Saturday Question: Holiday Lottery

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Friday.

Last Weeks Winner: Old Herbaceous $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with the eMail you’d like me to send your Gift Card to.

Saturday Question: Holiday Lottery

This weeks idea is a little different to our regular fragrance question. Imagine there was a Holiday Lottery. You would buy a ticket and WIN, obviously, and the prize would be a 4 week, all expenses paid holiday for 4 people anywhere on earth. There’s a couple of catches though. If you have a partner, or BFF, then they can be one person if you’d like. The other people must be interesting people that most of us would have heard of: Politicians, Sports heroes, Designers, Journalists, Actors, Directors, Perfumers, Activists, Medical people, Authors etc.
You also have to choose where you go on your holiday. Make it somewhere that you will be forced to interact and talk.

 

My Answer:

OK, no surprise to you all that I choose to take Jin. He’s excellent company and good at thinking his way around situations. He also has a pretty easy going personality that is perfect for smoothing ruffled feathers (mine usually). Having been together for a few years we also are getting pretty good at reading each other, important.

Sandra Bullock. I know, she’s not who I’d have though I would want along either but she fascinates me. I’ve been watching her movies for decades, have laughed, cried, loved and everything else with her along the way. I completely lose myself in her films and she has a way of melting herself into a role that makes each one special. Somehow though I don’t feel as if I know her at all and I have a feeling she would be epically cool. She has played the Hollywood game so much better than almost everyone else and that takes brains as well as talent and luck. I bet she would be a really interesting travel companion.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brigitte_Macron_(2017).JPG

Brigitte Macron. The wife of the French President and his former High School Drama Teacher. This is a cool and classy woman, she is clearly adored by her husband and in my mind I think she would be an excellent conversationalist. She also looks like fun. I am hoping she would have some wonderful stories about her life, could help me understand French politics or politics in general a bit better and maybe also share some motivational tips. She is a woman who power seems to have settled on lightly and through all the odious stuff has sailed flawlessly above.

Where? Where could the four of us go that would allow us to see a part of the world I’d not imagined wanting to visit. Somewhere that would need us to be quite resourceful and work together as a team yet give us ample time to discuss lives, the meaning of the universe and to share ourselves.

My mate Janek and a small group walked the Italian Dolomites this month. It’s supposed to be an 11 day hike right over the top but they did it in 6. It looked so ridiculously amazing that I am inspired to do it myself. There are guest houses and cabins along the way, you can get a guide and it can all be done at a very reasonable pace. Obviously these guys are fit and were up for a challenge but I’ve been looking into it and there are treks so well paved that wheelchairs can do them. So what you do is get a guide who can help choose your level.

Edited from Janek: Feeling on top of the world, truly. Such a huge sense of accomplishment having just completed the 139km Alta Via 1 hike through the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. It took us six full days even though the recommendation is 11. It was the hardest, most challenging thing I’ve ever done. But ultimately so rewarding. Actually indescribable. And so many beautiful moments. At times I seriously doubted my abilities which was weird. Ascents seemed impossible to me. Totally not passable. But id just put one painful foot in front of the other and somehow made it to the end where we hugged it out. The bond we built with each other will be cherished always.

 

My Saturday Question to you is:

Who would be your three companions, where would you go and why?

49 thoughts on “Saturday Question: Holiday Lottery”

  1. Great question, Portia! So many possibilities, I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with, and your choices are excellent.
    I will take my other half, because he deserves a holiday, too, to New York with Robert Downey Jnr and Michelle Obama, two people with intelligence, compassion, humour and self-belief.
    We will have inspiring conversations, lots of laughs, dinners lasting through drinks, dancing and dawn, all in a city that I have loved from afar for as long as I can remember.
    I want to walk through all the Boroughs, hear the accents change and feel the amazing, irrepressible life of that city.
    And when I first see and then step onto the Brooklyn Bridge, my favourite, but still unseen and untouched, construction on the planet, all three of these people will understand, in their own ways, why that experience will bring me to tears.

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    • Hey Sue,
      Wonderful. You know Michelle Obama was only edged out by Brigitte Macron because BM is so current. I think a week or two in NYC with your choices would be amazing. Those two would have SO MANY great stories to tell.
      I too have not been on the Brooklyn Bridge but while we were in nYC last time Jin and Kath walked it and back while I was at Twisted Lily doing videos with Carlos J Powell.
      Portia xx

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  2. A lavender estate in Tasmania would be my destination with my best friend H., Rolf Gates, Thomas Moore and my yoga teacher (who , though not famous, is a gem and a gift from God)….we would do yoga and guided meditations in the fields and listen to lectures from Thomas Moore.

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  3. I would take a special man in my life and give away the other two tickets to someone poor who could not afford to take that kind of vacation. I like to be alone, not in groups. If I did do a group, it probably would be “famous” poets no one ever heard of and do a literary/writing retreat.

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  4. Hiya – you know if I win lotto I’d take you & Jin, right? And I’d argue against the ‘4’ restriction… 🙂 20 is more like it!!

