SF East Bay Travel Talk - May 10 (online, everyone welcome)

TRAVEL TOPICs for May 10

Destination topic 1: New Zealand with TexasTravelMom
Destination topic 2: Oslo and Norway by Ferry with MariaF

FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted

(April - no meeting)

Jun 14, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: Greece/Albania/N Macedonia trip with CWsocial
Destination topic 2: Asia trip report with Andrea

(July - no meeting)

August 9, 2025 11am - 1pm PT (tentative, depending on trips to share)

(September - no meeting)

October 11, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: (to be confirmed, Jean in Italy and/or Spain)
Destination topic 2: (to be confirmed, Barbara N in Greece and the Netherlands)

November 8, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: Romania with TexasTravelMom and *CWsocial"

me please! Safe travels to you.

I’d like to hear about Japan. Enjoy your trip!

count me in

Especially interested in hearing about Japan since I am hoping to travel there in October.

Hey all, Barbara has an important conflict and can't make it. So, we have an open spot. I will update on the itinerary when I confirm.

TexasTravelMom, please let me know your availability and if you have a preferred destination you'd like to share from your epic journey!

Please add me.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has taken the small group tours in the Virginie or Sarah style and what the pluses and minuses were.

Well, I was thinking I would do New Zealand, but I can talk about Japan instead, if you want. I will be there for 3 weeks just before our May meeting. Barbara is doing another lovely well-organized trip and mine is going to be far less organized. But I can certainly cover basics. Lol.

Let me know what you’d prefer.

Let's go with New Zealand. I'll see about rescheduling Japan.

Please add me.

Please include me!

A thought - I am still interested in Jean's Spain trip if she wants to share photos to go with her excellent trip report. But all other destinations great too!!

I'd like to join if I can get wifi

Oooh, I'm wondering where y' might be to question the wifi!

Add me, please. May or may not be able to actually attend depending on the status of our France trip but will let you know a few days before the meeting.

Please add me! TY!

Won't make the May meeting as I'm in Europe, am happy to add my thoughts about Japan if there's time during June meeting. Thanks again for organizing!

I'd like to attend, too!

Thank you!

Oooh, I'm wondering where y' might be to question the wifi!

we will have just returned from a short drive via Dover Castle, Calais, Bruges, and the Keukenhof will its millions of tulips, and we may be (likely) on a Frankfurt - Salzburg - Switzerland jaunt. Don't have it planned but you know that I tend to plan as we go. Ergo the wifi question...

looking forward to the wee gathering through the majic of the interwebs

Please include me.
Thanks Catherine!

Hello. Please add me to May 10th.
Let me know if you need my email address again.

MariaF - no need for email addresses, thank you. I will send the meeting link via a pm on the forum early next week.

Is there anyone else who would like to share their trip at this upcoming meeting? We will have time.

And plenty of room for anyone else who would like to attend.

We will be travelling probably at the time of the meeting and won't be able to give any pictures from that trip.

But I have a small handful of photographs of our Keukenhof trip a couple of weeks ago.

We will probably be back at Keukenhof next week too.

I'd love to see your Keukenhof photos, when you can attend to share them with us!

I've added MariaF's trip to the itinerary. Come hear about Oslo and Norway by Ferry!

I've tentatively added back in an online meeting in August. Please let me know if you will have a trip to share during that meeting or later in the year so that I can start getting them on the calendar.

Thank you everyone!

Barbara N, shall I put you down somewhere for Greece and/or the Netherlands?

Gwynn, should we aim for Romania in October (might be tight) or November?

I've just sent the meeting link to everyone who has expressed interest, above. If you did not get it, please let me know.

There is plenty of room for anyone who would still like to join!

Romania in November, please!

Oh great! I keep forgetting to check for this—and now that I have fiber internet, Zoom calls are so much easier!

So please add me if if possible, CW. Thanks!

You are added, Mardee, always possible!

@CL, I could do it in October if there’s interest in that Spain trip. By October I will have both of my Italy trips this year finished, also. By then I hopefully have added Trani, Matera, Ostuni, Monopoli, Conversano, Tivoli, Asti, Pavia, Piacenza & Modena to my list of Italian cities I have stayed.

@CL, I could do it in October if there’s interest in that Spain trip.
By October I will have both of my Italy trips this year finished,
also. By then I hopefully have added Trani, Matera, Ostuni, Monopoli,
Conversano, Tivoli, Asti, Pavia, Piacenza & Modena to my list of
Italian cities I have stayed.

Yes please Jean! Any of your trips, you go to such interesting places :)

Last call for our travels tomorrow to New Zealand and Norway, with TexasTravelMom and MariaF. There is plenty of room if anyone would like to join. Please let me know tonight, if you are new. Those who have attended before (and have therefore already done the preliminary setup) can still let me know tomorrow morning until 30 minutes before the meeting.

I'll start the session about 15 or 20 minutes ahead for those who would like to test your audio, video or chat with other travelers.

There is a lot to gab about re Europe currently!

Hi Catherine, just wondering if there is still a spot open for tonight's meeting? Thx, Dave

dlindstrom, link just sent!

Hi Catherine.

I'd like to take advantage of your offer for a last-minute sign-up. I've been away from the Forum for too long and would very much like to see everyone tonight.

Thanks !!

Yay, Chani, I will send you the link after breakfast!

Sorry for the last minute change, Catherine, but I won’t be able to attend after all. I hope that you guys have a great meeting. I hope to attend the next meeting.

Last call for our travels tomorrow to New Zealand and Norway, with
TexasTravelMom and MariaF. There is plenty of room if anyone would
like to join.

That sounds interesting, I might know some things about Norway. Unfortunately I'm too ill to participate :-(

Chani, I've sent you the meeting link.
Valerie, no worries, real life has its advantages ;-)
Badger, sorry to hear that you are not well, we would have loved to have you!

Jean, some combination of your Spain and Italy trips in October will be lovely!

I'm torn between hearing about Italy, as enticement to find towns appropriate for some 3 or 4 night stays, and hearing about more towns to explore in Spain. Perhaps pick a few of your favorites from each? Or one in October and the other another time.

I am getting a request to sign in to attend today's meeting ?

Maria -- you have to be logged in to your own Zoom account in order to join the meeting -- no anonymous attendees

Maria, I saw that you joined the meetng for a minute about 11:10, but did not turn on your audio or video, and then you left the meeting.
What's the trouble you're having?

Nauga Stars for all of today's presenters! And I honestly don't know what those are.

And there should be a bicycle bell ding ding for my going over 3K comments today!

Congrats on 3,000 posts Avi!

Sounds like a great meeting! Sorry to miss it but see you next month!

Badger, sorry to hear that you are not well, we would have loved to
have you!

Thanks! It's nothing serious, just a very stubborn cold. But I'm trying to speak as little as little as possible at the moment to not irritate my throat.

But maybe there will be another topic in the future that I know something about?

glad it is nothing major