This Heart Was Made for Traveling

My Big Sister came to town and that means more travel adventures! It has been 4 years since I have seen Verena. She last visited in 2018 when we went on an adventure to Maine. This time she was here just in time to do some fall exploration and celebrate Halloween.  Verena is always up for exploring and since we are terrible together at making a plan that meant that the week together was chaos but filled with so many different places to go and things to do. One of the first places we decided to explore was Delphi Falls. Last time Verena was here the park had yet to be open. This time it was open, and we could take out her drone and fly above the falls. It was pretty impressive to see from the vantage point of the drone. We also went to Old Fly Marsh and explored walking in the woods and then flying with the drone there. We walked at camp and enjoyed the fact that the fall leaves were spectacular. Verena and I also carved a pumpkin and celebrated her birthday with the family.  A...

Today was the earliest of all my mornings this trip. I gathered up my belongings and headed to the airport. After waiting for security to open and then to get a gate assigned I headed to my gate the bored the plane. The plane ride to Lisbon was uneventful. I got through boarder control shortly after getting to the airport. I tried to find a locker to put my bag in but was unsuccessful. I decided to take it with me and got an Uber. After a long ride to downtown Lisbon, lots of morning traffic, I got to Parce de Figurera where I caught a hop-on-hop-off bus. I decided this was the best way to see the city in the little time I had.  I enjoyed the tour. I made sure to get a spot on the top of the bus and we started driving around. The tour took us around for 2 hours before circling back to the starting spot. There were lots of great things to see along the way. I hope to come back and explore them more in the future. After getting off the bus I did some postcard shopping and...

I was very tired last night so I slept well. I got up a little before 7. After. Getting ready I headed back to Calton Hill so I could explore it in the daylight. The walk was quick and nice, even through it rained a little on the way. The hill was nice and better in some ways since I could see more of the monuments on the walk, and the city, it was also cool to see the city in the dark with all the lights.  I spent an hour wandering around the grounds for an hour. After that I started a slow walk back to my hostel. I made a few stops along the way and enjoyed watching the city hustle, so much different in the morning before all the tourists are up.  Once my hostel mate was up we headed to breakfast at The Edinburgh Cafe. I wanted English bacon so I got eggs Benedict which was great. The coffee was also good. We ate and planned our day.  We decided to explore after breakfast. Our first stop was St. Gile's Cathedral. It is beautiful inside and outside. We also w...

Last night I slept poorly but I still feel pretty good. I was up early, especially since I could not sleep. After once more packing up our things we were off. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hostel to the Euston-London station.  Once we got there we noticed that our original train information was not listed on the boards for departure. We thought something like this might happen as there was a planned strike for London's trains. We got in line and found an alternative train to Edinburgh. On the train we had reserved seats with a table to work at. I really enjoy being on the train. It's one of my favorite modes of transportation, especially in Europe. This train was comfortable and not overcrowded. However, usually I write on the train and this time I didn't. Today we met a lovely British couple who chatted and joked with us the entire rest of the way to Edinburgh. There was also a lovely British woman who was there on the train for a while. We all chatted...

A very early morning had us climbing out of our bunks at 5am. We had mostly packed up the night before so it was just a matter of getting ready and then stashing what we did need in the bags.  We caught a shuttle to the bus station and then took the 45 minute bus ride to the airport. Not many people were in the airport that early. I breezed through security and passport control.  Our flight was slightly delayed due to the incoming plane being late. However, we got on the plane and set off shortly after our scheduled time so it wasn't an issue.  The plane ride was pretty comfortable. I was able to get a little extra sleep on it. It wasn't overly crowded either so that was nice. Plus the crew was British so I enjoyed listening to them and the pilot talk. Getting to downtown London was a bit of a challenge. We caught a shuttle, then the train, and then walked to our hostel to drop our bags. Overall it went fine it was just a bit confusing at first.  Once we ...

Today Mom and Tom headed home. They got up early and we all went for pastries and coffee at the bakery down the road from the hostel. They dropped me back off at the hostel after and left. Back at the hostel I spent a lazy morning getting ready. It was rainy and windy outside so it was not inviting. Around 10 we put our bags in the storage room and headed to the center of the main part of the town. We went up I'm the tower of the church in the center square. From there you can see all of the city. It was pretty cool. It was also very windy. We stayed up there and listened to the bells toll. Then descended down. From there we walked down some of the main Shopping and tourists streets. There is a street that was painted with a rainbow and there were lots of shops along the way. We made it to the Icelandic Phallic Museum. It houses over 200 members of various species on the planet. It is filled with lots of facts and other weird things. It was interesting and fun to say we...

On the road again today I drove through the rain. It was on and off throughout the morning. It can make for an interesting drive, especially on roads where I was unsure of where I was going and not sure of every road sign. Our first stop was the troll garden. It is pretty cool. There is a river and falls that legend says that the trolls created. Around the field were other troll myths and stories. It was fun to walk around. There was lots to see there. After that we made our way to a small village along the ocean edge. We wandered along the coastal path there. We then ate a lovely lunch inside a museum and checked out some local shops. It was beautiful. Back in the car we got. We drove through a 6km tunnel that went over one section of water which was pretty cool. Then we went into downtown Reykjavík where we drove past some of the major sights. We dropped the car and bags off at the hostel. Then we wandered around on foot. We got in some souvenirs shopping and window shopp...

