Task 1 - Writing

[Chantel Poole]

Writing Time!

Gary originally took the sleigh because he hadn’t been anywhere but the North Pole, and wanted to see the world for himself.

Task:
Where is the first place you would go if you had the chance to “borrow” the magic sleigh and fly anywhere in the world? Why? Minimum 100 words.

Post your answer below by January 31st at 11:59pm HOL time to earn 10 beans.

[Anne-Marie Gagne]

If I had the chance to borrow the magic sleigh I would immediately go to Ireland. I've always loved learning about Ireland and it looks beautiful in pictures I've seen. The history there is vast and I'd like to learn as much as I could straight from the source so to speak. Visiting historic landmarks while also see the modern parts of the country as well. It's all history when you think about it, one just hasn't been completely written about yet. It has been my dream to go to Ireland since I was a little kid and I'd take my chance to see it if I was presented with one as tempting as the sleigh.

[Dominick Salinas]

If I could hop on the sleigh and go anywhere in the world, I would probably choose Antarctica. What better place for him to go than the literal other side of the world? Maybe not the most interesting for Gary since it is probably a lot of the same, but it would be pretty interesting for me. Honestly, I would mostly choose this place because most other places are reasonably reached by plane, but to go to Antarctica you typically have to go by ship and cross the Drake Passage which is infamously turbulent. While I enjoy traveling by ship as well, there's just something about the Drake Passage that makes me uncomfortable, so the opportunity to go by sleigh sounds much more peaceful and one I wouldn't be able to pass up.

[Silvana Mandeville]

I think going anywhere is fine, even if there is an opportunity to do that I really want to visit many places because I love traveling. But, if only one place is allowed for us to go then I want to go to China, any part of China is fine with me. I've always been fascinated by the beauty of China's nature and really wanted to go there to take lots of pictures and do some healing. Since I also like watching Chinese dramas, I thought it would be a fun trip to visit some of the filming sets there.

[Prof. Felicia Hartwick]

If I could "borrow" the sleigh, I would head to Toscana, Italy, or as most know it as Tuscany, Italy. I've be research my family tree and learned that my grandfather's people came from that region. I alway knew both my grandparents were from Italy, but they never mentioned from which part. Though my grandfather always called himself a "mountain" Italian, so I had an idea that he came from the northern part of the country. While I was there I would also check out Turin, Italy as well. I had heard that my grandfather was from there, which made more sense to me since that region is much more north than Tuscany. So I would go to check out the information I found about my grandfather's side of the family.

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

Even though the current winter here (I live in Virginia) is unusally warm, my first choice this time of year is always to go to the Southern Hemisphere so that I could trade in cold, depressing winter weather for gorgeous summer beaches. As such, my destination will be Australia - where I can enjoy summer weather, great beaches, and simply have a lot of fun in a place that is different from but similar to what I'm used to. Also, Australian wildlife is known for being very interesting and different and therefore something I would definitely love to see at least once! Just as long as my trip takes place in January or February so I can really turn winter into summer!

[Grace Blossom]

If I could borrow the sleigh and go anywhere in the world, it would be the Maldives! It's such a beautiful, magnificent place. The ocean is clear and clean. There's coral and living things like sharks and fish there. There's the great big mountains and the warm, sandy beach. The people there are so lovely. I could feed sharks, go snorkelling and try declicious new foods- and of course, relax on the beach.

[Grace Blossom]

If I could borrow the sleigh and go anywhere in the world, it would be the Maldives! It's such a beautiful, magnificent place. The ocean is clear and clean. There's coral and living things like sharks and fish there. There's the great big mountains and the warm, sandy beach. The people there are so lovely. I could feed sharks, go snorkelling (and scuba diving) and try declicious new foods- and of course, relax on the beach. I once tried surfing in an aqua park and now I want to try it in real life! The Maldives is a great place for that! I have also always wanted to try coconut water, especially straight from a coconut shell. To sum this all up, the Maldives are irresistible with its white beaches, turquoise sea, blue lagoons, colourful marine life and many palm trees.

