Throughout my life, I have always been interested in trying a vast variety of things; the best way to learn is by just trying. It helps you to figure out what you really like and who you really are.

Here is my personal

for the rest of my life (which, as we know, starts today). You might also call it my personal "101 things to do before you die." I compiled this in 1999 when I retired for a few years - I wanted to see if you can keep yourself busy without work. (You can!)

General:

[" green " are the things I've tried or done.]

• Parachuting/skydiving.
• Obtain pilot license.
• Fly helicopters.
• Paragliding in the Alps.
• Play the violin.
• Play the piano.
• Get a university degree.
• Study philosophy in Paris.
• Get a degree in enology.
• Hold a class/speech at university.
• Read the great classics of world literature, preferably in the original language:
  Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller, Freud, Zola, Victor-Hugo, Sartre, Rousseau, Plato, Hemingway
• Build your dream home.
• Paint (oil on canvas).
  [ I've done it in my teenage years, but some time later I want to take it up again more seriously.]
• Party in the hottest nightclubs around the world:
  New York, Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Miami.
• Take rally and race driver classes.
• Drive the Ferrari Challenge Cup.

Languages:

• English (without accent) .
• French (without accent) .
• Spanish.
• Italian.
• Japanese. [Complicated. Started doing it, but unless you live in the country for a generation, no way.]
• Arabic. [I can read & write, at least!]
• Russian. [my knowledge is very basic, didn't get beyond unit 6 in my book :-).]
• Portuguese.
• Italian.
• Greek.
• Latin.

Sports:

• Karate.
• Aikido.
• Iaido/Kendo.
• Windsurfing.
• Surfing.
• Scuba diving.
• Tennis.
• Skiing.
• Snowboarding.
• Pool billiards.
• Golf.
• Waterskiing/Wakeboarding.

Travel:

• Go windsurfing in Maui.
• Cross North America from San Francisco to Miami.
• Cross South America from Guatemala to Cape Hoorn.
• Bike the sand dunes of the Sahara.
• Celebrate carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
• Hike the Grand Canyon.
• Pray in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
• Smoke the shisha in Morocco.
• Sunbathe on world's tallest sand dunes in Namibia.
• Temple celebrations with Indonesians in Bali.
• Explore the pyramids of Egypt.
• Travel through Mexico in a VW Beetle.
• Caviar and vodka in St Petersburg.
• Wine tasting in the Cape Town region.
• Fly the Concorde to New York.
• Look down on Manhattan from the Empire State Building.
• Freeze on an ice bed in the Icehotel in Sweden.
• Cruise the Caribbean with friends & Bacardi.
• Watch the sunrise behind the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco).
• Watch the sunset over the Hong Kong skyline.
• Ride a riksha in India.
• Eat Sachertorte in a Kaffeehaus in Vienna.
• Tour the Grachten and the Red Light District of Amsterdam.
• Drink a "Mass Bier" at the Oktoberfest in Munich.
• Climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
• Hike a Great Walk in New Zealand.
• Bungee-jumping from the bridge over the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
• Cross the Ponte Vecchio in Florence with someone you love.
• Admire Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona.
• Feed doves on Piazza di San Marco in Venice.
• Drink port wine in Portugal.
• Walk on the Chinese Wall.
• Climb a mountain in the Himalayas.
• Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco.
• Heli-skiing in Alaska or Canada.
• Visit the cradles of European culture:
  Akropolis in Athens, Forum Romanum in Rome.
• Karate lessons in Okinawa.
• Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.
• Listen to an opera in Sydney.

I hold the nidan (2nd degree black belt) in Karate, and have also practiced Judo, Aikido, and Kobudo (traditional Japanese weapons fighting) for some time.

Besides martial arts (which fortunately I can do everywhere all year round), Windsurfing and Skiing are my favorite sports in the season. Too bad all the good spots for either sport are somewhat remote and would not attract me for permanent residence.