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When my husband and I went to Provence last summer I, uncharacteristically, did not do much planning. When we were checking into our hotel in Aix I saw a picture of the most brilliant blue water in a brochure and I asked the woman at check-in what this was. She told me it was Les Calanques, France’s newest national park, and it wasn’t that far. We set off for the park the next day and parked in the beautiful seaside town of Cassis. What followed was a highlight of our summer. It was hot and dry but the park’s cool blue green waters provided a respite from the heat. We hiked to the first three inlets jumping in to cool off each time. I loved the tingling sensation I felt when I would get out of the bracing water and feel the dry heat start to warm my extremities. Before we knew it, we had been in the park all day and we had to rush to get to our next destination before dinner. I felt alive, I felt like a kid again and it really felt like summer.

Few restaurants more than 150 years old can be called trendy, but in innovation-crazy San Francisco, there is novelty in the classics, and Tadich Grill is the classic. The late Chronicle columnist and unabashed San Francisco-lover Herb Caen was also a frequent visitor. There’s a martini named after him, made with vodka, or as he called it, Vitamin V. The serious nature of the restaurant’s wood paneling, brass fixtures, and waiters in starched white aprons is matched by the food. No need to tinker with classic recipes for fried sand dabs or crab Louie, and the oysters and Hangtown fry are fine the way they have always been. The cioppino is by far the most popular dish on the menu, with about 27,000 bowls dished out a year. People come to Tadich Grill because they know what they’re getting: friendly service, great seafood, and a taste of San Francisco itself.

Situated in a position that allows Amalienborg to beautifully frame it, Frederiks Kirke, more commonly referenced as the Marble Church, adds to the beauty of the palatial complex. Started in 1749, the church wasn’t completed until 1894 and sports the largest dome in Scandinavia and one of the largest domes in Europe. While simple, it is well worth a visit and has a beautiful interior with a wonderful dome. While the cathedral itself is interesting, the best part of the church is actually the hardest to get to. Available twice a day, a guide offers trips up to the overlook above the dome. This is worth it for two reasons. First, the view out over Amalienborg Palace and the harbor towards the Opera house is fantastic and not something you’ll see many photos of. Second, the path to the overlook actually takes you inside and above the dome. So, you’ll get to see the void between the interior of the inner dome, and the exterior dome. Even more, you’ll climb stairs that wrap over it—a fun thought when you consider what’s just a few feet below you!

You know summer is here when people are renting Stand Up Paddleboards to float down Stillwater. About 3 miles up Independence Pass there is an area were the river meanders through the North Star Preserve in fairly tame waters. There are many methods to get you down the river, Kayaks, Canoes, Inner tube, but a new favorite is the Stand Up Paddleboard. You can rent them from a few local shops, like Up Snowboard Rentals and when they ask you if you need booties I recommend that your answer is yes. Although in theory you are floating above the water there are times when your feet dip into the very cold, fresh snowmelt water and you can get very chilly. Shuttle the cars and leave one at the take out point then drive up to the drop in near Wildwood. Bring a few beverages for the nice and relaxing float while the river snakes around corners. Near the end there is “the Beach”. This is accessible other ways and you don’t have to float the river but it is always fun to stop and hang out with other river floaters. Play Frisbee or beach badminton and pretend you are on a beach somewhere tropical.

Berlin’s most surreal bar experience is right where you’d expect it to be—in the trendy Friedrichshain neighborhood. Just a few blocks from some of Berlin’s most legendary nightclubs, the club Wilde Renate is a mismatched collection of buildings surrounding a small beer garden. It’s an easy place to get lost, even more so because there’s a purposely-built labyrinth underneath the nightclub. The labyrinth, Peristal Signum, isn’t just an art installation but a full-on experience for the mind. It was designed haphazardly by three artists over nine months in 2010. The maze was built completely out of found scrap materials (like most everything else in Berlin) and includes everything from glass bottles to car parts. For 10€, you’re given a token to enter the labyrinth. Entries are scattered so that only one person enters at a time, though you’re likely to run into people once inside. Without spoiling too much, I’ll say it’s a trippy experience. Persistal Signum is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 6pm to 10pm, at Salon zur wilden Renate. Ask the bartender to put your name on the list to get inside the labyrinth. There’s usually a wait.

La Isla de Guilligan (Gilligan’s Island, though not the one from the television show) is a popular hangout for Puerto Rican locals. I myself am only home for several weeks a year and I still go once or twice every year. The island is sometimes isolated and sometimes crowded. It boasts snorkeling (I’ve spotted many anemones, fish, crabs, starfish, and barracudas), calm water perfect for floating and swimming, and several trees from which you can jump into the water. It’s off the coast of Guanica, and there are two ways to get there. Either take a ferry (call 787-821-5706 for more information) or rent a kayak from Mary Lee’s by the Sea. If you choose to do the latter, you might want to take your kayak to Isla Ballena (see my highlight “Kayaking and Snorkeling and Hoping for Whales”). This tends to be a day trip, so I suggest you have some food. You can either pack up your own or, if you take the ferry, place an order before embarking and tell them when you’d like to have it delivered. There are picnic pavilions that you can claim if it’s a calm day or you get there early.

