Dream Genealogy Trip

Randy Seaver's blog Genea-Musings had a post I just couldn't resist today: Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - your dream research trip.

"Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Think hard about the genealogy research trip that you would take if money were no object. Where would you go, how long would you stay, what research would you do? What is your "dream research trip?"

2) Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook."

So here's mine.

My big three places to visit would probably be Ireland, Wales and Denmark. Those three seem to be my consistent favorites these past few years. I have names of cities and towns in most cases for those areas, so I'd love to visit all three. And I might even jog over to Germany, then up to Norway. On a boat, perhaps.

But really, I'd love to go to all the places I know of on my family tree.

So here's my real dream trip:

I'd Start in Vancouver BC, most likely, as that is where my most recent link outside Seattle is. Once I'd exhausted the leads (and visits) in Vancouver, I'd probably travel across Canada, just because I've never done it before, then stop in Cleveland, where my grandmother was born and then Chicago where my grandfather's parents lived, and see what I can find there. Particularly, I'd want to see if any of the houses my grandmother's father built are still standing.

From there I'd travel on to New York. Maybe stop at Ellis Island (and also Ground Zero, just to see the buildings going up), then hop a plane for Europe.

My first stop would definitely be Denmark, as I have several friends there that I talk to regularly who I'd want to visit. And hopefully one or more would be able to help in getting in touch with some of the Danish family I have there. Maybe even manage a trip to the places both of my great-grandparents were born.

Once I'd hit the continent (my great-grandmother was born on the island Copenhagen is located on, but my great-grandfather was born on the peninsula that juts off the continent), I'd head down to Germany, stopping in Frankfurt, where both my father and grandfather were born, then heading up to see what's left of Bardoweick, then making my way to the coast to find a boat to take me up to Norway. Not entirely certain of the places I might visit there, but at the moment, I'd definitely want to visit the Lofoten Islands, as most of the Bordewicks after Germany were born and raised there until they moved to Canada.

From there, I'd take the boat (or another) down to Scotland, just because I've always wanted to see it, then stop over in Northern Ireland, where apparently my Irish blood comes from. Maybe another stop in Dublin, then down to the Northern coast of Wales, and a slow drive down the country, through a few towns I have located there, until I get to Merthur Tydful, where my great-grandfather was born.

After that, I'd have covered about 90% of my genealogy, so I'd probably stop in Cardiff, just because, then head over to London for a day or two, then back home.

And that would be my dream genealogy trip.