Time certainly does fly when you’re having fun; so much so that it is impossible for us to believe that we’ve really been on the road for three full years. But it’s not all fun and games, you know? With great travels comes great responsibility. And so we once again find ourselves confronted with the hard task of selecting our favorite destinations from the past 365 days.
Our previous “Best of” lists can be found here (Year 1 and Year 2)
A Spanish cathedral inspired the towers that rise above Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA.
An old journalism adage counsels writers against burying their lede, so here’s mine: freaking zebras. Before we get to that, though, there’s this small matter of a castle. Only it is not really a castle. Maybe I need to back up and explain.
A fisherman on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Standing on a pier in a remote coastal village, a vacationing American businessman watched as a tiny boat ladened with tuna docked nearby. Clearly impressed with the quality of the local fisherman’s catch, the American asked how long it took him to reel in his haul.
“Only a short while,” responded the fisherman.
“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
“With this I have more than enough to support my family’s needs.”
“But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
Seeming a bit perplexed by the question, the fisherman smiled and said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed, “I can help you. If you spent more time fishing you could earn enough to buy a bigger boat and even hire some extra hands. By plowing your profits back into the business you could buy more boats and eventually amass an entire fleet of trawlers. Then you can leave this little village and move to a big city where it will be easy to manage your growing enterprise.”
“How long will this all take?” asked the fisherman.
“Fifteen, maybe twenty years.”
“That’s a long time. Why would I want to do that?”
The American laughed and said, “Because after all of those years of hard work your company will be large enough that you can sell it and use the proceeds to retire.”
“What will I do then?”
“That’s the best part. Once you retire you can move to a small coastal village, sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandchildren, take siesta with your wife in the afternoon and, in the evening, stroll into town where you can sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
– Adapted from a story by Heinrich Böll
The fat guy spilling over the armrest next to you; the douche-bag hauling on your headrest from behind; the brat screaming non-stop across the way in 12C; the aromas wafting from the lavatory; are all pleasant distractions from the deep vein thrombosis inducing stress positions required to contort oneself into a coach class seat.
Yet despite all of that, Slate’s Matt Yglesias suggests we stop whining and learn to appreciate the wonders of modern air travel.
I have to say, I agree.
Everywhere Once 