My friend Grace and I arrived in Iceland around 11pm. After quickly getting our passports stamped and collecting our baggage, we headed out into the parking lot to meet the bus that would take us to our guesthouse in Reykjavik. This is Grace, by the way. She’s been my travel buddy in Iceland. Don’t be deceived by how sunny it is in that photo, Iceland is freezing. We knew summer had ended here, but, when we walked out of the airport, it felt like winter–a harsh change from just a few days earlier when I’d gone swimming at the beach in Rhode Island. After registering the cold, the second thing…
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Weekly Travel Inspiration: I’m in Iceland!
At the risk of appearing self-centered, this week’s travel inspiration is a photo I took today in Iceland. It’s of the geyser Strokkur (which means “chum” in Icelandic) erupting. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes and is located next to Geysir, also known as The Great Geysir, which is the geyser from which all other geysers get their name. Geysir hasn’t erupted in a long time, and as we stood beside it, our guide cheerfully informed us that if it happened to go off while we were standing there, we would all die. I’m not sure if this is actually true considering many people have witnessed its eruption…
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Weekly Travel Inspiration: Skinny Dipping
I’m just going to come right out and say it; growing up in a seaside town with a goofy group of friends, I’ve done my fair share of skinny dipping. So I was amused while searching for things to do in Iceland when I came across Lonely Planet’s list of top 10 places around the world to go skinny dipping. Apparently, Viti Lake, which is located in a volcanic caldera in Iceland, made the cut. Check out where else Lonely Planet thinks it’s okay for you to forget your bathing suit: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/43817#
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Why Italy isn’t a part of the Great European Adventure
You may have noticed that Italy isn’t on my itinerary for the Great European Adventure, and that was a conscious decision. I’ve stressed to friends and family that I’m keeping my plans open; so, who knows, maybe I’ll end up spending weeks sunning myself on the Amalfi coast or gaining weight in Tuscany. However, there’s a reason that isn’t in the original plan. I have been to Italy once. When I was studying abroad in Barcelona, I challenged myself to stay in the city for the first month. I was giving myself time to adjust to my new home, and proving to myself that I could do this. I could…
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Top Ten Barcelona
A few weeks ago, Adventurous Kate panned Barcelona. She felt utterly ambivalent about one of my favorite cities in the world. If you follow me on twitter, (hello to all 12 of you!) you know I initially felt very defensive, but reminded myself that my first days in Barcelona were less than idyllic. Regardless, I grew to love Barcelona dearly, and, for that reason, I felt the need to compile a top ten list. I studied abroad there for five months, and while I am by no means an expert on the city, I feel qualified to give you a few recommendations in no particular order. One: Eat tapas Spanish…
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Announcing…
The Great European Adventure! This is the trip that prompted the birth of this blog. It will be my first solo trip abroad, and I can’t wait. My itinerary is below, but let me stress that it is tentative. It outlines the plan for where I will go if I meet no one interesting who asks me to go elsewhere. This is where I’ll be if I never fall in love with a city and need to stay longer, and if I never hate a city and have to get out early—all of which seems very unlikely given what I’ve read on other travel blogs (see: China is what happens…
