The Seven Wonders of the (ancient) World.  In their time, no X-Ray, Bag checks or Passport required, you just walked in…Easy to see and easier to explore.

Let’s see if I can remember what they are, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes…and so on.  With the exception of the Great Pyramid of Giza, they are essentially all gone.

In 2000, we took a roadtrip (actually our Honeymoon) to Maine to see whatever Maine has to see.  On the way, we casually stopped in New York, took pictures of the Twin Towers and took a boat ride to see a Statue.  I use the word Casually because that’s what it was, Casual.  The boat dropped us off, we went into the base of the Statue of Liberty, climbed a very steep set of stairs and ended up in the Crown.  I remember thinking, “this is so small”, as the crown holds only about 6-8 people at best.  We’ll come back “next time” and explore, then we left and drove to Maine.

Try that today, nothing Casual about it.  You must have a reservation, pay a fee, get security checks and so on…things we unfortunately consider “normal”.  So much for “next time”.

I’ve been up in the Eiffel Tower, just wandering around.  To St. Marks Square in Venice, the Louvre in Paris, the Vatican in Rome and it’s Museums, just a ‘wanderin…

Now the City of Paris is building a barrier around the Eiffel Tower.  Gone are the days of just walking in and “checking the place out”.  Gone are the days of “Casual”.

Seven Wonders of the (Ancient) World?  No, There are Hundreds!  Hundreds of the Worlds most precious reminders of each country’s history.  Except today, we must change the meaning of the word “Wonder”.   Today it’s, I Wonder if we can actually get in?  I Wonder if it’s safe?  I Wonder if I can actually see it with my very own eyes.  I Wonder…

If you want to see the Wonder’s of our world, don’t wait a day longer. In the span of 17 years we went from “Casual” to “I’ll look it up on the internet, getting in just isn’t worth the headache”.

A Positive ending to a not so positive post, the Eiffel Tower, St. Marks in Venice and the Vatican are all still open.  So get packing…It’s time to Travel