Wish You Were Here: Eating guava pastry in Cuba, snowshoeing in Norway

Looking to escape Here are two current trips local readers took to explore artists studios in Cuba and the Northern Lights in Norway Check them out then find more reader journey inspiration at www mercurynews com tag wish-you-were-here CUBA San Jose s Noelle Gillies joined Authentic Cuba Tours to expedition to Cuba earlier this year and celebrated the Havana Biennale They arranged all hotels an antique car tour of Havana largest part meals a Cuban tour guide a bus and bus driver Gillies announced We visited artists in their studios and in galleries We were greeted with cola and lime with an optional shot of rum Then we had a delicious family-style lunch with fresh fish coffee and guava pastry We also traveled to the Caribbean coast and visited UNESCO World Heritage sites in the old towns of Cienfuegos and Trinidad de Cuba VOYAGE TIPS We stayed in a beachside resort hotel called Melia Trinidad Peninsula which was spectacular Gillies declared Cuba is definitely worth visiting in February the weather is great that time of year Authentic Cuba Tours has a huge amount of different kinds of tours for all interests NORWAY The Northern Lights have been a hot destination for our readers but they continue to be surprised by the other fun exercises they ve discovered along the way Mill Valley residents Holly Hadlock and Ned Black in recent months took a trip to the Arctic Circle in Norway They unveiled the Northern Lights to be spectacular but we were pleased at how much else there was to do Hadlock disclosed We went snowshoeing dog sledding cross-country skiing and visited several very good museums I had planned on being miserably cold but was quite surprised at how warm it was Even though it lightly snowed on and off every day it never got below degrees TRIP TIPS Plan on at least a week because a cloudy night means no visible Northern Lights Hadlock disclosed Don t rent a car Leave driving on unfamiliar snowy roads to the tour companies They know the microclimates and where to go Chosen even provide warm snowsuits hot soup and cocoa so you can be content in the middle of the winter night And yes plan on eating a lot of fish Mill Valley residents Ned Black and Holly Hadlock just now returned from Norway where they saw the Northern Lights Courtesy Holly Hadlock Join the fun Send a photo of yourself on your latest adventures local domestic or international to jmastrodonato bayareanewsgroup com Tell us where you are who everyone is and where they re from and share a trip tip or two to help fellow readers go there too