This time of year I’m always reminded of our trip to Iceland. It’s been 5 years since my husband and I took a trip there and we can’t wait to go back. Iceland has gained a lot of popularity as a place to visit but back then most people reacted with a perplexed look on their face when I mentioned where we were going. Many were curious because they didn’t know anyone that had ever visited, perhaps some wondered why we were choosing to vacation somewhere cold vs. a beach destination. I didn’t have a good answer when they asked, “Why Iceland?” Though I thought to myself: “Why not?”
Stunning photos of the landscape in Iceland captured my attention but I didn’t know much about the country before planning our trip, which may have contributed to the allure. To quote Diane Arbus, “My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.”
With my favorite travel partner, I embarked on an 8 day journey along Iceland’s ring road. Starting in Reykjavik, we drove around the country making several stops along the way. When we first arrived my husband said, “this is how I imagined it would look like on the moon.” As I took in the lunar-like landscape, it was hard to disagree.
Sometimes Iceland makes you feel like you are on another planet…and other times you’ll encounter areas fit for a fairy-tale, complete with quaint villages and majestic horses (sporting seriously cool manes).
Don’t let their small stature fool you, the strength and endurance of an Icelandic horse is no joke.
The further we drove, the more we became captivated by our surroundings. At that time I didn’t meditate but I’ve recently begun the practice and it’s the closest I can come to explaining how I felt in Iceland. You’re equal parts isolated (we drove miles and miles without seeing anyone), embraced, and humbled (by the beauty and power of Mother nature), resulting in thoughts that matter seamlessly coming to surface.
One day you are hiking and admiring turquoise waters in the distance:
Sigöldufoss, a waterfall in the River Tungnaá, Icelandic southern highlands.
Another day brings you to a black sand beach with columns leaving you to wonder how these structures even came to be? Hint: Lava.
Reynisfjara beach near the town of Vik on the South Coast (many people visit here as a day trip from Reykjavik).
Just when you think the sights couldn’t be more diverse, your husband pulls over spotting what looks like gigantic diamonds off in the distance. We were en route to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon when this happened and later found out that the area we came upon was in fact known as “Diamond Beach.”
Below is an image of “kissing” icebergs taken during a boat tour of the lagoon:
So, what else did we stumble upon on our trip? Waterfalls, lots and lots of waterfalls (the country is home to more than 10,000). Here is one we came upon that was not on our “must-see” list but ended up being a favorite.
I planned this trip near my husband’s birthday and knew he’d be excited at the chance to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. With only a couple of days left to our trip we had yet to see them but a friend connected us with someone he knew in Reykjavik who graciously took us “northern light hunting.”
With his assistance we were able to reach a remote area and witness the natural phenomenon of the dancing lights!
This was about a level 3 – faint to the naked eye but easily captured with a camera on a slow aperture setting. Aurora activity wasn’t strong that night but we were o.k. with that – having already discovered this country was magical for so many other reasons.
I did not expect to LOVE Iceland. That’s what’s amazing about going to new places, meeting new people, trying new things. It makes getting out of your comfort zone worth it because you never know what you may learn or how it will change you.
Our visit made me respect and appreciate nature like never before. Beyond that, the surroundings had an effect on my soul and on my mind – jumbled thoughts became simple, clean, clear.
Our trip was in 2013, which was also the year I found the courage to start this blog (though I hadn’t yet shared it with the world). As we passed dramatic view after dramatic view, I remember thinking about and trying to make sense of why I wanted to start this site in the first place. My goal was not to become a famous blogger, I didn’t have something to sell but I couldn’t shake this feeling of wanting to express myself, to create and to share…and it was then I decided, that was reason enough.
I stumbled across this quote from Hemmingway and it could not be more fitting to describe my husband’s love for this city and how it has influenced his life.
I’ll share memories of my visit to France in a future post, but for now I wanted to leave you with this image. Although it’s blurry and the composition far from perfect, I love it. My husband once took a year to live in Paris as a young adult and Notre Dame is his favorite architectural structure. When I look at this photograph (taken on our first trip to Paris together and his first time back in quite some years), I imagine the memories of his time in the city flooding back to him. The nostalgia he must have felt as he stood there thinking about that time he took a chance and left home to live with a family he had never met, who spoke a language he didn’t speak, becoming enamored with this beautiful city and all that it offered. Perhaps also Parisian girls but I don’t get to hear about that part.
When planning our vacation to the Azores, climbing Mount Pico was immediately at the top of my husband’s “must do” list and (for a while) it was at the bottom of mine. You see we had both been working long hours prior to the trip and I was preparing for some serious R+R. While I was ready to explore the beautiful islands of the Azores, I didn’t envision hiking a stratovolcano and certainly not one that Google searches had revealed would take hours of steep walking and some climbing to reach the top. Don’t get me wrong, achieving this would be cool but tiring and I was already tired, plus I hadn’t been to the gym or done much exercise in any form for months and I feared that Pico would conquer me.
Nevertheless, hiking Pico intrigued me and since vacations are also about new experiences, it didn’t take long for me to get excited about it.
The photo above was taken in the Azorean island known as Faial, with Pico in the distance. In that moment I felt confident and ready to take on the challenge. We decided to hire a local guide (Quim) to lead our Mount Pico adventure. My husband has more experience hiking than I do and has a great sense of direction, so we debated this for a while but I’m so glad we went with someone that knew the Mountain. Quim suggested we start as early as possible, letting us borrow his headlamps as we began our hike that morning.
