http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Monasteries-and-Retreats/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Monasteries and Retreats en-us Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:46:04 +0000 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:46:04 +0000 Each monastery and retreat has its own personality. When people ask us our favorites we always say The last one we visited because the spirit of each of these places is so welcoming and vibrant. But The Immaculate Heart Community and La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara has some added perks ... a lovely swimming pool and tennis courts. As U.S. News World Report said in its 122606 edition . http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Santa-Barbara/blog-34888.html More on our monastery travels soon ... we made it to two in North Dakota before the snows came and we have photos and stories to share once we learn how to post photos But at the moment we're enjoying a unique kind of retreat. In November we got a letter telling us we'd been nominated to spend a month at an artist's retreat on The Gulf of Mexico. February in Florida sounded excellent so sig http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Englewood/blog-41086.html Retreat and Conference Center Offers Hospitality and Peacefulness Some years ago friends insisted we stop at the San Ysidro Inn a fancy resort in the Montecito section of Santa Barbara. It was beautiful and expensive. Quite a surprise when we began our reserach for Sanctuaries and visited the Immaculate Heart Community and their La Casa de Maria retreat and conference center to discover tha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Santa-Barbara/blog-32869.html We were lucky this time and a room opened up beyond the one expected night so we stayed for four days. Awoke the first morning at dawn and the golden light hit the hills framed in our window for just a moment. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-31418.html Monasteries New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big SurStopped for a night at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur one of the most dramatic of the 250 monasteries we visited for our book Sanctuaries A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries Abbeys and Retreats of the U.S. We were met with this new sign which set the tone for our stay ... everyone moves slowly and with deliberation in this clifftop mon http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-31416.html