ProBlogger‘s group writing project has generated some great posts across a wide variety of subjects but these are my Top Five Travel Posts of the day:

Top 5 Reasons Why We Travel. Every traveller has their own reasons for their wanderlust, and Timen Swijtink’s list struck cord with me.

My Top 5 Future Photowalking Locations. Trevor Carpenter shares his future photowalking locations, London and Rome are amongst my favourite cities, I’ll be walking them again soon.

Top 5 Spanish Tapas. Tapas are growing in popularity throughout the world, Matthew Bennett shares his favourites with us.

Top Five Languages I Would Like to Learn. Learning Coptic or Aramaic may not help you order a beer but any language study can enhance your travel experience, Darrell Pursiful’s list is intriguing.

Five gems: what makes a good pub? A pub in any destination is a good place to meet the locals or fellow travellers, Michael Scott shares his thoughts on what makes a good one.

Thanks Darren Rowse at ProBlogger for hosting this great project.

The physical strains of travel; running to catch your train, enduring the stomach cramps of last night’s culinary experiment or sightseeing through a sleep deprived haze, all wash away in that one ‘Wohhh’ moment that leaves you awestruck. Not every trip has a ‘Wohhh’ moment but finding them keeps me travelling, these are my top five awestruck travel experiences:

Great Wall of China I stumbled up the last few steps, leg muscles aching as the stone wall gave way to the blue sky and I straightened my back feeling the cool breeze for the first time. Turning to look back at my route, I took an involuntary breath as I saw the structure snaking through the hills. The Great Wall gave me the first ‘Wohhh’ moment of my travels and is still in my top five experiences.

Michelangelo’s David A face calm in the knowledge of ultimate triumph but a body tensed for battle against insurmountable odds, so powerful I stepped back at first sight to gather my wits. His body hardened by life, chiselled by the mastery of his maker whose bidding he stands ready to perform, a resolute figure pitted against the greatness of time. As I circle his perfect form, the hands appear to twitch as the lean muscles contract to bring his weapon to bear.

Beneath his marble white skin I can see the blood coursing through his body, a body filled with life yet as cold as stone to my touch. As cold as the Carrara marble he emerged from under the frenetic genius of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Created in cloud of marble dust with only his God to guide his hand, Michelangelo created a sculpture so magnificent that had it been his only achievement we would still regard him as a Master Sculptor.

Colditz Castle I peered into the tunnel chipped through the stone walls by desperate young men intent on escaping their captors. As a kid their escape stories fuelled my imagination, and powered a life long interest in their exploits, separating fact from fiction to understand the unarmed war of deception and subterfuge they fought.

Their ingenuity is legendary but I’m gob smacked looking at the radio room that remained hidden for fifty years along with numerous other artefacts discovered during renovations in 1993. After the tour, I wandered the grounds imagining their lives; recalling the escape stories but also the boredom and despair of imprisonment.

Yankee Stadium Sixty thousand cheering fans, passionate lovers of baseball filled the stands that Ruth built, Yankee Stadium boasts the most dedicated and unforgiving fans in baseball. Today their chants rocked the walls, and reverberated through the stairwells as they cheered their beloved team to victory.

‘Let’s go Red Sox,’ they roared as the shaggy idiots from Boston took the field to play the clean-cut Bronx Bombers. The New Englanders overwhelmed the Yankee faithful turning Ruth’s house into a small piece of Massachusetts.

Venice The passengers surged off the carriages into the humid oil stained air of the station, nondescript and unremarkable in a country that brought forth the modern world. We stumbled along with them, contemplating sightseeing and lunch before emerging into the sunshine of Renaissance Venezia.

Turquoise blue water lapped against the decaying stucco and marble, and for a moment, we stood in the Doge‘s powerful city-state before the roar of a motorboat returned us to the present. Its formidable navy transformed into vaporetto and water taxis, Venice emerged from darkness to embrace tourism and regain its power.

This post was submitted to Darren Rowse’s group writing project at Problogger, check out the other submissions this week or contribute yourself.

Are you ready to release your inner cowboy and embrace the Old West?

Are you ready to trek through the spectacular Big Sky Country?

Montana is ready for you.

Photo by Scott Robinson

From Old Faithful to Little Big Horn, Montana provides the imagery and folklore that many travellers drew inspiration from to begin their American journey. Yellowstone National Park and Little Big Horn are the most recognisable stops under the big sky but Montana offers visitors a wide variety of attractions and activities.

In Great Falls, visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center or cool off at the Electric City Water Park after a morning ride through the surrounding country. This is a great place to take your teenagers and mix water slides, a fantastic skate park and the Museum of Western Art.

A spectacular alternative to Yellowstone is the Glacier National Park, the landscape carved out of the mountains by frozen rivers over millennia. Explore by boat, foot or horseback for a Lewis and Clark experience to get close to the environment but for less active visitors you use your car or one of the park’s shuttle services.

American history, natural beauty and a big country welcome await you in Montana.

Win a free vacation in Montana.