Another day another early morning. We got ready and packed up the car. Then it was back on the road we go. We wound our way through the mountains along another fjord. Up in the mountains there was snow. The roads were winding but fortunately not slippery. The roD views were beautiful. We continued on to a western peninsula where I got to see one of the waterfalls I had most wanted to see. It is the waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss. It's an amazing waterfall with two small sets of falls and then a huge mountain that makes a very dynamic scene. We went out and had lunch after walking around the falls. Then we wound along the coastline some more. We made it into Snæfellsjökull National Park. It's very beautiful. There is a glacier sitting on top of an inactive volcano.  We climbed to the top of a large crater . The stairs around it were very interesting and looking inside the crater was neat. From the tope of the crater you could see a 360* view of the national park and then ...

Today was another long day of driving. We hopped in the car early in the morning and headed out. We wound our way through the West Fjords.  The first part of the drive we were on the road by the ocean. Then we drove higher into the mountains. Up there we had both snow and rain as we drove.  The drive was very pretty. There was so much to see our our windows. We stopped and had lunch at a little cafe in a small town we passed through. We continued on and continued to explore. We also drove through two tunnels as well, one 5km long and one 6km long. We then made it to Dynjandi waterfalls. It is much larger than it looks in pictures. It was. Fantastic hike up past the 7 falls that make up the park. There is so much water gushing through the falls and mountain. The scenery is overwhelming and stunning. After our hike we headed down the other side of the fjords. It was even more impressive. We were driving along cliff edges and through beautiful mountains. Several of th...

Today was a day of mostly driving. We slept in and ate breakfast before packing up the car again. The morning was cold, cloudy and gloomy. On the road we wound our way down route 1. It started to snow and rain through out the morning. We wound our way along the coast. It is very beautiful even with the snow and rain. There are lots of mountains along the coastline. We headed towards the West fjords in the afternoon. Here the road alternated between paved and stone roads. It was fun to drive down. Here the sheep and even a horse roamed free. There was even a few sheep in the actual road. Don't worry we didn't hit them.  We continued on until we came to the small town Holmavik. Here we went to the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft. It was pretty interesting. I learned that more men were accused of witchcraft than any females. It was both a cool and creepy museum. After the museum we wandered around the town. There wasn't a lot to see but it was good to ge...

Today was a relaxing day. We had another slow start to the day and enjoyed breakfast before heading back on the road. It is still raining here. I am hoping for some sunnier weather soon. Back in the car we traversed more of route one and headed northward in Iceland. Here the landscape changed drastically. It seemed like something out of another world. It looked like we were in space. Lava flow has clearly impacted the landscape lot. We drove up a dirt road with lots of rocks and puddles to dodge. After a short, fun, and interesting walk we made it to Dettifoss Falls. They are the second strongest falls in Europe. They are pretty fantastic. We walked a bit more of the path before turning back for the car.  Back on the road we wound our way through more of the roadways and over the mountains. There was snow in some places. We made it to our next spot which was Myvatn Geothermic area where we wandered around the small geothermal pools and holes. One had to be careful where...

Today was a slow start to the day. I got to sleep in this morning then ambled my way downstairs. In the dining area of the hostel I found cereal. We were going to have coffee but the power went out. Once the hostel manager came she fixed it. We had coffee and ate breakfast before packing up for the day.  We hopped in the car and headed on our way. Our only real goal was to get to our next town which was Egilsstaoir, where our hostel was for tonight. We wound our way through the fjords.  There were many beautiful sights along the way. There were dozens of waterfalls. The shores had rocks and cliffs. There were some snow capped mountains too. Some of the mountains had almost terrace-like edges to them.  We stopped and had lunch at a really good cafe that was in a small town just off route 1. I had a delish pasta dish. We also walked around the waters edge after lunch and enjoyed the mountains in the distance. We continued to wind our way around the fjords and mo...

This was another early morning. We headed out to a beach that was near the hostel. We stayed in a hostel in Vik and there are several magnificent beaches there. The beach we went to had wonderful rock formations in the ocean and hexagon rocks along the cliff edge. We watch the waves crash and the sunrise from the beach. This is one of the black sand beaches and is called Reynisdranger Beach. Then it was on to the main adventure of our day. We were going glacier hiking. It was part of Vaynajokull National Park and Skaftafell. We met our guide and got all our equipment. We had to wear harnesses, helmets, carry pick axes and we also had crampons to bring with us. We talked with our guide and hopped on the bus. The bus ride to the glacier was on a rough and wild road but it was fun. Once we got to the glacier, known as Falljökull, we got more of our gear on and started the hike. Along the way the guides explained lots of information about the glacier here and others. There are ...

