“Join the Navy and see the world.”

That was the recruiting slogan for the U.S. Navy when I volunteered in 1957. After getting assigned to European shore duty as my first Navy assignment, I was hooked on the travel and adventure and stayed for 27 years, 19 of which were served overseas.

My foreign tours took me to the locales of three of the seven “Ancient Wonders of the World.” (Olympia, Greece; the Mediterranean island of Rhodes; and the Giant Pyramids near Cairo). More recently, the “Modern Wonders of the World” have been designated and three of them have been subjected to my eyeballs. One other was within my grasp, but passed over for more earthly pleasures than sightseeing.

A worldwide internet vote was conducted about 2010 by New7Wonders, a nonprofit organization. More than 10 million votes were cast. The seven modern winners are the Colosseum in Rome; the Great Wall of China; the Taj Mahal in India; Petra (an ancient city known for buildings carved into sandstone cliffs) in Jordan; Machu Picchu (an ancient city built by the Inca Indians high in the mountains of Peru); the Statue of Christ Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro; and the Chichen Itza pyramid in Mexico.

I lived in Italy for more than five years and glimpsed the Colosseum on numerous occasions. I was first enamored by the photo of this ancient gladiator stadium in my high school Latin textbook. When I saw the real thing in 1957, I mused that my Latin teacher, D.L. Shaffer, might envy my actual standing at the site of this marvel of medieval architecture.

I have climbed the Great Wall of China and admired the statue of Christ situated on a mountain top overlooking the magnificent harbor of Rio de Janeiro. The Navy ship to which I was assigned made port calls there in 1965-66. The statue was in full view from the residence of the U.S. Consul General, who hosted a reception for ship officers.

On the other side of South America, I had the opportunity to take a VIP tour of Machu Picchu in 1966 when the Peruvian Navy offered my task force admiral and his staff officers a private tour of the ruins north of the capital Lima.

I was a bachelor at the time and opted to stay in Lima for its bright lights and night life excitement. I was a fool. I should have taken the tour.

I saw some of the losers among the other nominated modern landmarks. They included the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Acropolis, the Sydney Opera House and Stonehenge. I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Acropolis, walked around Stonehenge and admired the Sydney Opera House from the bridge overlooking the edifice.

My globetrotting days are probably over. Aging has presented mobility challenges that make it difficult for me to walk even moderate distances. The airlines and tourist agencies have programs that provide wheelchairs and other aids, but I have pretty much satisfied my wanderlust.

If I do suck it up and venture forth on one last grand excursion, seeing the Taj Mahal in India would top my bucket list.

Cove historian Jim Wentz writes a monthly column for the Mirror.