I know it’s only just Spring, but here in Northern California this season slips to summer like a silk veil disappearing around a corner. Which is to say, quickly. Thoughts turn to travel when the irises bloom.
Here are my nascent and not-so-nascent spring and summer plans, some with my husband and some (because he still works, dang it) with other innocent and unsuspecting companions.
- Austin, TX for the total eclipse. I’ve got a friend there who kindly said to my self-invitation, “Sure! Come along!” I told her I’d camp in the backyard if her house was full. I’m so excited. I love nothing so much as a peak nature moment, and this sounds like it.
- Camping in a local county park. We did this last year, and I’m excited. There’s something about spending a few days and nights without going inside (except to a bathroom, thank goodness) that is its own peak nature experience, even in nights shared with people who leave their lanterns on too late.
- Sweden for a family wedding and then a short old lady Norway trip with one of my sisters involving trains, hikes, and a boat or two. For any of you who’ve been to Norway, we’re taking a train up from Southern Sweden, we’ve only got four nights, and the last one should be in Bergen. Oh, and in line with the peak nature theme we’d rather set our own itinerary than do a Norway-in-Nutshell tour, as they seem to substitute visits to cider producers for old lady hiking from small towns where nothing ever happens. Recommendations welcome!
- Other, as yet undetermined, weekend getaways in Northern California. I wouldn’t mind if they involved a fantastic pool where they serve you pineapple so juicy you splutter as you swallow. Or redwoods towering over shiny rivers and a little bitty lodge owned by locals. Options abound.
- Maybe visits to my children, up and down the West Coast. One must always keep that possibility in mind and heart.
What about you? Travel plans? Global or local? Rustic or glam? Do tell.
And have a wonderful weekend!
23 Responses
Well…we just cancelled a June trip we’d planned to London and then Ischia. The crowds and heat are supposed to exceed last summer, so it’s a “no”. So as of now, no plans for travel this summer. We’re trying to figure out a trip to Scotland in the Fall. A wedding in Sweden sounds like a great reason to travel to Europe.
Scotland is one of my all-time favorite places. I hope to go back someday.
I am heading to Santa Fe for a week at the end of the month as well as in October – I used to live there and try to go 2-3 times a year to bask in the good energy! Heading to Kauai in August and have rented a sweet 1920’s beach shack on Hanalei Bay. Hurricane in 2019 then Covid broke a 17 year streak of going to Hawaii at least once a year and I am beside myself with excitement! I’m going from part time work to full retirement in June so will be ready for more adventures!
Love Santa Fe! And love to Hawaii to pieces. All of it. Congratulations on your retirement:).
My youngest niece, and god-daughter, is getting married at Tahoe in October, my favorite month in California. A friend is meeting me when I fly in to SFO, and driving me to my brother and his beloved in Lodi. Staying overnight with them, and flying to Tahoe. Then, spending some time with them in the surprisingly beautiful Lodi area, before my brother drives me to Berkeley, where I’ll stay for a week at the Berkeley City Club (my rooms of choice look out on my former SF condo). The BCC will be my base as I catch up with friends, and go to my favorite spots in SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Marin, and the Napa Valley. We’ll see how much I choose to fit in. Often I decide that sitting somewhere I’ve known since college on College Avenue is what makes me happiest. Enjoy your camping and Norway! Both sound lovely, as does “a little bitty lodge owned by locals.”
What a wonderful California visit. The kind of trip only someone with deep roots here would know to make.
A graduation near DC in early June, a wedding in Wisconsin (in a barn! 2.5 hours from Midway airport!!)….also maybe a quick LA trip (UCLA graduation), maybe a quick Bay Area trip (helping friend who is hosting a backyard wedding)…I think some west coast beach time in there somewhere too. Oh and Mother’s Day weekend at the Getty! Wait a yoga retreat in November…yes – very lucky this summer & fall to celebrate joy over and over!
This also sounds absolutely wonderful. And celebratory. And self-caring. All the best things.
I did a lot of traveling last year (SW France for Romanesque art/architecture, England for Royal palaces and gardens, and Apulia for the many layers of civilizations and cultures), but am now in treatment for vascular problems in my feet and legs, so planning anything for this year has been iffy. A few weekends away later in the spring, visiting family, and then spending the summer swimming in my own pool as part of my leg rehab. Then come October, we will finally take a week’s cruise along the Douro River in Portugal, after hitting the cultural high spots in Lisbon beforehand. One more off the bucket list…
Oh, I’m so sorry about the vascular issues! Glad you have a pool for the rehab. October in Portugal sounds absolutely wonderful, and I hope your legs and 100% healed by then.
