So today’s post is a throwback Thursday thirteen post.
Travel Thursday
One of my initial plans (and it still kind of is) was to make Thursday posts travel related; it could be tips, or trips, or books related to travel, or something else I could link to travel one way or the other. I did write a few Travel Thursday posts and surprised myself today when I realized I had more than I expected! While I of course have visited many more destinations than these, I have not written about them. However, I hope I will.
Thursday Thirteen
And for many Thursdays, I participated (on and off) in a fun yet simple weekly meme simply called Thursday Thirteen; you just make a list of 13 things (related or not) and link up to the Thursday13 linky.
Throwback Thursday Thirteen
And, so, yes, today’s post is a mashup of sorts, a throwback to my previous Travel Thursday posts (thirteen of them); hence the title Throwback Thursday Thirteen!
I have a brief summary of the original post here; and if that interests you, you could check it out at the link provided. Note that many of these posts sorely need updates. I have tried to make quick updates where relevant/really needed, and will save the other sprucing updates for later.
Depending on where you live, you might be able to visit these places (some even now – but open with restrictions – like the Safari West in Santa Rosa, CA). But if you cannot travel to any of these destinations for whatever reasons, you can always do what I am doing right now – armchair travel – right from wherever you are through posts like these!!!
Throwback Thursday Thirteen
Hakone Gardens, Saratoga, CA
A local gem of a spot, one where we can feel like we are miles away from civilization though we are right in its very center.
This picture was from one of our very first trips to the gardens.
Reading ‘Travel’
A review about a travel related book titled 5 of USA’s Best Road Trips from Lonely Planet; I think one of the first such books I ever read. I recall enjoying the read and unfortunately have not done any of the wonderful road trips mentioned in this book yet.
Themed Tours!
While I am not one for organized tours normally (preferring to pick times and places to visit on our schedules), themed tours often seem fun. And many places have themed tours – some well-known and others not so much. In this post, I attempted to list a few of those that I could possibly try out.
California Zephyr
A memorable trip on a beautiful train. One worth repeating in fact! This post is an account of that wonderful trip, along with some tips and details that can help others who are interested.
Safari West = Happy Times
An amazing, super-duper, awesome, wonderful place!
Picchetti Winery – Bay Area, CA
Another totally local spot where it is as highly likely to encounter a fellow-hiker as it is to get a peek at a peacock.
California State Railroad Museum
California State Railroad Museum
Definitely my favorite museum in our state’s capital. I love that it is small enough so you could finish touring it in about four hours tops; and that it is interesting enough that you could saunter around for the whole day. And the docents there know their way around trains.
Birds Galore in Mysore and Singapore
Birds Galore – Mysore and Singapore
There was a period when I thought that my now-teenager would grow up to become a ornithologist or maybe another profession related to birds. He was totally into them, and impressed us (as well as a guide at a sanctuary) with how many birds he could identify correctly.
California Academy of Sciences at the Golden Gate Park
Academy of Sciences – Golden Gate Park
While I am not sure if this is my favorite local museum (because I love all of them), I do enjoy every visit to the Academy of Sciences; and leave enriched in mind, body, and soul.
Taman Safari – Jakarta, Indonesia
Taman Safari – Jakarta, Indonesia
This safari stands out as one of my favorite trips ever. It was unique, totally unexpected, and simply delightful. My dad had organized this for us
Burlington, Vermont
I ended up in Burlington quite by accident – a last minute request from work for travel in a job where travel is nigh near impossible. And this was thrown out to the team for anyone to volunteer. I was surprised that I was the only one who did! And I am glad I did. While I achieved what we set out to do work wise, the main benefits for me were the sights I saw.
Death Valley
The name is scary, but the place is other-worldly – that is the best word I can come up with for Death Valley as a whole.
A day trip to history
Stepping into the deck of the USS Hornet was like stepping into history, really; and while this was years ago now, the memory of that first moment is still fresh, and so wonderful.
Throwback Thursday Thirteen (Twice?!..?)
And I managed to find an additional 13 posts (exactly 13); totally weird but true which is why I decided to add them here.
Each one links to the original post with a short description of that post here (note that there are no edits on these as of now, but am cleaning old posts up slowly).
- Thankful for having traveled to….: A list made for a Thanksgiving post
- Hiking Trails: A short list of local/Bay Area hiking trails (known to me then)
- Tips for car travel with kids… Just what it says it is (when my teens were tots). The tips I listed here served me well (Still do!)
- The joys of staycations…: A Christmas staycation plan for the Bay Area (from years ago, some of those still are an annual occurrence, though I am not sure how things will be this year)
- Places to visit in the Bay Area: Again, just what it says it is.
- Great Travel Blogs: Some travel blogs I loved at that time
- My favorite Travel Magazines: Self-explanatory
- Places worth revisiting (many times over) – Part 1: Well, I realized I never got a Part 2 for this at all 🙂
- The Travel Thursday Post of Children’s Book Week, 2017: A list of fun picture books.
- Find and Explore your areas’ Hidden Gems through LikeList: Is the app still there? Not sure but if it is not, I am sure there are tons more now than at that time!
- Where do we go from here?: I had polled readers about potential spots to visit during the upcoming long weekend (and we ended up at Safari West, featured in the first list)
- My favorite Imaginary Places to visit: Again, what it says it is!!
- Travels in a Flying Car – Book Review: My recently revived book review post
And now, the End of this Post
Dear reader, so there it was, a Throwback Thursday Thirteen two times over for you! I know have taken you on a pretty long trip in today’s post, and hope you enjoyed (at least parts of) it! I would like to hear your thoughts on any of them. And if you click on any of those, you can of course comment on those posts directly.
I would love to hear about what you would love to know from a travel post; and if you found anything useful or fun from the ones I have here today. That way, I can continue what I am somehow doing right, and add on the things I am missing or can do better, for improved travel posts in the future.
Very inspiring. Funny how Burlington got in there. I haven’t gone much of anywhere lately but save up great ideas for the future. The last big trip we took was to the Cinque Terra in Italy!
Had no clue what Thursday 13 was. Thanks for the journey.
You have certainly done a lot of traveling! Great places, too. Welcome back to Thursday 13! I hope you continue to play along.
These look like all amazing places to see. I’ve been making a list of places I want to take my kids as they get older. We obviously haven’t been traveling this year but plan to get a good trip in next year if we can.
I’d really love to get to visit that winery and the museum!
I really miss traveling and hope this pandemic will be over soon. Love going to gardens, stroll along the park and just enjoy the view. Thanks for sharing your travel stories!
Aw this was great to travel vicariously through your posts! I’m looking forward to traveling again next year (hopefully!)