You've won a $50K, 4 week vacation in any one country of the world

[Rowdyboy]

Yes, you have $50,000 to spend, and one month to spend it in one country (but only one country), anywhere in the world.

What would be your country and why?

Mine would be Italy. I have no Italian heritage but I love all things Mediterranean. The Roman ruins, Pompeii, the Medici palaces, the Vatican all appeal to me enormously. The superb cuisine alone would make my decision easy. I'd spend time in Tuscany, and Florence and Venice and find some small, quaint coastal village to spend a few days.

I find the Italian language to be incredibly beautiful, sexy and romantic (well, after all, it is a "Romance" language). Plus, I think Italian men are just about the sexiest in the world....

Italy would be my dream vacation.

[Left Is Write]

1. Only one country? That's painful. I don't know how to choose.

I would choose Australia, Italy, or Greece. That's the best I can narrow it down right now.

[all.of.me]

5. can't do one, either

it would be italy and new zealand.

[Rowdyboy]

6. Greece is a very close second for me....

I just have this thing about the Mediterranean...

[nicktom]

48. Greece would be my pick.

[billbuckhead]

2. Australia

:beer:

[NewJeffCT]

27. Australia might be my choice... or China

If I went alone, I'd go to Australia since I could enjoy the beaches & the like. My wife doesn't swim...

If it was with my wife, then China. I've already been once, but there is just so much to see there.

[NMDemDist2]

42. agreed n/t

[MrScorpio]

3. No Contest... Back to Holland

Amsterdam, here we come

[Rowdyboy]

7. Holland is high on my list, I'm just afraid I'd get to Amsterdam and

never leave.... Hmmmmmmmm Sweeeeeet

[obxhead]

51. was going to the same place

but I think they have a "30 days and you're gone" law. Not positive on this though.

[MrScorpio]

54. European borders are very pourous

I guess that it'll be time to hang out in the South of France and come back later to revisit my in-laws

[obxhead]

55. good point.

I can dig it.

[hippiechick]

4. Greece and all it's little islands ....

O8)

[Rowdyboy]

8. I'm drawn to Greece for its history and the ruins...I love the culture,

appreciate Greek food and would definitely have it second on my list!

[crimson333]

9. I would go back to Ireland

Love that place

[Maestro]

10. Spain!

No question! I went there in the 80's and would love to return.

[LSK]

11. New Zealand

Clean, green, scenic, and liberal. Does it get any better than that?

[TheMightyFavog]

12. Germany

I'd go in December

Stop in Mannheim to Watch an Adler Mannheim game

Berlin

Cologne

Munich

Stutgart, and possibly a tour of a Porsche factory

and much, much more!

[Rowdyboy]

13. One branch of my family came to America from a tiny village , Albisheim...

in the Moselle Valley, Rhineland. Several generations of my family are registered in local Evangelical church before they left in the 1730's. I would really love to visit it someday.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

14. Spain

I've always been fascinated by Spanish culture and Mediterranean culture in general. I would probably spend two weeks in Barcelona and two weeks in Seville.

[Rowdyboy]

15. Cannot argue with you....I'd gravitate to Barcelona and the coast

in general. My partner speaks fluent Spanish so we would be right at home.

[leftofthedial]

16. Italy would be hard to top

Portugal?
Spain?
Ireland?
Czech Republic?
Holland?

I definitely seem to have a European thing going.

Hell, with 50K and 4 weeks, I could probably have fun just about anywhere.

[dbt]

17. IRELAND! Hands down, in a Connemara minute!

And if you even have to ask WHY, it's for sure you've never been there!

:loveya:

[globalvillage]

32. Absolutely. Ireland.

[3lefts]

18. America

Week in Hawaii, week in Alaska and then a long bike ride from California to Florida hitting as many beach towns as possible along the way.

[tjwmason]

19. I totally agree with you

The length of time allows for both cultural exploration as well as quite a bit of wasting time in the sun.

Long wine-soaked dinners each evening (I hate to think how much weight I'd put on, but there's something particularly wonderful about sitting next to a vine-yard drinking wine made from its grapes).

Now guess which southern European country I'm going to this summer. :D :bounce:

[Rowdyboy]

29. Lucky you!

My day will come but, inthe meantime, make sure you give copious details on your trip. To me, Italy would be a slice of heaven.

[tjwmason]

41. I'm taking in Venice and Florence/Tuscany

and I'm bound to be a total bore about it afterwards.

This is one of the great advantages about the eastern side of the Atlantic.

[NMMNG]

20. The Netherlands

Beautiful countryside, liberal values--what's not to love?

[CitrusLib]

21. No contest. Scotland.

Only got to spend 3 days there several years ago and it was fabulous. The history, the scenery, the shopping. Loved it all. Edinburgh Castle has one of the best self guided tours I've ever experienced.

[globalvillage]

34. Do you have any pix to share?

Thinking about going next spring.

[DemExpat]

47. Scotland or the US for me.

DemEx

[Squeech]

22. Brazil

Which is where I go anyway, but with four weeks and $50,000 I could see some different places. Mrs. Squeech and I attempt to go every year (and we're going to have to miss this year, dammit) to visit our friends in Recife (beautiful but impoverishd old city in the Northeast) and Vitoria (working-class port city north of Rio), and then try and absorb some interesting cultural stuff en route. But with the extra time, we could go see the European styled cities of the south, one of which (Curitiba) is trying to build consciously green, and check out Iguacu Falls while we're at it.

