Bay Space visitors share their travel dreams

For years, our visitors have shared their vacation adventures each and every Sunday, submitting their “Wish You Were Here” trip selfies and adventures, and providing journey ideas to assistance fellow readers globetrot, much too. Now with vaccines beginning to arrive, it is time to dream yet again of palm-fringed shorelines, rustic hillside cities and the chic metropolitan areas we’ll just one working day investigate.

Here’s just a sampling of “Wish We Have been There” travel dreams, with a lot more to stick to. (It’s not far too late to share yours. Just electronic mail [email protected].)

Dreaming of Spain

I’m a significant school freshman dwelling in San Jose. When we are fortuitous plenty of to journey again, I most look ahead to returning to Spain. All through the summertime of 2019, following I had taken Spanish for 1 12 months, my mother, my brother and I used 3 remarkable months discovering Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Grenada.

Seville stood out the most to me, with its breathtaking Plaza de España, the enchanting Moorish influences and the classical men and women-on-horses-with-swords statues combined into the metropolitan jungle.

I are not able to wait to go back to Spain, when it is protected to travel once more, speak with the locals, snack on delicious tapas and take pleasure in sensation at household in a overseas nation.

— Ritu Belani, San Jose

Hawaiian mai tais, New York holiday seasons

Since March 17, when the shelter-in-put directive was issued, my spouse and I have been no further more than San Ramon. So, touring almost wherever seems fairly darn excellent suitable now. For nine months, the only break in our daily regime has been Thursday decide on-ups by Pleasanton Rubbish Assistance.

We have talked typically of how pleasant resuming our annual pilgrimage to Hawaii would be. A dip in the warm ocean, studying a great book beneath the palm trees and late afternoon mai tais at Hale Koa’s Barefoot Bar would be like heaven at this stage. If COVID ended up in fact controlled, the 5-hour flight in just one of the germ tubes would be no deterrent.

But we also think of how much enjoyable yet another visit to New York Metropolis would be. The Rockette Christmas Impressive at Radio Town could place any wannabe Scrooge in the Xmas spirit. With so considerably likely on at all hours, New York is practically the money of the world: ice skating and the enormous Xmas tree at Rockefeller Centre, Broadway, Fifth Avenue, the nighttime look at of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry, road performances and on and on.  Frank Sinatra said it all when he sang, “New York, New York.”

— Bill and Ellen Lathlean, Pleasanton

Paris, interrupted

Once it’s secure to vacation, we will re-do our abruptly-suspended, three-month condominium remain in Paris.

This lengthy-prepared getaway, which we experienced previously put off for quite a few a long time, commenced on March 4, 2020. We realized there was a virus starting up to cause problem, but there were no vacation limits, and the very first month of our apartment was already paid for.

The first week or so after our arrival was great, with so number of visitors that we felt like we had Paris to ourselves. We made use of a ton of hand sanitizer as we walked all around the metropolis, frequented retailers, dining establishments and museums, applied the subway, and so forth. Deal with masks were not but a necessity.

Within a brief time the main museums commenced closing thanks to COVID-19. A couple of days later, all the museums closed, along with other places we frequented like jazz club, restaurants, stores and even the big parks. Soon our outings ended up limited to grocery/food stuff outlets. We discovered that we would have to have with us the “attestation” doc affirming we were being outside the house only for training or to get groceries. Below risk of quotation, there would be no wandering the streets of Paris as spring started to arise.

We arrived household on March 20, as a substitute of the stop of June (we had planned on including one particular thirty day period in Eire). Our return vacation was difficult by cancelled flights, but just after 25 hours we were being at our have entrance door and starting our 14-day self-quarantine.

Our re-do to Paris is tentatively planned for spring of 2022, assuming the public health and fitness risks are diminished and these kinds of travel is authorized. We will absolutely full this “bucket list” vacation we experienced commenced, but we are not producing any organization programs at all till the path is very clear.

— Malcolm Smith and Eileen McKenna, San Jose

Dancing in Buenos Aires

Right here is my journey aspiration: I would like to sail on a cruse from San Francisco to Buenos Aires in Argentina, the place I will continue to be for a month and master how to dance a hot tango. My late partner and I liked to dance, when it was stylish to dance cheek-to-cheek. We had been arranging to vacation to Argentina and discover from the quite finest. Unfortunately, he passed away three many years in the past, and our aspiration under no circumstances came to fruition.

But in his memory, I would appreciate to make our dream arrive legitimate and journey to the cash of tango. I listen to men and women in Buenos Aires dance on the primary sq. in the city. With any luck ,, my tango teacher will twirl me close to.

Cheers and olé!

— Lina Broydo, Los Altos Hills

Trains across the bay

I’m a San Jose girl, who has been reading “The Merc,” as my loved ones phone calls it, because the late ’70s. My very first trip  — kinda allowing for myself to aspiration a minimal extra currently — would be to bounce on the Amtrak train, soon after parking at Diridon Station. Get pleasure from the stunning trip (earlier) the salt ponds just after Alviso towards Fremont, and really enjoy all that has happened. Let points go and get the braveness to get started going out once again.

Hubby and I have been serving to father and mom, who assisted us so substantially by life. I realized about the prepare when they retired from the Cement Plant in 1999 and found it stopped two miles from their house in Turlock. So for 20 several years, I took the teach to check out them — due to the fact 2019, they’ve been in Watsonville and we have been in a position to be with them considering that the virus.

I would get off at Jack London Square Station, appreciate a beer at Heinold’s historic bar on the waterfront and walk all-around the farmers market place. On the way back residence to Santa Cruz from the train, I’d go up San Carlos to Bascom and pick up Taco Bravo bean buckets and gentle tacos and their SALSA and head dwelling for the working day. I can desire, appropriate!? Patiently ready for the vaccine.

— Leah Meek, Santa Cruz 

A cross-nation street vacation

I study that the New York Moments coined the term, “vaccications” for these dream trips!

Article-vaccine, my spouse and I are heading to do a person enormous highway trip and take a look at all of our out -of-state buddies in Montana, Oregon, Maryland and Wyoming, to title a number of. We’ll continue to be in motels and try to eat in places to eat and hug men and women. Just cannot wait around.

— Susan Sprickman, Danville

Greek island adventures

We experienced a vacation planned to Greece for April 2020, which includes Athens, Rhodes, Corfu and Santorini, as well as some aspect outings to Cyprus and Albania. I started off studying Greek by Duolingo in January 2020.  By April, I was struggling with it – scarcely receiving the alphabet and fundamental phrases. I’ve saved it up and it’s gotten less complicated.  At the fee I’m going, I’ll finish Duolingo Greek in a calendar year.

A number of years in the past, I researched Portuguese on Duolingo in preparation for a excursion to Brazil.  Other than hi there, you should, thank you and fantastic bye, I really don’t believe I essentially spoke any Portuguese (but) it aided me go through symptoms and menus.

By 2022, I should really be all set for Greece!

— Clare Meyerson, Sunnyvale

A NOLA state of head

I dream of touring to New Orleans. Mind you, I have traveled pretty a bit. I have frequented all the continents in the earth and about 90 p.c of our U.S. Nationwide Parks, but I have hardly ever been to New Orleans. I have liked jazz endlessly and have browse textbooks about its history, its outdated mansions, its previous folklore, its foodstuff and far more. I can not wait to check out jazz destinations, stroll the Backyard garden District and eat beignets. Seeking forward to traveling disorders getting safer, so I can go!

— Edda Stark, Danville

Share your travel desires in this article: