Wish You Were Here
SPAIN: Union City’s Corrales family — Mike, Debra, Michael Jr. and Christa — visited Montserrat, a “spectacularly beautiful” Benedictine monk monastery about an hour from Barcelona. “There is a funicular you can take to the top of the mountain and myriad walking trails that offer breathtaking views,” Debra says. “It was a must-see stop on our trip through Spain, Greece and Italy this summer.”
TRAVEL TIPS: “Don’t go during the Christmas holidays or the month of July, as you will miss the famous boys’ choir, Escolania de Montserrat. They were actually traveling in the U.S. while we were in Spain,” Debra says. “However, if you have the patience to wait in a long line, you will be rewarded by seeing and touching the Black Madonna of Montserrat, visited by pilgrims from all over the world.”
ARCTIC OCEAN: San Jose residents Gerry and Candace Roney recently spent two weeks on an expedition taking them just 700 miles south of the North Pole to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago north of Norway in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. “This photo was taken at Ny Alesund, an international research outpost and the site from which Roald Amundsen launched his first flight over the North Pole,” Candace says. “The trip also took us to the North Cape from the north. This is the place to see reindeer, polar bears, walruses and puffins.”
TRAVEL TIPS: “We traveled on a small expedition ship. Each day, the ship anchored in a fjord and we went via Zodiac (rafts) after guides first went ashore to check for polar bears. If you go, don’t pass up any of these shore landings — you have Wellington boots to keep your feet dry. Temperature varied between 22 and 27degrees Fahrenheit all day and night, because of course, there is no night in the Arctic summer. This means you can see stunning scenery 24hours a day. Clothing wise, if you are a skier you have the gear, because although it is always below freezing, the sun is often out, it is usually dry, and rarely windy.”
NICARAGUA: Sunnyvale resident Christopher Schulz met up with friends for a yoga retreat at Maderas Village in San Juan del Sur. “Maderas Village is a beautiful resort located about 21⁄2 hours from the Managua airport,” he says. “Besides yoga, Maderas Village offers surfing lessons, catamaran cruises, massages and horseback riding.”
TRAVEL TIPS: “Be sure to spend time exploring outside the resort. There are beautiful hiking trails leading to hidden pools that overlook the ocean and offer views of Costa Rica in the distance. A great place to visit if you like to exercise and relax!”