Places I Haven't Been...Yet, Episode 1: The Chilly

I opened Google Earth just a few moments ago for some reason that evaporated into the ether before I had time to look up what I was searching for. I had left the grid on from a previous session, though, and as the map zeroed in on its centering point above our new flat in Barcelona I was reminded of the fact that I would like to visit some place on the Prime Meridian at some point in my travels. As it happens, Barcelona, like all of Catalonia and most of Europe, lies to the east of the line demarcating east and west, but the Meridian travels through Spain, France and (naturally) England. I have always had a love of geography, or at least I've always enjoyed looking at maps. And part of that love affair has involved looking at places that would seem to be difficult to get to but stunning once you got there. As well as the aforementioned penchant for imaginary lines that bisect the globe.

Here, then, is a list of places I'd like to see before my time on this planet is done and a bit about why I'd like to see each place. It is by no means comprehensive and I am taking suggestions:

Tierra del Fuego--Any place named "The Land of Fire" has to be interesting, right? It's the farthest south of any part of any continent not named Antarctica. One can even expect to see snow in the summertime. It's got a boatload of mountains and two of the southernmost towns in the world (Puerto Williams, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina). How can that be anything but cool?

Antarctica--Speaking of southernmost and Antarctica, I definitely have my heart set on someday stepping foot on the continent at the bottom (or is it the top) of the world. It has penguins and scads of snow and glaciers and it's ridiculously cold and it's probably as alien a landscape as one can find without leaving the planet. Sounds like my kind of place.

Mongolia--Saw a movie that was filmed there back in the 1990s and it looked really beautiful. Not kidding.

Tromso, Norway--Or just about anywhere in Norway, really. But this is one of the furthest NORTH towns that anyone can go on the planet. I think it would be really awesome to see the Arctic Cathedral or the Aurora Borealis or the Midnight Sun.

There are a ton of other places I'd like to see in cooler climes as well, but as I've been working on this post for an inordinate amount of time given the subject, I'll leave you with those for the moment. More lists will follow, though, so be on the lookout. Better, tell me where you'd like to go and why.