Our travel plans include a Spring trip to Delaware and surround areas, a Summer trip to Iceland and Norway, and two weeks in Santa Fe in the Autumn. That’s a lot of travel for us!
Longwood Gardens? I spent a year living between Wilmington, Delaware and Allentown, Pennsylvania. A very beautiful part of the world. And Iceland! I’m jealous! Santa Fe is pulling away from the crowd here, out in front;)
We are also headed to Austin for the eclipse (although we will be in Hillsboro for the actual eclipse days). We’ll coincide with some other friends and family during that time.
And a short trip to upstate New York for some friends and nature in July.
The rest of the year will probably be California-based, like camping with family in Yosemite in August.
Oooh happy eclipse to you! Have fun in New York, and aren’t we lucky to live in California with so many places to visit?
I am apparently headed to the Yucatan for 8 days next month, and will then leave for Copenhagen and Stockholm something like four days later? This is preferable to the fall’s unexpected turnaround, when I had about 18 hours between coming home from Paris and leaving for the Bahamas. We’re planning a Mexico City trip for the fall and I imagine I’ll spend a good deal of time in Pennsylvania then as well, for democracy-saving reasons.
I’m going to a literary festival in New Iberia, Louisiana, with my book club next month! Then in May a family reunion of my mother-in-law’s family, then family visits in July. A trip to Round Top and to visit family in October, and the holidays will be upon us!!!
Travel plans – well I’m heading to San Francisco early May – haven’t been there for decades!
Yosemite with a friend in early June. And then in September I will be taking my daughter with me to Ireland to visit relatives with whom I am close but she has never met. My children’s father’s family was from Spain and we traveled there regularly, somehow never getting to Ireland together. After our divorce I started going to visit cousins in Ireland. My son has been there several times. But my daughter has not and, thinking of old lady things, I have it in my head that I want to go with her before I die so she can introduce her to everyone – not that death is even on the horizon, and yet ‘before I die’ is sometimes how I think of things now. Family is way down in the southwest coast in a beautiful town of about 200 people – just to the left of heaven.
Sorry for the typo – so I can introduce her…
Off to Spain in two weeks to visit Madrid, Barcelona and surrounding areas- ( hubby never been to these and it’s been years for me!) We rarely visit big cities anymore preferring smaller and more quaint locations but Spain ( and we keep returning) has a vast and lengthy history involving multiple cultural and social influences while being mostly spared by the 2 world wars. At the beginning of June we are taking the 5 hour drive to Bay Area for my ( ours Lisa ) 50 year high school reunion! I wouldn’t miss this for the world which is why we are getting our “ Euro fix” in earlier this year. Looking into breaking up “June gloom” with a brief trip to my moms birthplace and my old stomping grounds , Kauai, just to feel and breathe the tropical air again -(we all get so depressed and moldy in Santa Barbara by late June especially if the fog starts in May -…we haven’t figure out late fall destinations of yet but NOT returning to Turks & Caicos tho would love suggestions for “warm water “ scuba dive trip/ relaxation venue,
PS on another topic (see your Feb 24 entry): Just a few comments that relate to your favorite designer, Dries Van Noten, who has just announced his retirement from the profession. Fashion writer Guy Trebay has a nice article in the Styles section of today’s NY Times, mainly quoting others about DVH’s menswear, but I think they are fairly unisex: “His silhouettes are not necessarily the most outrageous. Yet whatever he does speaks to a broad range of references, this mind that interests you and a taste that intrigues.” “He is not out to transform people so much as to create clothes that make you feel more interesting than you probably are.”
But then, it’s probably only interesting people (comme toi) who wear Dries Van Noten in the first place!
Your trips sound wonderful! Have you been to Norway before? We’ve been many times, and it is incredibly beautiful. Take a look at Rick Steve’s’ guide – his recommendations on what to see and do when I last used it were quite good. There is great hiking pretty much everywhere, and the area between Bergen and Alesund is particularly spectacular. I actually recommend the Norway in a Nutshell one-day train/boat/bus/train trip as a scenic way to get from Oslo to Bergen, in part because that way you get to see the Naeroyfjord. From Bergen you can pick a base for hiking in the fjord lands. (Alas, last time we were in Bergen it was overrun with cruise ship visitors.) Many years ago we stayed at a hotel at the end of the Geiranger fjord next to a waterfall, which at the time was very nice, but you need more up-to-date recommendations. Driving in the area north and east of Bergen is part of the adventure, with one great view after another. Hope this helps. Have fun!
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