Once the sun came up we started to enjoy the unique environment that surrounded us but as we passed trail post after trail post (there are 45 of them), reality set in for me that we still had a long way to go.
On our way to the peak I was focused and didn’t talk much (mainly to reserve my energy). I don’t know about you but when I’m on a treadmill I rarely put that incline setting all the way up to 10 and I was feeling this. It made me feel better having read that even experienced hikers find Pico deceptively challenging due to its steep and rocky, lava formed terrain. Plus, Quim (that’s him in the orange jacket) was keeping us on a steady pace as the clouds were rolling in and he wanted to ensure we didn’t miss our chance at the ultimate view.
About 2.5 hours into our hike we were nearing the final section of the mountain. Pico has a large crater at the top and in the middle of it a 230 foot volcanic cone, known as Piquinho, which leads to the final summit.
Panorama of the Pit crater and Piquinho (or little Pico).
At this point Quim told us to prepare for what he referred to as the Spider-man climb. The kid in me thought, ‘that sounds awesome!’ but the adult in me was about to catch up.
We were going to have to use our hands now, I reluctantly let go of my walking poles, looked up at the vertical climb ahead and realized that I wasn’t quite ready for my superhero debut.
Noticing my hesitation, Quim asked if I was o.k. and I responded: “I’m fine, just need a minute – forgot to mention that I’m afraid of heights.”
“Really? What are you doing here?” he asked.
His dry delivery cracked me up and at the same time I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I do this a lot in my life. Not the hiking volcanoes part but jumping into things a bit out of my comfort zone and trusting that it will all be ok in the end. I have yet to figure out if it’s a ridiculous move or brilliant?
As I contemplated life (and turning around) my husband jumped in with encouraging words and very practical ones like “DON’T LOOK DOWN.” Quim also tried to snap me out of it: ”Trust your hands. Trust your feet. Keep climbing. They are just rocks.”
The moment was like a real life version of a motivational poster – my fear slowly dissipating into an awesome landscape with each step I took.
And then….
Our guide allowed my husband and I to reach the top first and have a moment. I love that we did this together and a mix of emotions came over me – fatigue, accomplishment, excitement.
After taking it all in, we sat down for lunch – sandwiches with Bolo Lêvedo. This bread reminded me of an English muffin but with a softer texture and sweeter taste. I had packed it with ham, apple slices, and cheese from Sao Jorge (another island in the Azores). Having reached the top, taking in the fresh air and surrounded by the beauty of the Azores, this lunch time was extra special.
I couldn’t believe it when only 15 minutes later the clouds covered everything around us. Once again it made us grateful that Quim was with us this day to help us navigate the terrain and make it to the top in good time so we wouldn’t miss out on the spectacular view.
Now it was time to make our way back down. For most it’s the worst part – tough on your knees, there’s no grand vista to look forward to, etc. But this wasn’t the case for me because I was so happy I hadn’t given up. I also felt more relaxed and we took the time to explore and check out craters on the way down.
Pico certainly tested my resilience but once we were done, I was on an “I did it!” high and realized that in the 6.5 hours of very few words exchanged – I actually learned a lot.
A few more notes on Pico:
- it is the highest mountain in Portugal with an elevation of 7,713 ft (2,351 m)
- Pico has been dormant since 1718
- Allow yourself 6 to 8 hours total time for going up and down the mountain (dependent on fitness level)
If you’re visiting the Azores and want to climb Pico (it’s an experience you won’t forget!), here’s a very informative site: http://climbingpicoazores.blogspot.com/p/the-mountain.html
My first visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was a short but tasty one. The main purpose of the trip was to get to know my brother in law’s family which didn’t leave much time for sightseeing but we wasted no time to start bonding, laughing and eating! Getting absorbed in a new culture, meeting new people and trying new food is my sort of trip. We snuck in a couple of tourist attractions including a visit to Christ of the Redeemer statue (make your way there in time to catch the sunset and witness an amazing array of colors). But this post is not about heavenly views or attractions…it’s about the heavenly food found in and around Rio.
My first meal was a dish lovingly prepared for my family by my brother in law’s mom. What can be more welcoming than being greeted with a smile and home-cooked dinner?
The next day we started the morning off right by stopping at one of Rio’s popular juice stands. My favorite was Suco de Maracuja (passion fruit juice).
No trip to Rio is complete without a visit to the beach (this was taken at Ipanema) and all of that fun in the sun is sure to build up an appetite…
…which is not a problem when you can easily find “Salgadinhos” sold in just about every corner of Rio. These savory bites range from fried pastries filled with cheese to shredded chicken and other fillings:
Kids if you’re watching don’t play with your food – until you get to be an immature adult like me!
If you’re feeling jet-lagged like I was, wash it all down with a soft drink made with Guaraná fruit. It’ll provide a temporary energy boost and it tastes good too.
And just because I’m a sucker for Watermelon…I couldn’t say no to this:
After some freshening up, it’s time for more food! Not just any food – Churrasco. Meat that is expertly grilled and simply (but perfectly) seasoned with coarse sea salt:
End the night with a VERY CHILLED local draft beer:
Before packing up to return home, don’t forget to buy some snacks for your plane ride back:
Hope you enjoyed this post. Now wipe that drool off of your face and start planning your trip to Rio!