Wish You Were Here
FRANCE: Oakland resident Linda Sol celebrated her birthday in France this fall. “Paris is a wonderful place for a birthday. The oysters are fresh and the Champagne delicious,” she says. “And getting around to the sites and museums is very easy by Metro or by walking.” TRAVEL TIPS: “I was there in October at the end of the tourist season and the weather can be variable then. Bring rain gear, good walking shoes and pack light. You may need to carry your own bags.”
MOROCCO: Orinda residents Bert and Carol Sebilia spent three weeks in this “vibrant and fascinating country,” Bert says, visiting the blue city of Chefchaouen, the ancient medina of Fez, the Roman ruins of Volubilis and “the eccentricity of Marrakech,” as well as “spectacular sand dunes.” TRAVEL TIPS: “October is an ideal time to visit — cooler temperatures and no rain. Shoppers will have a field day in the many markets. U.S. dollars go a long way.”
ARIZONA: Sunnyvale friends Felicia Gershberg, left, and Nancy Beth Garrett visited Navajo Falls, pictured, and Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Reservation in November on a Road Scholar hiking trek. TRAVEL TIPS: “Some people try for years to get a permit to make the 8-plus-mile hike into Havasu Canyon so that they can visit the beautiful waterfalls,” Felicia says, “but Road Scholar took care of permits as well as lodging, food, transporting our gear, and providing guides who were very informative about the geology and history of the area. They also provided a key piece of advice for hiking in and out of the canyon: Go to the wall! That is, when a mule train is about to pass, hug the wall side of the trail rather than the cliff side, so that you don’t risk getting knocked off. And be respectful of the native people who live there. We were advised not to take any photos in the village. And of course, be sure that you are in good condition for both the hike in and the hike out, with a 2,100-foot elevation gain.”