Walking through history on Boston’s Freedom Trail. Tracing the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Circumnavigating the idyllic island of Bora Bora on Sea-Doos. Kayaking in the Baltic Sea. Bicycling through Berlin. So many wonderful experiences in places beginning with B. How blessed we are to have experienced them. So here is my second installment in alphabetical travel.

Bora Bora

Decades before arriving in this paradise, I had pictured its idyllic lagoon and mountains from James Michener’s description in the novel “Hawaii.” The real thing lived up to my high expectations. Bora Bora stood out, even in the company of seven stunning South Pacific islands we visited on our Paul Gauguin cruise.  Circumnavigating the island via Wave Runner was the most epic experience of an adventure of epic experiences. Our snorkeling guide was a true Polynesian character and the waters were oh-so clear and warm. Our time on a private motu (islet) rising on the reef that protects the lagoon was a privileged private paradise. Even our night out at Bloody Mary’s was great fun despite some pricey commercialization. If you’re like me, this is the image of a South Seas paradise in your head.

Bethlehem

The birthplace of Christ is utterly fascinating. An Arab town revered for Christian history in a Jewish nation. But it’s even more complicated as our Jewish tour guide was not allowed to accompany us as this area is governed by the Palestinian Authority. The City of David does not appear as prosperous as communities on the Israeli side of the border. The area around the Church of the Nativity is clearly where the tourism funds flow. A huge parking structure complete with fast food joints looks out of place. The Stars and Bucks coffee shop makes its target market clear. All this means that whatever the ebb and flow of local tensions, Bethlehem remains peaceful and welcoming. These days, there is room at the inn.

Boston

This city is not only a wonderful destination in its own right but serves as a great hub for the exploration of New England. First, our hotel was a standout. Marriott’s Custom House was once the city’s actual customs processing center and tallest building. Its colonial feel sets a perfect theme, and the location can’t be beaten – at the second subway stop from the airport, on the Freedom Trail of historical sites, across the street from historic Faniel Hall and a couple blocks from the harbor. So we were able to walk the Freedom Trail, to The Old North Church for Easter Service, Little Italy, and the USS Constitution ship museum. We took the subway to Harvard and the JFK Library at the University of Massachusetts. We rented a car for just the end of the week, driving to the Plymouth Plantation; Newport, Rhode Island; Lexington and Concord; New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and Portland, Maine. You can pack a ton of Americana into a week with Beantown as your hub.

British Columbia

A vast and varied Canadian Province with so much to explore. I have visited multiple times, but still only scratched the surface. It takes an entire day for a cruise ship from Vancouver, BC’s big city in the south, to Alaska. It is a lovely day of striking scenery and wildlife, providing a beautiful overview of the province’s vast wilderness. What treats must await for those who go ashore in the wilds of this province.

Vancouver is a magnificent city. I especially love the waterfront facing north. And, of course, Stanley Park, a truly great urban park.  Victoria was my first foreign experience (other than Baja California). A friend had married in Seattle and the wedding party took the ferry to Victoria. That was in the early 1980s, when US citizens could travel to Mexico and Canda without passports. Let’s face it, Canada does not really feel very foreign to an American, but Victoria does have a definite British vibe.

A future trip swirling in my brain combines the San Juan Islands on the U.S. side of the border and a road trip north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The natural beauty should be exceptional.

Berlin

One of the most fascinating places ever, and absolutely a must-see. So free and easy on our bike tour. So much dark history along the way. For much of my life, I accepted the Wall as a permanent fixture. Then I watched on TV as it came down. By the time I got there the wall had been down longer than it had been up. But remnants remain,  including guard towers once staffed by soldiers with machine guns trained to shoot escapees. Today, amid the bustle of the modern city, they seem almost quaint. Berlin’s Holocaust memorial is a sobering and contemplative must while Checkpoint Charlie, once a key gateway between East and West, is kitschy with it’s faux American and Soviet soldiers at the ready to take a picture with you – for a price – while KFC and McDonald’s signs loom as if to emphasize who won. Despite its past, modern Berlin has an air of freedom. And plenty of places to grab your favorite beer or wurst, In Tiergarten, the city’s sprawling leafy park, our guide pointed out some white-skinned locals sunbathing in the nude. “There is a different kind of German sausage.”

