Island hopping in Greece — and Antarctica

Our intrepid readers have traveled the world over the last year, exploring everything from Italy’s Aeolian Islands to the Sahara Desert.
This week, we’re hearing from a Santa Cruz traveler who journeyed to Crete and a Gilroy priest whose Antarctic adventures included plenty of penguins. Read on for details, then find more travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.
Wish You Were Here
GREECE: Santa Cruz resident Rus Scott traveled to Crete in June for adventures that included a day trip from the coastal city of Agios Nikolaos, pictured, to the tiny island of Spinalonga, which was once a leper colony.
TRAVEL TIPS: Expect warm to hot weather, Rus says, “I wore linen which is very cool. Wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk a lot. Have Euros in small bills and coins handy, so you can purchase something — a bottle of water is a good item to buy — when using the WC in retail shops.”
ANTARCTICA: The current heat wave has José Antonio Rubio, a retired Catholic priest living at Gilroy’s St. Mary Church, thinking longingly of the cruise he took to Antarctica this January. It included plenty of penguin sightings although, he says, “We were not allowed to get too close to them.”
TRAVEL TIPS: “Attend all the lectures on the ship and go to all the optional excursions to the continent — and make sure your cruise includes getting off the ship and going to Antarctica.” Not all of them do.
Join the fun! Send a photo of yourself on your latest adventures — local, domestic or international — to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com. Tell us where you are, who everyone is and where they’re from, and share a travel tip or two to help fellow readers go there, too.
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