How many times you’ve caught yourself wishing all those fantasy destinations described in your favorite books or shown in your favorite movies really exist? How many times you’ve turned to your imagination to help you travel to those lands? Well, believe it or not, some of those fantasy destinations really exist- some completely and some partially but all equally beautiful and definitely worth checking out. So, in case you happen to be in the neighborhood, here’s a list of those magical places that have inspired so many writers and movie directors :
Winnie the Pooh and his friends Christopher, Tiger, Piglet and many others, live in that beautiful Hundred Acre Wood I’m sure you’ve dreamed of visiting back when you were a child. But did you know this place is more than just a fantasy? So, if the road ever takes you to Sussex, head straight to the Ashdown Forest which is said to be the real-life, totally identical version of Winnie’s home.
Magical, breath-taking, too-beautiful to be real, Island of Kalokairi (which is actually a Greek word for “Summer”) is out there and having visited it myself, I can guarantee nothing was enhanced, Photoshopped or whatnot. It’s the Greek Island of Skopelos and everything you’ve seen on the movie really exists there, including that gorgeous church sitting on top of a huge, sky-high rock! Yup, this island is definitely one of those must-see fantasy destinations!
This magical kingdom in which animals can talk is probably something every dreamer, regardless of its age, would like to see, feel and experience. Unfortunately, a place such as this one doesn’t exist, at least not in full but if you want to see those gorgeous wild flowers, creepy castles and sky-high mountains that were have inspired the writer to invent it, you might want to go to Northern Ireland. Alternatively, you can hop to New Zealand where the movie has been shot.
This well known story written by Lewis Carroll has made us all wish we could take a trip through a rabbit hole and come out in a place different than all others. A place where mischief is a popular sport, where roses can be painted red, where cats float and disappear and people wear funny hats and have strange habits. Well, unlike some fantasy destinations this one is, unfortunately, something you won’t be able to see outside your daydreams but I bet you’d want to know that Carroll used real people and real places to create this magical world. So, as you can see, Wonderland is where you make it!
Camelot is everywhere and nowhere! But seriously, there are like a million places that could qualify as ideal and every time one visits those amazing places in Whales or Scotland he/she becomes more and more convinced that somewhere there Camelot stood once. Every stone looks just like the one Excalibur was cast in and every field looks like the one Arthur and his Knights used to practice their fighting skills on.
Real enough to have its own language but still magical enough for us to visit- no one knows which country is the real-life version of this, the most popular of all fantasy destinations. Peter Jackson considered Ireland to be the closest match so the trilogy was shot there but you’re allowed to browse around and suggest other destinations that might come close to the ancient land Tolkien had created.
And the last of these gorgeous fantasy destinations is, of course, OZ, with its yellow brick roads and Emerald City! Well, I doubt you’ll ever manage to find a real-life version of OZ but in case you really want to give it a shot, you might want to try China, Sydney, Chicago or Dubai as they are all said to contain some elements of this fantasy land. But, maybe we should start our search in a place where it all started- Kansas?
So, don’t ever feel sad about those expensive trips you couldn’t take, or places you’ll never be able to see because the most beautiful destinations in the world are completely free and they exist in our fantasies! Do you agree and do you have some more fantasy destinations to add to this list?
Top Photo Credit: Al Pavangkanan