The 45 Places to Go in 2012

Bali:  Eat, pray, love.

Another favorite annual feature in the New York Times, "The 45 Places to Go in 2012" gets the juices flowing with some enticing travel destinations to go to now and why.

Of those, I've already been to Panama, London (UK), Tanzania, Glasgow (UK), Florence (Italy), Wales (UK), Vienna (Austria), and Uganda.  Lucky me!

Of the others on the list, there are several that are especially appealing.

Helsinki (Finland) -  for the design and architecture, but not for the herring.

Havana (Cuba) - because one day its gonna be just a bunch of beach resorts with a faux Cuba backdrop.

Chatttanooga, TN because that sounds, tastes and feels like the Deep South, and I'd like to make a go of it.

and Dalarna, Sweden - Midsommer!  Need I say more?  Nordic countries really appeal to me for so many reasons - the design, the quality of life, the natural landscape, winter nights, and summer joy.  I have a friend in Copenhagen to visit on my list!

The real travel plans of this year for work and for play might end up quite enviable, if I do say so myself - New York (of course, and in multiples), London, Paris, Massachusetts, Senegal, Thailand, and Bali (!).  If I pull it off, it will be a minor miracle, though all are in the works in some capacity.  The Thailand-Bali trip is starting to look and feel a little like the idea was hatched among two friends drinking too much prosecco at a bar at Christmastime - and it was!