Travel Challenge, Day 1 - My Favorite Place(s)

The lovely Deidre of Vai Via blog is encouraging a few fellow travel bloggers to join her in the Travel Challenge. It's 15 weekdays of blogging based on some prompts related to travel. I thought I'd join in since I've never really done something like this before or discussed some of the topics in the prompts on the blog. Let's see if I can keep up. :)

My FAVORITE place that I've visited? That's way too hard! I think I've liked different places for different reasons. At each favorite place, I've experienced something unique, or it's changed me in some way. Here are some of my favorites and why:

1. Favorite First - Italy. It was the first place I'd been in Europe and really the first place I'd ever been outside of going to visit my family in Antigua. It was a high school trip for the Latin geeks like me (I studied Latin for six years. I embrace my geekiness.). This was in 1993, and I haven't been back to Italy since. I need to go back :(

Piazza Navona, my favorite piazza in Rome. My first travel memory is eating gelato here and ogling my future Italian husbands. :)

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2. Favorite "I could live here" - South Africa. I spent four months living in South Africa in grad school doing an externship (whatever...it was an internship with a special name). Specifically, I lived in Cape Town and worked for a legal organization there. My research and policy focus was on women's rights as it relates to customary tribal law (yeah, I know. A little esoteric). I LOVED South Africa, and I miss it very much. I can't even begin to put into words how much I would love to go back. The history, the beauty of the country, the realities of blending cultures and languages and within the backdrop of a history of years of repression made it a truly fascinating place to be. My time in South Africa also made me realize that I could live in another part of the world and be happy there. I was really ready to stay.

This is where I used to go power walking after "work". :) I lived a few blocks from the water in a neighborhood called Sea Point.

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I would love to talk about South Africa on this blog, but I have no digitized pictures. Any advice on how to take my regular pics and turn them into digital ones? I have a feeling about how (scanning, right?), but I'd love to hear from you all.

3. Favorite "I'm not in Kansas anymore" - Morocco. I've never been to the U.S. state of Kansas, but I'm sure I would think it's as exotic as Morocco (no really! I would!). Parts of Morocco made me feel like I was in a place devoid of the influences of modern technology or European/North American ways of living. Plus, I was there during Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting, which added another element to how I experienced the country.

My pics from Morocco are jacked up, too. :( I'd love to talk about the trip here. Maybe someday. If you want to hear about Morocco, bug my BFF to send me some of her pics, and I'll be sure to write about it. Her e-mail is.....just kidding (Well, not really. What's up, BFF??!!)

A street in the Medina (old city) in Fes-al-Bali

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Also, I think Turkey has become one of my favorite places as well. Months later, I'm still thinking about it. I think New Orleans was my favorite U.S. city.

I think that's too many favorites, so I'll stop here. :)

What has been one of your favorite places to visit?

Here's Deidre's Favorite Place