Today was a rainy start to the day. My friend and I got up and made breakfast and got ourselves ready for the day. We also went on a quick adventure because my friend had discovered a place that had good cinnamon rolls and good coffee. It was a windy day walking around. When we got back to the hostel we got the car a 9am. From there we were off. The drive was rainy but beautiful. It was hard to see some of the mountains. Our first stop was Pingvellir National Park. I spent the first few minutes wandering around trying to find a bathroom. It seemed like I went on a random scavenger hunt. In the end I at least saw some beautiful sights while I saw searching.  The first part of our hike was to the fissure where we could stand between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. If you were brave enough to swim or scuba dive you could do that but we opted for the warmer option and watched and walked around. It was pretty neat. The next part of this hike was to the overl...

Today was an early morning. This hostel I stayed at was certainly a party hostel. People woke me at 2:30 with their antics. I didn't mind. I got up a little while later and got ready for the day. I caught an Uber to the airport. Inside I had to wait 45 minutes to even check in. After that it was passport control, TSA and other airport fun. Once through with that I grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to my gate. I was in the emergency exit on the first plane ride of the day. I liked that. I napped for the first hour of the ride and enjoyed watching the sunrise out the plane window. It was hard to see a lot below as it was cloudy. But I Iove watching out the plane windows anyways and I had a window seat.  I disembarked the plan and then walked out of the airport. I was warned by the border guards that I needed to have lots of time to get back to the airport. I didn't realize how serious they were. I walked out of the airport to see a beautiful double rainbow over a s...

Today it poured. The entire day. Somehow that didn't deter plans or make it any less of a good day. Today we got up a bit later than other mornings. It was good to get some extra sleep. I gathered my laundry and brought it down to the main desk. They thankfully will do the laundry if you give them 10 euro which I was more than happy to do. Sink laundry sometimes isn't an option. I grabbed some breakfast. Most hostels don't have free breakfast it seems but this one did. Nothing fancy but I was happy to not have to buy anything. Then it was out into the rain. I had to walk about 10 minutes to one of the major hotels in the area where the tour bus was meeting people. Antonio picked us up promptly. He was 28, born and raised in Croatia, with an excellent knowledge of the history of the region. He was going to be the guide for our 8 person small group tour. Also he was cute. Haha I snagged a seat in the front of the van. We were off. It was about a 30 minute drive to...

You know it's going to be a good day when the bus driver does the sign of the cross at the start of your journey. It was another early morning today. Today I had to catch the bus to Platvice. It was a 3.5 hour drive. Again, we wound through the mountains. It was wonderful. There was a beautiful, large rainbow on our bus ride as well. Once I arrived in Platvice it was crowded and a little confusing because of how many people were around. After purchasing my ticket and getting an idea of where to go I started walking.  There are wonderful boardwalks through the national park. There are many places to view the falls all over the park. Some areas were crowded, others were less busy. There were lots of paths to walk in the park. There were boats to take and a panoramic shuttle. With so much to do I opted to take a later bus to Zagreb than originally planned.  Once I reached the far end of the park I decided to do the scenic walk back to the beginning. I walked all over ...

Today was supposed to be a boat tour day. After waking up a bit late I rushed to get ready to go for the boat tour that had been booked. No email showed the tour had been cancelled due to weather. I thought it might be because of the weather, rain and lightning.  After rushing down to the docks I found out it had been cancelled but no one emailed. The tour company explained that the weather was supposed to get bad and they felt it was unsafe to go out. I headed to one of the coffee shops to get a cappuccino and plan what to do. There were lots of potential plan ideas but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I headed back to the hostel to do more planning, stay out of the incoming storm, and ditch my bathing suit. I didn't plan on needing it. After a mad dash through the market again, this time to buy myself an umbrella I headed to the bus station to find out when there was a bus to Trigor. After purchasing my ticket I had 50 minutes to spend so another trip down by th...

Today I expected to be a lazy day. I got to sleep in so I did not have to be up first thing in the morning. However, I am bad at sleeping in so by 8am I was ready to go for the day. I decided to start my morning with a walk down by the markets in old town.  I was told that this was a great place to start the day by Ana yesterday and she was right. I have always found that markets are a great way to observe a town and get to know an area. While part of this market definitely catered to tourists, going early in the morning meant that I could see what the locals came to the market for.  The first thing I noticed was that the part of the market that was most active was the fruit and vegetable portion of the market. There locals were clearly getting ready to sell their wares while other locals were buying goods. Along with the fruits and veggies there were nuts, olives, meats, cheeses, and fish. There are so many different smells in the market. Some are good and some are bad. ...

A different day a different adventure. Today I slept in little later than yesterday. Today we headed to the bus station after packing up my backpack. It took about 20 minutes to walk there. The good part was that it was mostly downhill. At the bus station we grabbed a coffee and croissant for breakfast. That seems to be a typical food available here in the morning. Onto the bus we went. For the first part of the ride I was alone in my row. It was nice. There were plenty of other people around but I had my spot to myself. Then someone else joined later in the trip and I no longer had my space to myself. These seats are not any more roomier than those on an airplane. One of the benefits of taking the bus is getting to see more of the country side. I am continually amazed by the mountains here. Villages are scattered between large mountains. It is very beautiful. We have a little rain today but even with the rain it is very nice. The way the clouds roll over the large mountain...