The List, Revisited

You could say that being born on a Thursday fated me to become a Lady Traveller.  After all, according to the rhyme, Thursday's child has far to go.  I also have a habit of spending my birthdays far from my birthplace - perhaps something deep inside needs to reaffirm the travelling spirit on this day.

Today is a Thursday and also my birthday and also I am on my way to Helsinki.  Visiting a new country every year is #49 on my Life List and this will be my first time in Finland: good way to start a new year of my life.

In honour of the day, I've updated The List.  Updates in red - I realised I forgot a few the first time round.

I don’t remember 1 or 2 but I think they were in Dublin.

3 might have been in Yugoslavia, when it was still Yugoslavia.

4 was probably in Dublin, so was 5.

6 was in Andorra: I got a toy sewing machine. It was awesome.

7 was, I think, in the Lake District. I had a yellow gingham dress. It was divine.

8 was in Co. Galway. The sun shone, I remember that.

9 was, let’s see, in Ireland again, but 10 was in France. [9 was actually on the Isle of Skye.]

11 was in Ireland [no, 11 was in England, near Hartlepool, of all the glamorous places]; 12 was almost in the car (or sleeping on the beach) but ended up in St Tropez.

13 was in Claralaragh adventure centre, Co. Wicklow.

14 was in Germany, on a German exchange.

15 was in Italy.

16 was in Lake Tahoe, California (or was it Nevada?) and dinner in Carlos Murphy’s Mexican-Irish Café.

17 was partly in Norway, partly on a Norwegian boat. I remember a smorgasbord.

18 was in Dublin but 19 was a return to Lake Tahoe. All-you-can-eat gourmet brunch with a pancake station.

20 was in Hampshire.

21 was in Oxford: a garden party with a hats-must-be-worn dress code.

22 was in France with a ‘famous couples from history’ party.

23 was almost in the car (again) reading Mills and Boon, but thanks to a piece of breaking and entering ended up being in a sweet hotel in the Loire Valley.

24 was in Dublin, reading Harry Potter.

25 was in London, with an epic thunderstorm.

26 was somewhere on the Belgian/German border – I think perhaps we got the ferry to Germany for lunch.

27 and 28 were in London, 29 back in Dublin.

30 was London, fancy dress, karaoke, red velvet cupcakes, champagne.

31 was in Tokyo: tempura and (oddly?) Moscow Mules.

32 was in Provence, on the slopes (more or less) of Mont Sainte Victoire.

33 is in Helsinki.