Iceland pt1

Day 1: We arrived in Iceland around 9am, got our rental car, and drove to our hotel in Reykjavik. Our hotel, Leifur Eiriksson, was right across from the famous church, Hallgrimskirkja. 

Hallgrimskirkja

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Vikinga Pylsur because we were told that we had to try Icelandic hotdogs. I just got a classic hotdog and it was fine. I’m not a big hot dog person to begin with. 

After that, we had a Puffin tour scheduled through Puffin Express. The tour was only an hour long and they got us as close to the island as possible, but it was hard to get good pictures or see them up close. They had binoculars, but I wish I could have seen them closer with my naked eye. 

Once we finished with the puffins, we went to our reservation at Sky Lagoon.  There’s a whole 7 step ritual which I took a picture of below. Essentially it takes you through alternating hot and cold temperatures to boost circulation, exfoliate, and refresh your skin- all while overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. 

The 7 step ritual 

Infinity edge lagoon

Sauna time

Lagoon

By the time we were finished it was probably close to 4:00pm so we found a bite to eat at a place called Old Harbour House. I got a cheeseburger and fries and they were delicious! (I am a very picky burger and fries person so this a high compliment!) 

The only problem was that the meal was about $100 usd. We knew Iceland (especially eating out) was going to be expensive, but dangggg! 

Around 6:00pm we made it back to our hotel and fell asleep almost right away. (Yes, even the night owl, Mike!!). After having been up 30 some hours, we were zonked. 

Day 2: After having slept 12 hours we had breakfast at the hotel and then drove to Oxararfoss in Thingvellir National Park. The waterfall itself is 44ft high and we walked about a mile to get to it. Apparently it was a filming location for Game of Thrones, but I’ve never seen it so I don’t care about that bit.  I liked the waterfall though! Öxarárfoss sits within the Almannagja gorge, a dramatic rift which marks that boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.   

Hike to Oxararfoss 

Oxararfoss

We drove a bit more and stopped at Gullfoss. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. It’s a two-tiered cascade which plunges into a narrow canyon. The double cascade is really amazing to see! 

Love the cascades

Gullfoss

Not far from Gullfoss is the Haukadular Geothermal valley. So many geysers!! The Great Geysir is well known and it erupts very regularly. (It was about every 5 minutes)

The great geysir

On our way to our hotel for the evening we stopped at Sunnumörk which is a shop built over the mid Atlantic ridge. I was very entertained by this.

Hotel for the evening was Hotel Selfoss

We also ate dinner at Froken Selfoss and got gelato at Ísbúð Huppu

Ps. Mike wanted me to mention he got lamb soup. 

Stay tuned for part 2! 

Guatemala pt 3

Day 4: After eating breakfast we decided to check out Santa Cantalina arch which is iconic Antigua! Just beyond the arch is La Merced which is a Catholic church and every Sunday they allow visitors to go up on the roof. It was beautiful ! 

Santa Cantalina Arch

La Merced

La Merced

The roof of La Merced

We had lunch at a famous Guatemalan food chain- Pollo Campero. I didn't think it was that great, but it kind of reminded me of KFC. 

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Ruinas de Catedral. We got some great pictures! 

At 2:00 we had our last tour of Guatemala in which we visited Altamira and Hobbitenago. 

Altamira is a mountain top eco-park. It has panoramic views as well as hiking trails and photo spots. 

The famous golden hand

Hobbitenago is a Lord of the Rings inspired park. It offers beautiful views and features hobbit style houses. We didn't spend as much time here, but did walk around for a bit. 

Once we finished with the tour, we went back to the restaurant we ate at the first night. The timing was perfect because right after dinner was the processional.

Spectators line the streets to watch and local families, create intricate, temporary, colorful, sawdust, and flower carpets. (Alfombras) 

The processions feature massive, ornate and often 3 ton wooden floats. They are carried through the cobblestone streets and often pass over the intricate sawdust carpets.

I knew nothing about any of this before coming to Guatemala. The owners of the restaurant that first night were trying to tell me about it in Spanish. I’m glad they did so I could get a heads up and do some research to find out what it was. 
It was pretty cool to see! 

Back at our hotel,  as we were turning in for the night, we experienced our very first earthquake! Our room shook for less than a minute and we didn't know what it was at first. Mike thought there was something going on on the floor above us, but I said it's probably an earthquake! And sure enough....  

Apparently earthquakes are very common occurrences and most of them are not a big deal. If I had been asleep, I probably wouldn't have even woken up for it.  What an experience! 
Almost right after the earthquake, we heard the LOUDEST fireworks ever. Pretty much every night we were there, they shot off fireworks from the church. (I think whenever people get married) It literally sounded like it was right outside of our door. 

Earthquake alert on my phone

What a fun way to end our trip to Guatemala!  LOL 

Overall, I enjoyed my time in the country. Everything went smoothly, I never once felt unsafe, and the people were so friendly. Again, most people don't speak English so it was a fun challenge to communicate using my Spanish. 

