Little Happenings
We accumulated quite the list of miscellaneous Icelandic activities, here's a recount of a few of the most memorable ones. Visiting the Viking Museum! The Viking Museum was short and sweet. We tried on some Viking helmets, read about how Vikings settled in Iceland and got to walk on a full size Viki...
Balancing
The air was biting cold, battering the sides of our car and whistling tiny bits of snow over the windshield. Despite the clouds the snowglobe sky was bright, as if fogged over by a childs wintery breath. We sat huddled in the car, savoring the last few moments before we braved the blustering morning...
Peninsula Exploration
The next day we hopped in the car and did a loop around Snæfellsnes Peninsula to the north. Our first stop was Bjarnarfoss hanging off the side of a mountain. This waterfall actually had a few pine trees near it which was exciting because Iceland does not have a lot of trees. When settlers from Norw...
It's an Icelandic Þing
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, partly located in Thingvellir National Park was a must see for Ryan, and it's easy to understand why! This impressive spine of basalt is one of the only places in the world where the Mid-Atlantic ridge is accessible above the ocean! We walked along the top and bottom of the r...
Glaciers, Waves, Waterfall Caves
Before we rented a car we went on a bus tour! The first stop on the tour was, drumroll pleaseee.... The Gas Station! Thanks to the recommendation of our tour guide, this turned out to be a great stop for our stomachs! While the bus topped up we bought a couple of Icelandic pancakes, which are a lot...
Grumblepuss in Iceland
I got off the plane tired. We'd spent the night before in Luton Airport since our flight to Iceland was pretty early in the morning. Sleep had evaded me, and my fatigue was quickly spiraling into delirium. My alter ego slowly surfacing, the dreaded Grumblepuss! But there was one thing I had to do be...
See You Soon
We stumbled in through Helens door, our noses red, throats quite sore! "Make way!" We called out with a laugh We've come from Bruges for your bath! We've traversed Europe But naught yet beats A place like home To soak your feets! Our last days in England were spent taking it very slow. With both of...
Still Standing
Bruges was a like a winter wonderland (minus the snow). By the time we reached Bruges we both had begun to feel a little under the weather. Since we started moving north, the days have only gotten colder and, unfortunately, that wasn't too good for our health. Luckily we stayed in a good quality Ai...
A Tower, a Grave, an Umbrella
In Paris, a city known for its love of fashion, I regret to say that I was woefully unprepared. Not because I don't own anything nice to wear, but rather I didn't have anything clean to wear, besides one pair of jeans. Luckily I have Ryan and he let me wear one of his oversized flannel shirts and hi...
A Lover of the Louvre
Paris. What a feeling it is to be in Paris. I hope the saying, "Paris is where all good Americans go when they die" is true because I would be fine with an afterlife designed in Haussmann, and gothic architecture. Plus, it was overcast the whole time we were there, and I am a lover of moody weather,...
If The Cup Be The Cave, Wine Be The Ruby
It's raining rain! Hallelujah it's raining rain! We woke up in Bordeaux to our first experience of rain in Europe. Being the desert dwellers we are, we were not equipped for the cascade of water falling around us, so we had to buy an umbrella and cappuccinos to warm up. We were in a great location t...
Nothing Toulouse
4 explorers, 3 countries, 2 pairs, 1 adventure. The four of us left Andorra satisfied with our hiking and headed to Toulouse, France! Now mind you Ryan and I have been navigating conversations in Italian and Spanish and now we've thrown french in the mix. So everything coming out of our mouths is a...
This Place is Andorra-ble!!!
Andorra is the 16th smallest country on earth and the 6th smallest in Europe. It is situated right between France and Spain along the southern peak of the Pyrenees Mountains. We figured a tiny unique place like that definitely deserved a tiny bit of our time! So, with Lou Mei and Josh in tow, we bus...
Ballin' Barcelona!
Beaches bars and basketball! We started day two by meeting up with Josh and Lou Mei to first admire La Sagrada Familia and then visited the Casa Batllo. Both buildings looked to me like they belonged in an underwater world, see for yourself below, what do you think?! When we were done admiring the a...
Shut Up and Put This in Your Mouth!
