Hypothetical: You get to take a trip.

[Rain Man]

Hypothetical situation. Maybe I've asked this in the past, but I'm bored and under stress.

You've just finished a wonderful, flavorful dinner at the Panda Express at the mall. Man, you can't beat that orange chicken, and it's fun to people-watch from the tables with the built-in plastic swiveling stools.

You lick the orange sauce from the bottom of the container, slurp the last little Aral Sea droplets of Mr. Pibb in the cup, and throw it all away. As you walk out, you savor the flavor of chicken and rice and that mysterious sauce of the east, but at the same time you'd like...you know...a fresher feeling in your mouth.

There's a gumball machine nearby, so you fish out a quarter, put it in, and hear the satisfying thunk of a big ball of apple gum hitting the metallic yet plastic thingie at the bottom of the machine. You pop the gumball in your mouth and chaw on it to get it softened up, perusing the other gumball machines as you masticate.

Hmm.

How intriguing.

One gumball machine has those little plastic ball holders in it, but they're all black so you can't see inside. The sign on the front says, "Great Prizes!" Nothing else. Just "Great Prizes!"

Well, you can't bypass this. Hoping against hope for an Olsen Twins temporary tattoo, you put your quarter in and twist. Again, that satisfying thunk, and you soon hold in your hand a very light-feeling black plastic bubble.

Inside is a sheet of paper. "Congratulations!" it says. "You have just won a trip to Europe!" It provides an 800 number to call for reservations.

You quickly read through the fine print, and discover that it's a 17-day trip, all expenses paid, but that it can only be used to visit one country. You cannot go to any other country while you're there.

What country do you visit?

Poll coming as soon as I can find a quarter.

[Rain Man]

Oh, yeah. I meant to have Iceland in my top ten. I hear the food there is pretty bad, though, so 17 days might get long.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by RJ

Speaking of off-the-wall, I saw a magazine article a couple of years back about an underground hotel in Iceland where everything in it was made of ice. Right down to the beds. I'd like to see that. I don't know what else you'd do there, though. Maybe go out drinking with Bjork one night. That would be cool.

I saw an hour travel channel special about that hotel. Not a lot of amenities or activities. I think it is mostly the novelty of being there.