Budapest

The twin cities of Buda and Pest made a fascinating finale of our wonderful Danube river cruise. After a busy day to triumphant Heroes Square, the iconic castle, Grand Market, and the sobering shoe monument (bronzed shoes of Jews forced to jump into the river to their deaths), our captain took the riverboat for a nighttime lap around the river, a jaw-dropping illumination tour. River cruises are an awesome way to experience Europe and Budapest is an apt exclamation point.

Beijing

There is no doubt you’re in a foreign land. We visited in 2007, in the midst of a building frenzy leading up to the 2008 Olympics. Cranes were ubiquitous, unusually designed high rises plentiful, and the in-process Bird’s Nest Stadium rose over the landscape. It was quite striking even if heavy smog diminished the view.

We were part of a university program and fortunate to have special guidance from a Taiwanese cohort. And so our visits to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Tiananmen Square (where Col Sanders’ giant portrait is arguably more prominent than Chairman Mao’s) had special inside touches. Delving into Chinese history definitely helps one understand why a revolution came.

We did have to split up to go to the famous bun restaurant. After our delicious dinner, we were instructed to show our cab driver stationary from our Crown Plaza Hotel. He nodded at the logo and we thought all was well. But the landscape began to look unfamiliar and we started to get nervous. When we pulled into the parking lot of a Crown Plaza that was not our Crown Plaza, we began shaking our heads and said, ” No, no.” The driver pointed to the logo on the paper we gave him and on the hotel. We said, “Wrong one.” He did not fully understand, except that he became agitated. He began yelling angrily into his phone while driving to what we perceived as a sketchy industrial area.  He pulled to the side of the road next to another taxi and shooed us out of his. The new taxi driver spoke English and explained that the other driver was new, didn’t yet know Beijing, and didn’t speak English. he said his anger was directed at himself, at his frustration in not successfully handling the fare.

Belize

From tubing through pitch-black jungle tunnels to snorkeling off the world’s second-largest barrier reef, this tiny country really is UNBELIZEABLE.  Goff Caye, a tiny island at reef’s edge, is a tiny spit of paradise near our snorkeling spot. It is one of those places to which I would like to return for days rather than hours.

Baltic Sea

Our cruise around the Baltic Sea enabled us to explore several great cities: Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. In Helsinki, we skimped on the cultural exploration to kayak in the Baltic Sea. Finland’s archipelago of islands did not disappoint.

Barcelona

You might think this magnificent city is in Spain. It also is in Catalonia, a semi-autonomous region of simmering separatist impulses. Signs tend to be in three languages – Catalon, Spanish, and English.  You will notice that Catalon and Spanish are quite close. Barcelona is known for its ancient Gothic Quarter and modernist Gaudi’s icecream architecture. So the Gothic Cathedral sits staid while cranes frame Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Cathedral, forever under construction long after its designer’s passing. Barcelona’s Las Ramblas pedestrian thoroughfare is a people-watchers’  delight. But hold onto your wallet. Pickpockets and marijuana street sellers tend to be active as visitors watch the mimes. It’s great fun to wander the markets and taste tapas. But if you show up at a restaurant before 10, you will give up your American identity before uttering a syllable. As the locals get started late by our standards

Big Sur

This stretch of rugged central California coastline is one of the most scenic on earth, with soaring cliffs rising from the surf, redwoods, and pines beautifully shading the scene. The twists and turns of the drive along Coast Highway are not for the faint of heart. There are interesting places to stay from rustic campgrounds to treehouses and zen-style resorts.