When I worked for a Winery in New Mexico I had the pleasure of learning all about Iberian cuisine from our chef. She spent a long time working in Barcelona and I loved everything she made. So naturally Barcelona had to be included on our little adventure! We enjoyed tapas consisting of patatas brava...
Fleeting Florence
There are few sites that have actually made me drop my jaw. The beauty of a pug, a full bowl of hot popcorn, my Granny's garden in June- and now I can add the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore to that list. The cathedral was such a tremendous sight to see, it was huge and immaculate. Every inch had...
Fair Verona
We finally got off the beaten path! We desperately needed refuge from crowds of people, ambulance sirens and cigarette smoke. Luckily Lake Garda was the perfect escape. This glacial lake is the biggest in Italy and we walked over 15 miles around it in one day! We concluded our massive walk with burr...
When in Rome, Ice Club!
Rome, fantastic. Great food, stunning architecture, friendly people. We crushed it. The first night we walked to the Collusem which was beautiful under the glow of the half moon. We imagined the glow of the lights inside to be torches in the days of old, the fire bringing in festivity. The next day...
Just a Day in Pompeii
Sometimes I am overcome with emotion, whether it be love, hate, or longing, there are moments in time when I feel wholly one thing. Recently It was at 9:30 pm on the overnight bus. I turned to Ryan wide eyed and crazed, practically growling. Now I'm sure we've all had moments of hanger, you know whe...
Bus-ted
Ok ok so... we never bought bus tickets the next day when we went to the beach! But it's not entirely our fault! We were mislead by the ticket master, he kept saying we didn't need one. So in our overconfident manner we just got on a bus not a care in the world. We bus hopped all the way down to Mon...
Arancina For The Win
We arrived in Palermo by train on a beautiful sunny October afternoon. After a hop, skip and a jump we made it to our hostel, which despite being above a very loud street, was one of my favorite places we've stayed. All the furniture was pristine white. The windows tall with old classic looking shut...
From Summits to Streams
Mount Etna is quite a sight to behold! While we couldn't stand on the peak, because it's off limits for the time being, we did get some spectacular up close views. Our guide had lots of great information about volcanoes and rocks, but to no surprise Ryan already knew everything that he talked about!...
Caves, Gods, & Oceans
We visited the beach again on Sunday for a little kayaking in the ocean! Usually when I've done boating of any kind it involves getting strapped into a life vest, then a rundown of all the places you can't go, and a listing of some basic safety procedures. However, here at Isola Bella, they give you...
What's in a Dress?
Of all the shops to visit in Taormina we discovered a little staircase that lead us into a tucked away clothing store that was elegant and earthy called, "Etnic One". We were the only people there and the man who ran the store had a great eye for fashion and helped me pick some outfits by matching t...
Taormina is Ok If You Like Amazing Places
After leaving Catania at the crack of dawn (10:00 am) we were bustled on an exhaustive (1 hour maybe) train ride. From there we then had to walk with our massive backpacks (with a gorgeous view of taormina's beaches) all the way to our hotel (less than a mile). When we got there, can you believe, ou...
How Did I Not Take Pictures of the Market?!
I'm a sucker for a good market and Catania did not disappoint! From fish to jewelry, uno cards to cheese, piles of ladies underwear and fresh vegetables, you name it, it was there. The fish part of the market was very lively- so much so that the fish were actually still flopping and jumping about! T...
Does This Island Make My Butt Look Big?
Did someone say culture shock, because if they did... it was in Italian and went right over our heads. We got off the airplane the other night and did we get and Uber? A bus? A cab? No! Our backpacking instincts took over and we set off to our hostel on foot! We may have started off a bit too over-c...
Last Days in the Known
Hemel Hempstead has been exceptionally kind to us. Everyday we've had a walk about town and a sumptuous meal in the evening. I've definitely learned that trifle is served best from a margarita glass, and if Granny says she'd like to see you eat something, it means you are going to have to eat it rig...
Where the Land Meets the Sea
You might think the White Cliffs of Dover are pretty self explanatory, they are white cliffs... in Dover, but when traveling with a geologist there is always more than meets the eye! Ryan of course had a literal field (or should I say rock) day, analyzing the chalk and translating the language of ea...