    But as this is a game: first up would be Keanu Reeves because…. Keanu. Secondly: Billy Connelly – who wouldn’t want that fabulous wit & humour for company? Thirdly: gosh I don’t know….. David Attenborough maybe? Although both Billy & David aren’t very mobile these days, Bless…. But as travel buddies all three are interesting and intelligent people -I’ll stick to that for now.

    Where? After some thought, I’ve decided on a luxury cruise around the Galápagos Islands. So my imaginary holiday has geology (of course), cool critters you’d see nowhere else, easy travelling between islands, sandy beaches, sports (there would be snorkelling, hiking, kayaking and stand up paddling at the very least!!), everyone gets their own space to chill & engage in activities as they choose (or not), and as it’s a luxury line there’s fantastic food & drinks in the evenings to relax and chat.

    I think that works for me. I want to go on holidays now…..

    xx Tina G

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    • ONG Tina,
      Keanu would be really interesting. If you’re going to the Galapagos then David Attenborough would be a Must Have.
      Sadly, I never find Billy Connelly funny, or interesting. For some reason he completely rubs me the wrong way.
      HA! If you win the lottery we’ll talk then.
      Portia xx

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  5. I’ve been watching too many episodes of Flea Market Flip lately. Besides my niece who has eclectic tastes, I would bring Lara Spencer (host of the show) and, if I can bring him back from the dead, Michael Graves. We will go on “holiday” to the world’s biggest Antique Show and Flea Market and just go to town with finding materials to upcycle. Just like in the show, we will have help from master craftsment who can help us transform the items. We’ll do a whole house worth of upcycled stuff and transport them all to my townhouse. No competition, just pure fun!

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    • Ha Ha ha Hajusuuri,
      7 billion + alive people and you pick a dead guy. Hilarious.
      I would TOTALLY meet you at that Antique Show and Flea Market. What a fabulously interesting holiday that would be.
      Portia xx

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  6. Definitely a trip to the Northeastern Spain (our favorite hometown bakers just moved there and are starting what sounds to be a food-centered inn). My hubby, James Beard (if we could go back in time and get him) and Jane and Michael Stern (my favorite food writers) would make for a wonderful and food-centric trip.

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  7. People:
    *Mike D from Beastie Boys
    *Seth Sentry – Aussie hip hop star
    *360 – as above

    Place:
    Beijing in winter

    Jam sessions would be interesting.

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  8. The people I can think of right now include Chuck Feeney (businessman and philanthropist), President Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Pope Francis (I am not into a religion at all but I respect Pope Francis for being the first Pope in centuries who is worthy of his title). One person I would have chosen as my first pick if he were live now is Carl Sagan. I would choose Vienna, Austria because it is a city of arts & culture and since I enjoy intellectual discussions, the city would be a great destination… you know one of those cafes 😉

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    • ooops, I thought we can include 4 other people. If that is the case, I might leave out Pope in this list though preferably, I would just pay for his ticket from my own pocket if allowed.

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      • Fatal, Vienna is my favourite city and I would LOVE to meet the current Pope. He seems like a thinker and doer.
        Portia xx

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    • Vienna is a marvelous choice. I began a trip through Europe long ago in that city and would go back in a heartbeat.

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      • My sister is Austrian citizen and lives there though I have yet to visit Austria and meet my 2 nieces who I have never met in person so far. But I think I am more into intellectual stuff so Vienna is a lot more my kind of city than it is my sister’s kind of city. But in the end, my favorite place on earth will always be NYC.

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  9. Ooh I love this question!
    Hmm, I would take my best mate/cousin Dots. She is absolutely fun and has some good travelling experience plus is resourceful and would be handy if we were ever in a tricky situation.
    Next person I would take is Dwayne Johnson- um hello. Muscles, personality, would have great conversations and he seems like a humble guy who would be up for anything even if plans change ect. I’ve always admired him and his uh pecks for years but mostly because he has don’t so well for himself yet he remains so down to earth and family oriented despite the Hollywood fame.
    Next person would be Chrissy Teagan, who is married to singer John Legend. In her own right, she is a mix of a mother, model, makes show appearances, released cook books ect. However, I think she is hilarious. I love her tweets and social media posts. Yeah yeah she’s married to a rich guy in a rich life but I find her so funny. I think she would make excellent company and would turn any situation into a great experience. Plus she can cook so if we were ever stranded somewhere, The Rock can make a bonfire and Chrissy can whip us up something from the backpack, Dots will have tequila ready and it’ll be a fab time.
    Where would we go: we would travel around Cuba. Start off in Havana and make our way around and across the island. We would make pit stops along the way camp out or find accomodation in some of the State-approved accomodations. It is still a communist country after all. We would finish back in Havana again, dance and drink and maybe even smoke some Cuban cigars ‘when-in-Rome’.

