budget vacation

Since a fabulous family winter vacation is not in the cards this year, I wanted to think of a way we could still do a little traveling.  We LOVE to travel as a family, and have a huge list of the places we want to see.  I asked the guys to pick one (preferably a sunny spot), and they chose New Zealand.  So last Sunday, we went there:

I had journeyed up to the library, and picked two videos of the country:  one was an hour long and featured a British traveler as he tried out all New Zealand had to offer, very fun. 

The other was more of an overview of the country, narrated by the "Dirty Jobs" guy.  I had turned up the heat in the house a little bit (but we did not get out our shorts and sandals, which definitely would have added to the experience...), and we watched this gorgeous, unusual country unfold before our eyes.

For dinner, I had done a little research and determined we needed to have fish (since it is quite plentiful there, and is often served).  A nice hunk of salmon, with a citrus reduction.  Then a big fruit salad, prominently featuring mangos, and of course, kiwi.  Along with that, some Thai rice with lime (as their cuisine has a heavy Asian influence), and a luscious bottle of New Zealand white wine.  Yum!

I had found a beautiful book on the country, and we paged through it during dinner, and learned some interesting facts:

1.  New Zealand has more sheep than people, and is noted for their wool.

2.  New Zealand was the first country IN THE WORLD to give women the right to vote, back in the 1890's.

3.  Bungee jumping was invented there, and they are considered a home of Extreme Sports.

4.  There are many species of plant and animals that live on the islands of New Zealand, but are not found anywhere else in the world.

5.  It has everything from sandy beaches, to rainforests, to volcanos, to glaciers.

The most important thing we figured out?  Now that we know more about the country, we DEFINITELY want to go there.  It will be worth the two days of travel time!