Wish You Were Here
SCOTLAND AND IRELAND: Martinez residents Elizabeth Vargas and Bruno Motta’s recent vacation included a stop at the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle, pictured, in the Highlands of Scotland. They also crossed the Irish Sea to see Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway and an interactive Titanic museum, and Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher and Ring of Kerry.
TRAVEL TIPS: “In energetic Dublin, the Book of Kells and the Guinness Storehouse are not to be missed,” Bruno says. “Visit before summer to avoid the crowds and still enjoy spring sunshine and the very long days of sunlight, 4:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Edinburgh is about the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska.”
FRANCE: A Strasbourg bicycle trek was in the cards for this group of 14 Bay area friends — Chuck Roncanio, Lee Goldman, Bev Aquino, Mike and Diane Bryant, Tina Nott, Marc Schnarr, Neal Lacativo, Gary Brannan, Libby Lacativo, Nikki Rubio, Barb Selva, Kathy Tate and Linda Ormonde, representing Marin, Danville, Castro Valley, Grass Valley, Pleasant Hill, Oakland and Walnut Creek. The group was in France to support the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance on a philanthropic 500-mile bicycle ride from Strasbourg to Lentilly, in the district of Lyon. “We then spent a week in a 10-bedroom property in Monteux,” Bev Aquino says, daytripping to Avignon, Pont du Gard, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Sault, “and relaxing in the late day around the pool.” TRAVEL TIP: “Explore Provence by selecting a central location, then rent a residence and a car. It’s quite easy to get around and everyone is very friendly. In the summer, there are open-air markets in small towns, where the vegetables and fruits are fresher and much less expensive than in the grocery stores. We even found a local truffle farm that (gave) us a tour and tasting.” POLAND: A recent trip took Moraga’s Eva Gryko to her hometown of Bialystok, for a rendezvous with childhood friend Dorota Ludwicka at the 18th century Branicki Palace. “The park around the palace is home to illuminated fountains and the gardens there are perfect for a walk,” Eva says. “Bialystok is the largest city in northeast Poland and the capital of the Podlasie region, (which has a) history of coexistence between people of different races, religions, nationalities and cultures.”
TRAVEL TIP: “Rent from people in Bialystok via Airbnb. Polish people are proud to offer their place in perfect, clean, comfortable condition. Bialystok is easy to navigate — it’s a walkable city with all the attractions in close proximity.”