Guatemala pt 2

Day 3: We had to get up super early for our next tour. A shuttle came to pick us up and it was a 2+ hour drive to our destination: Lake Atitlan. 

There was a couple from Scotland on the tour and a couple from North Carolina! We all got along great! 

We stopped and had breakfast along the way and then once we got to Panajachel at Lake Atitlan we got on a boat to transport us to nearby villages. 

We visited the following Mayan villages: San Pedro, San Juan, and Santiago. 

I didn’t care much for San Pedro as it’s known for its nightlife. We also stopped at La Casa de Cacao y miel. (Chocolate and honey)  It was alright, but I wasn’t impressed with their chocolate. 

I really liked San Juan which was our next village we stopped at. It was so colorful! I loved walking down all the different streets. There were many art galleries as well and I enjoyed looking at the paintings of the city and the volcanos. We also stopped at a honey place and sampled some honey. It was pretty good! There was a textile tour as well. 

Our next village was Santiago and we ate lunch here.  Santiago has a lot of traditional Mayan culture. The most interesting thing we learned was about Maximón. He’s a famous Mayan folk saint/god (?) and is essentially a wooden idol in a suit and hat. Each year a different family houses this figure and it’s a huge honor for them.  What’s even more bizarre is that visitors come and offer him cigarettes (which are kept lit in his mouth), alcohol, and money. 

 
Stay tuned for part 3! 

Guatemala pt 1

Day 1: 

My husband and I left Thursday morning on a 6:25am flight. We had a brief layover in Texas and then got to Guatemala City about 7 hours after our our arrival at CVG. 

We stayed based in Antigua, Guatemala for the entirety of our trip and Hotel Casa Bella was great! Thankfully, the hotel had a shuttle to pick us up from the airport. I think it’s supposed to be a one hour drive from the airport to the hotel, but with traffic it was probably another 30 minutes. 

Once we checked into our hotel, we decided to explore the city a little bit. We walked to Cerro de la Cruz and then ate dinner at a local spot. 

The couple that owned the restaurant were very friendly. I didn’t realize how few Guatemalans actually spoke English!  This has been excellent practice for me and my confidence in Spanish is growing- even though I still get flustered! 

Day 2

We had a tour of the Pacaya volcano. I knew going into it that it was going to be steep, but our guide took off right from the beginning and there was no way for me to keep up. We ended up riding horses up and then we walked back down.  As we were walking down we met a random couple from Ohio which was kind of funny- what are the chances ?!

My favorite part of the excursion was roasting marshmallows in one of steam vents near the volcano. 

Pacaya is an active volcano that’s 8,373 feet high.  

After getting back from our excursion we took an Uber to Antigua Boreal. They have a restaurant with good deep dish pizza and a massive rainbow slide!! 

Stay tuned for part 2! 

State 46: Louisiana

To be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with Mississippi and I didn’t have high hopes for Louisiana. These were both states that I didn’t really have a desire to go to other than wanting to check them off my list. 

In fact, I have always disliked New Orleans ever since I was a kid. When I was little, my parents took me to some fundraiser that was New Orleans themed. I hated the food and I remember getting in trouble at the fundraiser so ever since then I’ve despised New Orleans. (totally valid reasoning, right??) Not only that, but I know it’s a party city and that’s not really my style. 

If there was one thing that I was looking forward to though, it was the swamp tour. I booked through Cajun Encounters and had a great time! We took a boat through the Honey Island swamp and got to see alligators and raccoons! I even got to hold a baby gator! 

Gator sighting! 

I love raccoons! 

Holding a baby gator!  He was so sweet!

I know the swamp tours are such a touristy thing to do, but we don’t have that in Ohio so to me, it was worth it and still cool! 

After that, I drove the rest of the way to New Orleans and checked into my hotel. It was going to be getting dark soon, but I really wanted to see Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street is iconic New Orleans and I always thought the architecture looked cool. I decided to take an Uber to a restaurant I knew was close to Bourbon Street.  That way, I could walk to Bourbon Street, eat dinner, and Uber back. (can’t drive on Bourbon Street.)

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street

The restaurant I found was called Mona Lisa and it was excellent! Not only that, but I made a friend! 

I don’t know his name, but he lives within biking distance of the restaurant. We had a lot in common and talked about travel, picky eaters, his children, and it was a very enjoyable evening! 

The next morning, I woke up and headed to the World War II museum. I only had a couple hours before I had to catch my flight so I didn't have nearly enough time to explore everything. I quickly breezed through the exhibits and it reminded me of a museum I went to in London. People could spend days here just looking and reading through everything.

While I was in New Orleans I saw a billboard for Mardi Gras World. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit, but it seems like such a touristy New Orleans thing to do and I kind of wish I had more time! It showcases the history and craftsmanship of Mardi Gras. If I'm ever in New Orleans again, I will probably try to stop here!

Also, the tour company that I did the swamp tour with, offers other tours (including bus and walking tours) of New Orleans that would be interesting. Again, if I had more time, I would probably add on one or two of those as well! 

Overall, I enjoyed my time in New Orleans more than I thought I would! I don't know if I'll go back, but I wouldn't be opposed! :)