Barrier Reef
Queensland, Australia
39. Great Mosque of Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
40. Great Wall of China
China
41. Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey
42. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii, USA
43. Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California, USA
44. Iguazu Falls
Argentina and Brazil
45. Kiyomizu-dera
Kyoto, Japan
46. Kremlin
Moscow, Russia
47. Lake Titicaca
Peru
48. Las Ramblas
Barcelona, Spain
49. Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas, Nevada
50. Leaning Tower of Pisa
Pisa, Italy
51. Louvre Museum
Paris, France
52. Macchu Picchu
Peru
53. Matterhorn
Switzerland
54. Mayan Pyramids of Chichen Itza
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
55. Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, New York, USA
56. Mount Everest
Nepal
57. Mount Fuji
Japan
58. Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania
59. Mount Rushmore
Keystone, South Dakota, USA
60. Napa Valley
California, USA
61. Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania
62. Niagara Falls
New York, USA
63. Notre Dame Cathedral
Paris, France
64. Pacific Rim National Park
British Columbia, Canada
65. Pebble Beaches of Nice
Nice, France
66. Petra
Jordan
67. Petronas Twin Towers
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
68. Portland Head Lighthouse
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA
69. Puerta Del Sol
Madrid, Spain
70. Pyramids of Giza
Egypt
71. Redwood National Park
California, USA
72. Rock of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
73. Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado, USA
74. Ruins of Athens
Athens, Greece
75. Ruins of Pompeii
Pompei, Italy
76. Sagrada Famila
Barcelona, Spain
77. Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
78. Sedlec Ossuary
Czech Republic
79. Sistine Chapel
Vatican City, Italy
80. Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C., USA
81. Space Needle
Seattle, Washington, USA
82. St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican City, Italy
83. Statue of Liberty
New York City, New York, USA
84. Stonehenge
Wiltshire County, England
85. Sydney Opera House
Sydney, Australia
86. Taj Mahal
Agra, India
87. Temple of the Golden Pavilion
Kyoto, Japan
88. Teotihuacan
Mexico
89. Tian Tan Buddha
Hong Kong, China
90. Times Square
New York City, New York, USA
91. Varanasi
Uttar Pradesh, India
92. Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe
93. Wailing Wall
Jerusalem, Israel
94. Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, Florida
95. Washington Monument
Washington, D.C., USA
96. White Cliffs of Dover
Dover, England
97. White House
Washington, D.C., USA
98. Winchester Cathedral
Hampshire, England
99. Yosemite National Park
California, USA
100. Zion National Park
Utah, USA
Questions of the Afternoon
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Of the locations listed above that you haven’t been to, where would you most like to visit?
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What place was left off the above list that you think should be included?
I would love to see the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and go scuba diving!
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I’m dragging you to Atlantic City the first chance I get. as a Jersey native, it’s a stop that’s gotta be on yo bucket list. 😉
I’m dragging you to Atlantic City the first chance I get. as a Jersey native, (*I can assure you*) it’s a stop that’s gotta be on yo bucket list. 😉
someone turn my brain on today.
Ahhh I’ve only been to like 6 of those places! I’d love to go ANYWHERE in Europe!
I would love to see the Eiffel Tower in France and Napa Valley in California 🙂 I realized from this list that I haven’t seen a ton of places.
I love that the Dead Sea, the Wailing Wall, and the Dome of the Rock are all on the list. I went to Israel two years ago, and by far these are the coolest places I’ve ever been in my life. I spent most of that trip in sheer disbelief that I was actually there, experiencing those things (including the sunset camel ride in the Bedouin desert!)
SECOND THIS!! I spent 6 months living in Tel Aviv and took a handful of trips to the Old City because it is such a special place.
Tel-Aviv is a world of it’s own!! Everyone must visit! Spending 5 months there in the fall can’t wait!!
Jealous!! Have an amazing time!
wowww you’ve been to so many places Julie! I would love to go to Paris, Italy, and Nepal! 😀 I’ve been to India which COULD be somewhat similar in terms of culture….but I hear Nepal is still quite different in the scenery, food, etc.
my dad used to work for united airlines, which was really nice and allowed us to travel when i was younger. i wish he still worked there! 🙂
ohh awesome stuff~sometimes, I KIND of wish I could work for an airline–at least for a short time, hehe
First off, I’m currently sitting in one of those places!
Second, have you ever been to the Leaning Tower of Niles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Niles)? I stumbled upon it lost leaving Old Orchard once and it stopped me dead in my tracks.
I have to comment because last week I randomly took Touhy from I-294 to I-94 and saw this on the way. I had NO idea what it was until now.