An alternative suggestion would be Indonesia: 1300 islands, each one culturally distinct. Although the differences between adjacent islands tend to be subtle, you could spend a week each in Sumatra, Bali, the Moluccas (Spice Islands) and Irian Jaya (the Indonesian half of Papua New Guinea) and have an incredibly diverse experience.

Spain and Italy are also good ideas, but I wanted to highlight something that wasn't Europe.

[Onlooker]

23. France, specifically Paris

There's no city more beautiful. There's no city more romantic. There's no city more crazy, chaotic, anarchistic, and unpredictable.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

24. Japan

don't know why, I've always wanted to go.


I've always been drawn to pictures of Tokyo

[slutticus]

59. I've always wanted to go also..

....but I don't think 50 grand would last long in Japan....

[SlavesandBulldozers]

60. i know.

from what ive heard its seriously costly.

[brokensymmetry]

25. Switzerland!

I've seen pictures of the scenery...heard rumors of the chocolate and pastries...and there are high mountain meadows with delicate flowers.

[peacebuzzard]

26. Back home.....Brasil!!....

50 gran and 4 weeks at home...... (Dreaming).......
I would remodel my old home, pay all my back taxes, regulate my life, and kick back and have a few drafts....then, bike the beaches, swim the oceans, and find a cute little home in the mountains to buy for my retirement.

[hyphenate]

28. Any one country, huh?

Well, it would boil down to either Canada or the UK (unless Great Britain is considered cheating, since it's actually 4 countries under one kingdom).

In Canada, unparalleled diversity, from the Maritimes to BC, to Sasketchawan to Montreal. Every bit as beautiful as the United States, which I have seen cross country four times.

In UK, I spent nearly 3 weeks there in 1992, and certainly didn't see enough. With more money and a longer time, I would be able to spend a lot more time in the places I enjoyed the most (the Cotswolds, the Lakes Region, Edinburgh, Skye) and visit areas I didn't get to explore the first time (Wales, Brighton, Glastonbury Tor, Kent, Oxford, Cambridge, Blackpool, the Isle of Man).

So I'd be perfectly happy with either opportunity. However, I'd opt for less money and more time. We did 20 days in UK for under $5000 back in '92, so even $25000 is being a little too much.

[Tikki]

30. The north of Chile.....

ATACAMA DESERT

The north of Chile

The region known as the ``North of Chile" occupies an area equivalent in size to two thirds of Italy. It stretches from the highlands of the Andean Altiplano over the golden sands of the Atacama Desert as far as the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Diverse, surprising, majestic and untouched... this is the place for those in search of adventure with its breathtaking salt flats, geysers and Andean volcanos, vast expanses of land and here and there, occasional signs of life... llamas, vicunas, flamingos and alpacas, all unperturbed by the presence of man. Here you can find museums which record mans presence over the last 10,000 years, sea and long sandy beaches, relaxation and entertainment in casinos, restaurants and hotels, and above all the friendly hospitality of the Chilean people.
The North of Chile... in fact... has everything!



Tikki

[Jara sang]

31. Australia

you could see a lot of it in 4 weeks, and it's big and diverse.

[Midlodemocrat]

33. France.

[Scooter24]

35. Does Las Vegas count?

:P

[gardenista]

43. Well... that $50K has to last a month...

[bleedingheart]

36. Italy...not Italian either ...but I would spend a month or two there

in an instant!

[arwalden]

37. Germany

[amazona]

40. yeah really

I guess I'm a budget traveler. I can't figure out how you could spend $50K in only one month in any country, even Italy or England, which are obscenely expensive. Guess I'm not much of a shopper.

[FLBlueFaced]

38. France

I would love to visit Paris and go to the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, etc. Then I would go to the Cote d'Azur and live it up on the beach.

[smirkymonkey]

39. It's so hard to choose, but I would pick Italy as well.

It would be great to really explore a country - both city and countryside.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

44. I'd cheat and count the EU as one country

:evilgrin:

[MrSlayer]

45. Amsterdam, Holland.

A no brainer.

[SnohoDem]

46. Eat and drink my way through France.

:9

[true_notes]

49. You are disillusioned if you want to come here.

It's growing more polluted and crowded, and on top of that Italy is the leading developed nation in petty theft. They are nice here though, and the scenery..what is left is beautiful. I recommend Greece.

[datasuspect]

50. somewhere where the state dept says you shouldn't go

[obxhead]

52. it's amazing that we want to leave.

politics aside there are many places here in the US I would love to blow some loot.
Montana or Alaska - could hike, fish, party, and chill there for a long time without getting bored I think. I hear the redwood forests in CA are awesome too.

[Mutley]

53. Ireland

I've always wanted to go there.

[UrbScotty]

56. Canada or England.

Of course, I live 3 1/2 hours from Canada.

[wakeme2008]

57. New Zealand no question....

Hobbits were are those hobbits... :)

[Lauri16]

58. Right here in the US....Hawaii

Back to Kauai! That is the most gorgeous place! We're going back in March. Too beautiful a place to see only once!