My Tears Cry on Their Own
Camden Town... Where to even begin? Camden Town is a place that Amy Winehouse (a treasured icon in my heart) lived, and roamed freely. During our all too short time there, it was my mission to see everything Amy. And not but moments into Camden Market I was slowed by a "Grilled Cheese" sign. Nothing...
Leisure in London
In the past when I've visited London I have sped through it at incredible speeds. This time, with Helen, we kept with tradition. We went to the Natural History Museum, the V&A Museum, stood outside Buckingham Palace, went shopping at Primark, ate sushi at Wasabi, visited Trafalgar Square, visited th...
A Pilgrimage
Along the brambly path, where the holly and blackberries grow, there is a place hidden away but not hard to find. Past rolling verdant hills and just beyond the overgrown bridge sits the most darling little pub. The building is old but cheerful, with a high peaked roof, green sash windows and adorne...
There's No Place Like England
We have finally made it across the pond. We've already traversed the London Underground at 2 am during a train strike, eaten a whole packet of sausage rolls in the middle of the night and almost got run-over by a runaway horse, so we are up to our usual shenanigans. My Auntie and Uncle have been kin...
Seriously it's like a 15 Hour Layover
Leaving New Jersey was definitely bittersweet. The time I've been able to spend with my family has been priceless. I'm going to miss bothering Grandpa about taking his Vitamin C everyday and I'm going to miss having my cousin no more than a text away. But on to the next! We are in Iceland right now,...
Walking Hard in NYC
We finally decided to take a bite out of the Big Apple, or in Ryan's case, a big hot dog! We loved exploring the city with my Dad. Out first stop was of course Central Park, which we would have leisured through a little longer if we all weren't desperate to find a bathroom! After answering natures c...
I Dream of Jupiter
It was a dark and starry night, we were armed with nothing but a telescope unearthed from the depths of Grandpa's house and a dream. We were on a mission to find Jupiter! On Monday Jupiter was the closest to Earth it's been in 59 years and it won't be that close to us again for at least 100 years. A...
Full House= Full Dumpster
Wow... We filled a 30 yard dumpster with stuff from this place in less than a week- but- the clutter from this property has been years in the making! My grandparents finished building this family home just before welcoming their fourth child (my father) into the world in 1966. Since then it has neve...
Taking Back the House
We may have missed a day of posting, but we have a good excuse we promise! Since arriving in Jersey we've had one mission and one mission alone, EXCAVATE THE HOUSE! That's right we're pulling vines out of trees and trees out of the ground. We're throwing away all the things you "might" use one day a...
First Birthday Since 1999
We're back and birthday-er' than ever! Ryan celebrated turning 30 here in New York with his wonderful Grandma and Uncle Phil! The sky above showed us how happy it was to have him back in the land of his birth by weeping with joy... all day... all over us... it was awesome! After a lovely breakfast w...
Things Get a Lil Weird in This One (+pictures)
Who says internet friends don't count? Not us! We finally got to meet in person with some amazing people that Ryan has been gaming with for years. They took us out for some Mexican food- ya know so we felt at home- and we then shared a margarita bigger than my head! Afterwords it was off to the arca...
I'm FOINE
Where are we you ask? Just complete the song lyrics below to find out! Back home again in _______ 🎶 🎵
Day 3, On the Road Again! (+Pictures)
We are back on the highway today heading to Indiana! It seems we are developing a tradition of staying up way to late before driving long distances but once again last night was entirely worth it! We had a fantastic dinner of scallop risotto and many whiskey drinks at the Brood and Barley Gastropub....
Pinnacle Mountain
We spent the morning climbing Pinnacle Mountain with Kagan and Ren. We meandered through the forest spotting flora and fungi, butterflies fluttered by on a wistful wind, chipmunks championed their holds, spiders lay in wait in wound webs, out of sight. We bounded over boulders to the peak of Pinnacl...
Little Rock
We made it to Little Rock! Glad to be out of the car and in good company!
Day 1: The Adventure Begins
We are off to a bit of a late start prior to defeating Strahd (vampire overlord of the Shadowfell) in our D&D campaign last night. However, our spirits are high and friends awaiting our arrival in AK are planning fun times and tasty snacks for our arrival.