Our favorite blog host, the Rev. Canon Dr. Kendall Harmon, has been showing off the beauty of Camp St. Christopher in the family vacation photos he’s posted (here and here). As August winds down, we invite our readers to share comments about some memorable vacations and vacation destinations – and perhaps also hoped-for vacation destinations. Where would you choose to visit if time and money permitted?
Previous Open Threads:
Books
Guest Blogger
Memorable Sermons
Laughter the Best Medicine
Adult vacation–Healdsburg, California where Dry Creek and the Russian River come together in the Sonoma Valley. There are at least three Michelin strarred restaurants nearby (and others in Napa), incredible wine and an Inn/B&B called Madrona Manor which sits on a hillside about a mile from downtown (and houses a Michelin 1 star restaurant). Also, the salmon have returned to Dry Creek and come up to spawn in October.
Family vacation–Grand Canyon. Fly into Phoenix and drive to the Grand Canyon, or drive to Flagstaff and take the train. There are at least 5 different eco-systems on the drive up. Get a reservation at one of the hotels on the South Rim (which depending on the time of year can be IMPOSSIBLE). On the way back spend a night (or more) at Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona. And, beliveve it or not, Disney World is still great if you know when to go and how to navagate the Disney maze.
For the last three years with clergy friends I have shared a villa for a week in the Chania region of Crete. On one side, views across the Mediterranean and Souda Bay, the sun dancing on wave tops, the sea an impossible bluie; to the other, the snow-capped Souda Mountains. White-washed village houses and black-robed widows; dome-topped Orthodox churches. The sound of goat-bells chiming across the olive groves. Friendly people. Long meals under pergolas or loggias in village taverns. A different pace of life. A blessed time.
Whoops. For Souda Mountains read Leuka Mountains. Sorry, elves.
My favorite beach in the US is *not* in South Carolina despite the Myrtle Beach ads on TV. I love the Florida Panhandle especially the Fort Walton/Destin/Navarre area for it sugar white sand beaches and gorgeous turquoise water. As a family, we went there for vacation for many years. Loved it when I lived there and if money were sufficient I would love to go back for a vacation! The Emerald Coast is the BEST!
It had to bee in 2000 got the boot thanks to the dot-bomb implosion but I got separation bonus. I prefer the ways of the backpack and Lonely Planet Guide to tour busses and resorts. I took two months of and started in Singapore down to Borneo, back through Malaysia, into Thailand all the way up to Chang Rai, down to Bangkok, over to Cambodia. I was too tired to head over to Saigon, I head back home via Tokyo to see a few old haunts when I was in the Navy in 1984-88.
The Côte d’Azur between Monaco and Cannes in the deep South of France and a favorite place is the ancient village of Eze, perched high on the cliffs looking down at that amazing blue sea and the toy boats far below. A good place to view it is the Golden Goat but keep an eye on your bank balance first if you want to eat there.
There are some wonderful places inland as well, but be sensible as there is more crime there now including car-jacking. France is on its beam ends with overtaxation having killed much of the economy and business morale and public services like the police are suffering.
The Southwestern United States. Back when I had money and wheels, I used to take a car trip through the Southwest every year and never got tired of it. Zion National Park convinced me that cathedrals were absurd. And there is nothing better than listening to KTNN (The Voice of the Navajo Nation) while driving through the desert. It plays country music and all the spoken stuff is in the Navajo language.
Back in the mid-1980s I had the chance with some friends to visit what was then still Yugoslavia, including the towns of Dubrovnik, Split & Mostar. Dubrovnik was wonderful… the old city wall, the red tile roofs, the mountains surrounding the town, the beautiful sea, wonderful food, the narrow windy cobblestone streets.
We rented a car for a few days to drive along the coast past quaint fishing villages, and the ruins of some towns destroyed in the catastrophic 1963 Skopje earthquake. I must have taken 10 rolls of pictures! The most memorable spot of the whole visit I think though was the tiny town of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sveti_Stefan]Sveti Stefan[/url]. It’s a five star resort, so on our student budgets we did not stay there, but I was captivated by the beauty of the town and the sea and our day there was just magical.