Where Did You Go This Summer?

Being surrounded by guidebooks every day can definitely spark the travel bug. And this summer, Moon staffers took some awesome trips that ran the gamut from Paris to Paso Robles. Here’s a round-up of some of our summertime adventures:

Sarah Juckniess, Marketing Services Manager: This summer I visited Amsterdam, Belgium, Switzerland, and parts of German Bavaria thanks to a last-minute airfare score. I can still hear the bicycle bells ringing, the old-fashioned boats motoring the canals, the beer steins clinking their toasts, and the Alpen cows lowing to advertise their delicious cheese.

Donna Galassi, Associate Publisher: Our vacation wish list included beach time, wine tasting, and music. So we headed south to Central California [2] where there aren’t as many people, but all the beauty of Southern California. Avila Beach is where the locals go and I concur, it's sheltered from the wind and family friendly. The wineries here have been discovered thanks to the movie Sideways, and our new favorite is Zaca Mesa in Los Olivos—beautiful setting and wines reminiscent of the Rhone Valley. We scored tickets to the event of the Central Coast, opening night of the Mid-State Fair, and heard Carrie Underwood sing late into a hot Paso night.

Bill Newlin, Publisher: In June, my family of four took a quick trip to France: first to Languedoc, where my sister was renting a house in the charming small town of Lagrasse; then a driving tour of Provence, basing ourselves in Arles; and finally a few days tramping around in Paris. We also spent a few days in August on Mount Desert Island in Maine, 15 people in a big rambling house at the mouth of Somes Sound, sailing every day.

Gayle Hart, Web Editor: This summer my fiancé and I took a nine-day road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area, through Portland, OR and the Columbia River Gorge [3], culminating with my grandmother’s 80th birthday celebration in Ponderay, ID. Along the way we spent three days in Portland for my high school reunion and to visit with family. As much as I enjoyed seeing family and reconnecting with friends, I was very happy my fiancé and I had set aside a day just for us to stroll around and explore my favorite city—Portland.

Grace Fujimoto, Acquisitions Editor: My big trip for the summer—and the year—was to England in May. I met up with a friend going to school in Bournemouth, and we explored Christchurch, Bath, Stonehenge, and Salisbury before heading to London for four days. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but as a result, there were many delights, both anticipated (the clotted cream and scones during afternoon tea, the fashion exhibits at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the London Tube) and unexpected (the Nepalese food in Bath and coming across two travelers looking for Moon Metro London [4].

Jodee Krainik, Publicist: My summer was all about sunny California. Over the Fourth of July weekend, my friends and I celebrated our independence in Monterey [5]. The weekend started with a patriotic lawn party in the heart of downtown, where we ate ice cream, posed for photos, and danced to beats only America’s King of Pop could’ve come up with. From there, we took to being beach bums, soaked up the sun, tossed a football, and dipped into the cold Pacific. Back at the beach house we barbecued, lit fireworks, and celebrated our freedom to have fun.

Jen Rios-Burns, Online Marketing Manager: This summer I spent a long weekend in the mountains of Big Canoe, GA with family to celebrate my father-in-law’s 70th birthday. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was beautiful. We spent our days on the lake, and the evenings in the kitchen cooking big dinners that we all enjoyed together. It was a perfect—and relaxing—way to spend a few summer days.

After hearing about our adventures, we’d love to know, what did you do this summer?

Jen Rios-Burns
Online Marketing Manager