[Maeve Madden]

If I could go anywhere in the world on the magic sleigh, I would go to the Galápagos Islands. I have a degree in evolution, so I have learned a lot about the Galápagos, specifically about the animals that live there and the role they played in Darwin's theory. The Galápagos are on the top of my travel bucket list. It would be absolutely amazing to see the animals in the flesh and see the islands with my own eyes after learning so much about them. They are extremely hard to get to, mainly because many animal residents are endangered so the islands are protected. They do tours around the islands, but they can be very expensive (even getting to Ecuador is pricey!). Luckily, magic sleighs are free! I would make sure to not disturb the animals and plants that live there - that may mean not stepping foot on certain islands. The magic sleigh would allow me to do that!

[JaimeGagne]

If I had the chance to “borrow” the magic sleigh and fly anywhere in the world, I would fly straight to Italy. I am fascinated by Italian culture and it is on my bucket list of places to see. The country is known for its glorious landscapes, rich history, and divine foods. In fact, Italian food is my top reason for wanting to go there. Sure, we have Italian food in America, but is it really authentic? I need to find out for myself! Their vibrant art pieces intrigue me as well. Italy is famous for the artists it has produced. Ahh, to see the work of Leonardo daVinci or Michelangelo in person would be a dream come true. There are just so many things I want to see and places I want to visit in Italy. I am not sure 1 night would be enough for me!

[Adeline Morior]

I would most likely head to Ireland or Norway. Although it's so cold, I find it very beautiful there. It seems like a place that is not only harsh to live in but extremely peaceful. I love the green landscapes of Ireland and the snowy whites of Norway in their selected seasons. The history is also exceptionally fascinating to me. How people live and survive to this day with cultures. I come from a warm climate to the south of the world. Finding out how people live in these lands is so peaceful and interesting to me. It would seem like magic if we ignore the fact that I got there on a magic sleigh.

[Louis Walles]

I always wanted to go around the coast of Iceland, see the whales and enjoy the beauties of this country. I have always loved Iceland's panorama and seeing it all in real life is a dream of mine. Since I do not have much time, nor money for such a thing, with the use of the magic sleigh, I would certainly want to go and finally make my true dream come true. I would want to take my husband with me, perhaps my children if we could all fit onto the sleigh. The sleigh is magical, so we probably should!

[Harry Walles]

I agree with Louis and I would surely travel to a place where I have always wanted to go to. In my case, my dream is to see Taj Mahal in real life. I have always wanted to go to India but the cost of the plane tickets has always been something out of my pocket. Also, I am not a huge fan of flying and so being stuck in a giant metal bird for over 16h does not seem nice to me. Therefore, with the use of the magical sleigh I could travel in a few seconds to India.

[Caius Magnusson]

This might be a very trite response, but bear with me.

The first place I'd go to is Brazil.

In order to properly explain why, we need to begin with a brief explanation about my life. I am Brazilian, but currently live in Japan (the country where I am currently getting my PhD). I have been separated from most of my childhood friends and experiences, and only very recently was able to see my parents again after two years and a half of separation.

If I were given the chance to visit anywhere in the world, I would love to tour around the places where my memories of the past reside. I also would relish the opportunity of taking my friends and close family with me on this trip, and make sure that we can have the best time possible together. For that reason, my first stop would definitely be Brazil.

[Kiki Cat]

If I had the chance to ride a magical sleigh that I borrowed, I would take it to all of the places I wish I could go to. I would travel the world like a meteor zooming across the solar system. I’d go to warmer places like Alicante in Spain, my home country and beautiful, snowy places like the Arctic. I would take the chance to visit wonderful, surreal locations like the Northern Lake Baikal Russia and just really beautiful art museums with interactive displays- I think that would be pretty cool.i would get here using a map with marked locations so I know where to go and how to get there. It may be a magical sleigh, but I still need to know what to do if I get lost. I’ll return the sleigh like normal as if nothing happened and apologise if anyone finds out. I know, it’s a bit mischievous BUT I’ll still get to travel to my favourite and most glorious places where I haven’t experienced anything even close to it.