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    • Sounds fabulous Latai,
      The Rock is one of my faves but Jin for some reason doesn’t like him.
      Cuba! Great destination.
      Portia xx

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  10. Another alternative would be myself, Beyoncé, Oprah, and Michelle Obama down in New Orleans, US.
    Three amazing, intelligent women with so many incredible stories to tell. Beyoncé has roots in the South and knows a lot about New Orleans (NOLA) history so that would be fascinating. Oprah and MB, wow just being in their company is incredible. We would tour the downtown city, visit jazz bars, eat gumbo and local cuisine. We would visit the historical sites, French quarters, and find an old plantation mansion with a porch and sip lemonade and talk, talk, laugh, cry, talk some more. I would leave with my heart full and recipe for making lemonade.

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    • WOW! The three most powerful black women in their fields. That would be amazing.
      Imagine the business, political, fashion and world tips!
      Amazing.
      Portia x

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  11. Ah. My daughter, her father, and Elon Musk. Russia. We are the best travelling team. I’d like to take my sister too…..since she’s not amused by my ex, I’d probably have to kick him off the trip!!!

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    • OOOH Marion I’d not read anything about Elon Musk, he sounds all kinds of interesting.
      Yeah, push the ex off the bus.
      Portia xx

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  12. I would go to Denali NP in Alaska and take my husband, Samuel L. Jackson and Karl Lagerfeld with me. Jackson and Lagerfeld because they are both smart, witty, well read and funny. I love excentric Karl’s cheeky statements (“If you wear sweat pants you have lost control over your life”). He’s bit old, so he could stay at the lodge in his Dior suit while hubby, Samuel and I go bear watching.
    I’ve done the Great Dolomite Road Trip a few times, it’s absolutely breathtaking. This would definitely be my second choice. Go, Portia, you won’t regret it!

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    • Hey Ingrid,
      You did the Dolomites on foot or in a car?
      Karl and S L Jackson is a GENIUS combo. OMG! They would be amazing company. I reckon Karl would be up for everything, old but spry.
      Portia xx

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      • I did them in a guided bus tour. Started in Garmisch in Germany, then over the Brenner Pass into Italy, via Merano to Lake Misurina, Monte Cristallo, Cortina d’Ampezzo, had lunch at the Passo Pordoi and crossed 8 mountain passes in one day. It was spectacular. But I would not want to drive this myself, though I have a friend who did it on a motorbike. I always wanted to go back and do some serious hiking. My brother goes every year, never tires of that scenery.

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  13. A Russian (girl) friend who lives in Seville, Spain, gave me several samples a couple of years ago, and one of them was “Tam Dao” I was amazed.

    Regarding the question … I would like to go with several of my fellow collectors to a trip to Paris, to visit the main perfume shops and perfumeries; And famous people … I have a weakness evident by two actresses: Monica Bellucci and Edwige Fenech, with both I would like to visit perfume shops, have dinner, drink wine and talk about many things …

    Unfortunately, I have not tried other fragrances of this brand.

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  14. I doubt I could stand travelling for 4 weeks with anyone except my husband and even that might become difficult. 😉 But my celebrity perfume picks would be Andy Tauer and Michel Roudnitska.

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    • HA! Fair call TaraC,
      When Jin & I do 6 weeks at about the 4 week mark I have a dramatic turn and then I’m fine again. I really need plenty of alone time to function normally.
      Portia xx

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  15. Total fantasy, I love this, so here I go! I would like to travel with my sister. She works hard every day and deserves a grand vacation. Our companions would be Melinda Gates, philanthropist, and Margaret Atwood, author. The world has learned a lot from these ladies. I would love to chat with them over meals, on trains, planes, and on foot.

    We would travel for two weeks in Europe – Prague, Salzburg, Geneva, Milan, Paris – then two weeks in Asia – Phuket, Seoul, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kyoto, ending in Tokyo where we would meet with that city’s lady Governor Yuriko Koike for lunch.

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    • WOW! What a sensational trip and I love the idea of hanging with Melinda Gates.
      Currently reading The Handmaids Tale and finding it very tough going. Am having to force myself to pick up the kindle.
      Portia xx

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  16. Hmm…I’d take my best friend on an extended food and wine tour through France (emphasis on the cheese and wine) and we’d take…hmm maybe Tim Minchin and Kathy Lette? They’d be sure to enjoy good food, wine and conversation and I’m guesing there’d be no shortage of laughs along the way.

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    • Hey Lillibet,
      Tim Minchin and Kathy Lette are great choices. I have read a couple of her books and they were heaps of fun.
      A French gastro tour. YUM!
      Portia xx

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  17. Thanks again for this topic, Portia – such fantastic and varied responses; I could happily join in on a lot of these holidays.
    Quite a few of the celebrities chosen were somewhere on my list, too, including Beyonce, Oprah, Barack Obama, Sir David Attenborough, The Rock ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ , Pope Francis …
    What a great bunch of contributors we have here xx.

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    • TOTALLY Sue! We do have a cool crew and also most of these holidays and guests sound terrific. I wouldn’t say no to any of them.
      Portia xx

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