vmfranck

Great diving. Learned how to Nitrox dive here. The cute B&B’s are great. Some odd folks. Traveling as a single woman is a little wierd.

I loved Tonga. The diving was wonderful, even right off Tongatapu (sharks, giant clams, lots of coral). If you need to stay in a nice hotel, forget it. Otherwise, it’s perfect Polynesia.

Lived in Santa Barbara for 5 years. Loved it. LOVED IT!! Lived in Berkeley for 4 years. It’s fun to visit but man it gets old when you live there. NOT safe. I love, love, love San Franciso and Stinson Beach. I was born in Redding. It sucks. It’s near Lassen, which rocks, and the Trinity Mountains, which are an amazing place to hike.

Came into port here on a research cruise. Loved it! The winery with the 22lb cat was fantastic.

I live on O’ahu. I love all the islands I’ve been to so far. The culture here beats any other place I’ve ever lived or visited. There are still untouched places. The native forests, though rare now, are almost spiritual. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a must-see.

Stopped here on a sailing trip from Cape Cod. Also stopped at Sable Island. Can’t believe they’re drilling for oil at Sable Island. It was untouched, beautiful, windswept. Old glass bottles washed up in the sand from shipwrecks. Wild horses and seals roaming the beach. Seabirds nesting on the ground.

Lunenburg was quaint. Friendly people.

Haven’t been many places in Switzerland, but the hiking in Interlaken was some of the best hiking I’ve done in Europe. The people are super nice and the beer is great.

Rome was the highlight of my first trip to Europe (in 1991… wow). Venice is a must-see. You will probably get lost, though.

Visited Galway and Dublin. Everyone smokes, even in the no-smoking section. Lots of history for an English major but I have to say Scotland was better.

The Isle of Skye in Scotland is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and Edinburg perhaps the most beautiful city. The Lake District in England is amazing. I climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales… nothing to it for two Californians used to hiking the Sierras. The Isle of Anglesey in Wales was neat, too (puffins!). Belfast in Northern Ireland is a beautiful city, despite the 10pm curfew (this was in 1997).