I love that you are going to New Orleans! I’m from New Orleans and go back every chance I get. It will be VERY hot that month! Drink plenty of water and if you get a chance to run, run down St. Charles!! 🙂
68 is where I’m from! It’s actually in Cape Elizabeth, not Portland 🙂
i edited it! i’ll tak your word for it as a local. 🙂
*take
I’ve always wanted to go to Spain! I traveled to Europe in 8th grade and havent been back since. Once my kids are a little older, we can’t wait to take a big family vacation!
I need to get working on that list for sure, I havent been to very many! Traveling is just SO expensive!
I’d have a lot of world traveling to do to fill out this list! A little jealous of yours! 🙂
I really want to see castles in England and Scotland… that would be my first to check off on the list. (although I don’t think I saw any on the travel challenge!)
I’ve been to a lot of those, but my favorite has to be #76 – Sagrada Familia. Blew my mind away.
10 out of 100. Im using this list to motivate my boyfriend to travel with me.
Now that’s one list I would love to tackle.
About being “with it”, I was more with it yesterday. Today sucks!
You’re further along on your travel list than I!
Your family is so cute.
I had lemon Cho with lunch today!
Oh boy I need to get travelling…especially around the USA!
I live in DC, and I walk past the White House just about everyday and can see the Monument, Capitol, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Memorial from my apartment rooftop!
Coming from a tiny town (that likewise didn’t make the list… Weeeirdddd! haha), I’ve loved living/working/studying in a tourist destination!
I went to school in Nashville, TN, which is an awesome city. Maybe that should be added to the list 🙂
That list depresses me. I need to win the lottery.
Dublin should be up there for something! So many amazing European cities…Budapest, Malmo in Sweden and Krakow in Poland…Vancouver should be up there for something and Whistler, two amazing places to visit. For some odd reason I haven’t been to Italy yet…this summer for sure and really want to go back to New York!
There are so many places I want to visit, but I think Greece is near the top of my list. This is a little different than the places listed above, but I would add Northern Michigan to the list – my family has a cottage on a lake there and it is SO beautiful; I really love it there.
Fun list. I feel lucky to have gone to lots of those. I’m really hoping to get to Africa at some point (the falls in Zimbabwe might not be bad!). I can’t think of any that I’ve been to that are not on there, but I’m sure they exist!
I have been to 24 out of the 100.
I’ll be passing all the DC sites this weekend when I have my 20 mile training walk.
I think one of my favorites was Cinque Terra! It was absolutely amazing!!
Wow! My hometown made the #1 spot! 🙂 Come to San Antonio and enjoy tha absolute best Mexican food you have ever had in your life.. promise!
Wait a second, the Sears Tower is now the Willis Tower? Whaaaaat? I never should have left Illinois……
They didn’t list anything from Florence, Italy! And only one place in New Zealand… I’m shocked!
I hope you made #82 when you went to #79? 🙂 My fav city is Roma 🙂
Agreed! If you were in the Vatican Museum seeing the Sistine Chapel, you can proceed directly into St. Peter’s. (“Basilica” refers to a church given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.)
You were there and have pictures to prove it! 🙂
https://www.pbfingers.com/2011/05/05/buongiorno/
totally overlooked that one somehow! i was definitely there! just edited the post. 🙂
So I was actually born on the road to mecca ( the infidel side since we aren’t Muslim) and grew up in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Soo I have seen Mecca up close and personal lol. Also, I was in Kuala Lumpur when they were building the Petronas Towers (twin towers to us locals) and we got to go up to the very top before they the businesses came in. It has the BEST mall under it as well (suria KLCC). I am homesick lol. Anyways, I totally agree that Sweden should be on this list as well. And the red sand dunes of Riyadh…oh I miss the world!
Ooh I like this list! Dont’ worry – I haven’t been to many of these places either! I used to live in Bahrain (right next to Saudi Arabia) but we never ventured over to see the mosque in Mecca because you need a visa to get into the country and we didn’t really want to go THAT badly! I’m going to Melbourne Australia next week and have been to Sydney and Adelaide, but would love to see the Great Barrier Reef!
I actually do pretty well on this list! I’d love to go to Greece more than anything! I think the Mosel River Valley in Germany should be included – it’s gorgeous and has vineyard covered hills. I also think Yellowstone National Park should be included.
I say change Niagara Falls–put the Canadian address (Niagara Falls Ontario Canada). We all know the Canadian side is far more impressive than the US side!!!
Totally agree on this!!!!
I also totally agree with this. I live in Rochester and have only gone to the NY side once(and I’m 39) I’ve been to the Canadian side,gosh, like 15 or 20. Many more things to do, see and experience on the Canadian side.
Wow, there are NO places in Canada on that list. How disappointing.
Las Vegas Strip because I am a young 20-something in search of a good time and/or a husband, whichever happens first 😉
NOLA is crazy. I went for Spring Break one year and it happened to fall during Mardi Gras, it was absolutely nuts. I bet August in NOLA is pretty fun especialy since you don’t have to deal with the Mardi Gras crowds.
I haven’t been to very many places on this list – that’s gotta change!
As far as specifics … they could have listed “Beach – Anywhere Sandy” and that would be my choice 😉 haha
I had fun looking through this list and have many more places to go if I want to check them all off!
It was kind of disappointing not to see ANY Canadian destinations on the list though….what gives?! 🙂
#64 is Canada, isn’t it? Although it’s only one, there is at least something.
You’re right! I guess I read it too quickly and was hasty in my disappointment! Thanks for pointing that out!
Hi Julie! Your chicken salad looks great!
I am planning a party for some newlywed friends of mine this weekend and I was wondering if you had any healthy pasta salad recipes? There will be plenty of carbs consumed through beer drinking 🙂 so I thought a light, pasta salad would go well with the rest of the food!
Thanks! 😀
yes! i LOVE this recipe: https://www.pbfingers.com/2009/12/21/fluffy-pancakes-and-cinnamon-french-toast/
PERFECT!!! Thanks gal! 😀
What a fun list. Definitely bit me with the travel bug. I would definitely say that Big Bend National Park would make my list over the Alamo as a “to see” destination in TX.
I want to go to central park so badly! Also, I HIGHLY recommend Zions National Park. It is absolutely gorgeous and the hikes are amazing (I’m a little bias because I live less than an hour from there).
This list is so fun!! It makes me want to travel!!! I feel pretty privileged that I’ve been to 28 of the above places!! But there are so many more awesome ones that I want to see!! Top of my list are def Seville & Nice!
nice list! i’ve always wanted to go to the British Museum. I bet it was amazing! And I am jealous of all the places you have been.
My mom and i were just talking about the cave of crystal in mexico. i don’t know if tourists are allowed, but I hear its very hot in there. 😉
I haven’t been to hardly any of those places but two suggestions, since I have been, are Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Salt Lake City, UT. They’re so totally different but so incredibly wonderful in a lot of different ways. A US favorite…or “if you’re in the area” location to visit would be San Antonio, TX and Carlsbad, NM. Wanna know where Billy the Kid came from? Come to Las Cruces, NM!
I was pretty proud of my internationally decorated passport until reading this list! lol
I’ve been to 6 of the 100 and the funny part is #’s 9,42,62,77 have all been in 2012! I need to get my travel on to catch up to this list!
The Brandenburg Gate (Berlin, Germany) should be included 😉
What was left off the list …. lol, anything in Canada?
This challenge is awesome! I’ve actually been to Australia and snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef. Nonetheless it was beautiful and definitely an experience everyone should have!
Hi Julie, I just got back from vacation in New Orleans and the French Quarter is so fun and unique. While you are there you need to hit up magazine street and got to the Rum House and get mojitos and pulled pork nachos!. Also, we went and saw the plantations and that was amazing too.
Great list! I really enjoy traveling to new places (as well as old favorites). I actually just booked a trip to Prague this morning – I’m so pumped!
So many places I’d love to go to! First on my list is the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and the next one in Medina. And Jerusalem.
And anywhere else where there is sun, beautiful nature, lovely people and great things to do! Australia..definitely 😉
I think anywhere in Ireland but especially the Cliffs Of Moher in County Clare, Ireland are unblelievable and should definitely be on the list. Ireland is as spectacularly green as it looks in pictures/movies and am dying to go back. I watch House Hunter’s International on HGTV(ok, I need a life!) and think if I were to ever uproot my family to move somewhere out of the country it would be to go to Ireland-anywhere in Ireland (well, except Northern Itreland)
If I were to pick somewhere realistic that I want to visit it would be either the Grand Canyon or Napa Valley. In my dream world, I’d like to visit Syndey Australia, the Louvre Museum in France or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy.
As a Canadian, I’m a little appalled that there is only one location in Canada..
32 out of 100! Not too bad…I would love to go to the Great Wall of China!
also I’m definitely going to post about this now 🙂 thanks for the inspiration.
I’d LOVE to go to Machu Piccho!!! I’ve heard it’s incredible!
And I’ve snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef (but from Fiji) and it really was incredible. Definitely go if you can!
I have only been to 14 of those locations. I need to get out more!