As usual with the WordPress daily writing prompts that I participate in, I am going to give the answer a history twist. It is fun to debate which contemporary cities I’d visit but the real challenge for me is to narrow down which historical cities I’d like to visit. (Real answer: all of them.)

I have allowed myself to choose one city from each continent (but always know, I could list a dozen more, at least, for most). These are in no particular order.

North America

This may be the hardest choice for me because I live here. It would be cool to see Roanoke and Jamestown. For the earliest European settlement, I am very curious about L’Anse aux Meadows, the Leif Erikson site in Canada. For all three, I am curious about the day to day workings and the train of thought the settlers had about survival.

On the other hand, it would be amazing to see the actual wall that lined what is now Wall Street in New York. To see one of the world’s biggest, densest cities in its early days would be mind blowing. Or to walk the streets during the Constitutional Convention to feel the vibes of the citizens.

Nevertheless, my answer takes me back even further. Cahokia. 15,000 – 20,000 citizens at its height is almost unbelievable. I’d love to know how the city worked and was laid out. Yes, I know we have a general layout of the city with the mounds and other remains but I’d love to know what it really looked like. The colors, the smells, the people, the chatter, the bustle. It was large and cosmopolitan and a meeting ground for a lot of groups and people for trade purposes. I am sure it was quite a site.

South America

This is easy for me. Machu Picchu. A city built on the top of a mountain, in the clouds, isolated from the rest of the world. Or at least it must have felt like that. You’d also get a chance to experience the Incan culture at its finest and the idea that the language was so isolated from all of the other indigenous languages in South America I’m sure made the sounds of the language unique and musical.

Africa

I feel torn about my answer to this one but in the end I had to make a decision and I’m going for Kilwa Kisiwani. Described by contemporary historians as beautiful and cultural with unique architecture, I am curious about the shipping center of eastern Africa. What made this so special for traders and how was it able to keep up with the infrastructure necessary to be a major stop in the Indian Ocean trade routes? (My runner up was Timbuktu during the reign of Mansa Musa.)

Europe

At the time I am actually writing this, I choose to see the Colosseum at its peak, so Rome is the answer. I’d love to see Rome when it was the center of the universe (at least the center of the European universe) and to see a crowd entering the Colosseum to see a major gladiator battle. What did the street outside look like? What did the patrons going in do, how did they dress, and how did they interact with each other? Mostly, are we different today as we go to concerts and sporting events? I’d bet no but I’d like to see it in person.

Asia

This is the area that if I actually sat and made list of all the time periods and cultures that I am interested in, I’d have a longer list than I do when I try to finalize an answer for a daily writing prompt blog. The quick answer is Chang’an at the fall of the Tang Dynasty. It was one of the world’s biggest cities at that time and China sank into darkness for a number of years as the powerful warlords tried to consolidate power around themselves before establishing a new dynasty. I’d love to know regular people survived and what the city looked like at the end of the struggle.

Australia

This is the continent I’d like to visit the least because I am scared of spiders and other creepy crawlies. I’d rather not have a giant python slither into my home and trap me on the stairs (a Margot Robbie story I heard her tell on the Graham Norton Show.) Given my fear of things, I’m choosing Sydney, now. In a nice hotel. : )

Although the operation of the penal colonies would be fascinating to see (and probably heartbreaking) and I imagine seeing the Maori sailing through the ocean would be absolutely inspiring. At least I could pretend spiders couldn’t get me.

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