The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and it reaches out over the protected waters of Geographe Bay to the tune of 1.8 kilometres. Heritage-listed and well loved by residents and visitors alike, it’s more than a jetty. The structure itself also houses a train, interpretive center, shops and the underwater observatory which is a stunning feat of engineering that allows visitors to get closer to the ocean’s inhabitants than I’ve ever seen anywhere else without actually being in a submersible or diving. On a gloriously sunny day, the ocean around Busselton Jetty seems clearer than drinking water and schools of fish can be seen in an around all the timber pilons weaving in and out of the grasses which grow on parts of the sandy bottom. Whether swimming from shore or from any one of the access staircases that line the jetty, it’s difficult to actually avoid getting one’s feet or whole body wet. Busselton is a lovely seaside town but the jetty is a surprising draw. On first glance, it’s like any in the world but take a closer look and you’ll quickly understand why area residents are so proud of it!

Waikiki and the North Shore get most of the attention on the island of Oahu, and for good reason. Oahu is the surfing capital of the world and has something to offer every skill level, but hiking on the island of Oahu is one of its best-kept secrets! One of my favorite hikes is the Lanipo Trail. It is a a strenuous 7.5 mile (12 km) hike that can take 4 to 6 hours depending on conditions (I would not recommend doing this hike when it’s wet), but the scenery and experience offered by this hike is definitely worth the effort! The hike along the Mauna Lani Heights ridge, above the neighborhood of Kaimuki, offers breathtaking views of the island and Honolulu. The terrain is diverse, and at times you are hiking on steep boulders, and others navigating thick jungle. There is one section of the trail that carves through tall bamboo that clank together when the wind blows—like a natural wind chime. You will not be disappointed with the summit and the sense of accomplishment that you feel when you get there!

Many visitors to Peru stay in Miraflores, and for good reason: The neighborhood is where you’ll find most of the better hotels, as well as the top restaurants. Get off main streets to stroll the pretty side streets. Down by the ocean, walk the Malecón seawall and visit the Parque del Amor, or Love Park, to watch paragliders soar and bank overhead. The oceanfront is also home to Larcomar, an open-air shopping mall where you can grab a bite or shop for any items you may have forgotten.

In a city like Houston, which is bursting with international flavor, it’s not difficult to find fantastic Indian food. But Anita Jaisinghani, co-owner of the beloved Indika, serves up the best of the best with Pondicheri. The menu here revolves around unique takes on India’s street foods, including pakoras and a daily selection of samosas. In terms of main dishes, the best way to sample what’s being offered is by getting the vegetable or meat thali—a daily selection of dishes and sides perfect for sharing. Other standouts include desi fries (French fries dusted with Indian spices), naan with roasted garlic, and fresh-baked cookies.

All the redwood trees in the parks can start to blend together, making it hard for any one area to stand out. But Lady Bird Johnson Grove will. There’s a reason Johnson gave her name to this patch of enchanting tall trees and rolling fog. What makes the grove unique is that you drive uphill to get to the trailhead. Most of the groves in the park are in lowland areas, but the elevation at this one means you often find yourself among the clouds as the mist bounds in around the trees. The trail loop is about 1.5 miles and fairly flat. It’s especially appealing for kids, who want to be a part of the nature experience but aren’t always ready for more-strenuous hikes. Once you pass the dedication plaque, you’ll be fairly secluded among the vegetation—even though this grove actually isn’t far from the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center.

This used to be the old highway to get from the leeward to the windward side of the island. It was literally built into the side of a mountain and was barely hanging on. It’s now been replaced with a proper 4 lane highway complete with a tunnel, but parts of the old highway are still there to hike on. To get there you have to go through tourists. They are there for the lookout and the spectacular view – but you can go much deeper than that! From the lookout, go down to the right and go past the ‘closed’ sign, away from the tourists at the lookout snapping photos.

Take the old Pali Highway through dense jungle growing along the side of this lush mountain. We also picked fresh guava off the trees and snacked on them along the way down. We hiked about 45 minutes down and then slowly turned around and came back up. You can hike all the way through to the end though.

Glassblowing and shaping will make an artist out of anyone. GatherHouse owner and artist John Hudnut holds glassblowing demonstrations on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m., and offers hands-on glassblowing classes by appointment. The three-hour classes are limited to four students, who learn the basics of glassblowing by assisting in the process; then John helps them find inspiration to make something simple on their own, such as an ornament, vase, or tumbler that the student will get to keep. Students can choose from a variety of colors and types of glass for their project, so every item that comes out of the studio is totally unique. There’s also a one-hour mini glassblowing class.

Watching the sun set on Jamaica‘s west coast is a bona fide activity. The island’s red skies are a sight to behold. I have yet to experience a better Caribbean sunset than in Jamaica. From Montego Bay all the way to Negril--famous for having the best--to Whitehouse, get your camera and Red Stripe ready for the last hours of daylight. You won’t lack for choice of seafront bars or scenic spots--from the trendy Pier One in Montego Bay to the wooden shack watering holes along Negril’s West End cliffs. Wherever you end up, there’s a very good chance you’ll get hooked on this daily sunset viewing routine.

Celebrity chefs Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala serve brightly spiced dishes at their flagship restaurant—often hailed as one of the world’s finest for Indian food. Their wine-marinated lamb popsicles are legendary, but their menu has other stars, too, like jackfruit in cumin-black-cardamom curry, boneless chicken wings on ricotta-sweet-potato cookies, and Punjabi-style goat meat with spiced vegetables. Thankfully, the lines have calmed since Vij’s 2015 move to bigger digs on Cambie Street, where guests can also enjoy a great rooftop patio.