Riding in Cars with Boys

Iceland surpassed our expectations in so many ways. We arrived with the idea of seeing some natural beauty, the Northern Lights and Reykjavik nightlife. We not only accomplished those goals, but also learned a lot about who we are and how we travel. First of all, Iceland is EXPENSIVE. Gas is about $10+ per gallon, food in a restaurant is a lot, food in the grocery store is a lot, tours are $70-$100 dollars a day, and getting to and from the airport alone cost $40. To help make this crazy place more affordable we went searching via couchsurfing for some new friends to share a rental car so we could see the highlights of the island as well as discover places off the tourist track. And we could do that for several days for the price of one tour. My online post was answered and after meeting in person, Francois from France, Manuel from Italy, Julia from Germany and the two American girls were new friends searching for Icelandic adventure. The first day covered the most popular route known as the “Golden Circle.” On our way home, Manuel, the navigator suggested a new route. When we hit the curvy, steep, gravel road with few vehicles, the two stressed, backseat drivers (that’s us) began questioning the navigation. I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person so I tried to trust Manuel, but I’m the kind of person who can go with the flow as long as I know where the flow is going. Ultimately, that crazy road led us to incredible views. In the days that followed, wrong turns brought us to perfect rainbows, driving past where I thought we were going led us to the most peaceful spot on the shore of an iceberg filled lake, bumpy one lane road offered us some of the most incredible views of the Icelandic landscape, and staying out later than planned gave us our first glimpse of the Northern Lights dancing across the sky.

 I frequently had to remind myself to trust Manuel and Francois and to be okay with not being in control of the car or the course of our travels because when I let go I got to experience something incredible, something that I would have never been able to find myself. In Iceland we learned that we never get lost, we just find new unexpected adventures.

Got My Vans On But They Look Like Sneakers

New York Shoe Theory:
New Yorkers are all about their kicks. You can tell if someone is from New York or a tourist just by looking at their shoes. After spending lots of time on the subway in the 3 days I was there, I came to the conclusion as to why there is a shoe culture in NY. When walking on the subway, you at first look straight ahead, then when realizing how awkward that is, you look down. Down is more common and comfortable than up. My idea is that through looking down at other people's shoes on the subway, New York created a culture of fly shoes. Maybe it's not a perfect theory but it's a good enough one that if I move to New York, I'll need to go shopping.

Empire State of Mind

New York. We love it here. It is by far the best place we have been so far. Thanks to our amazing friends, we got to see New York like a local (which is better than seeing it like a tourist, in case you were wondering). We stayed with Evan in Brooklyn, saw Spanish Harlem with Leanne, walked around the city with Caty and Zach, and explored so many parts of the city on our own. Thanks to Leanne's suggestion, we saw High Line park which is an awesome city park that rises above the streets of the former meat packing district. It used to be used as a railroad to the port, but was recently transformed to a beautiful walkway through the city. Since it took us several hours to wander from one side of the city to the other, our slow pace was rewarded with a great view of the sunset over the Hudson River. One more reason to slow down and appreciate the city.

The night skyline from High Line Park

And the food! So delicious. We became acquainted with the best Cuban sandwich ever at Cafe Habana, the most amazing dessert at WD50, the most flavorful falafel at the Falafel Shop, our last taco in the US, and the mouthwatering pancakes and egg sandwich at Green Leaves.

Ricotta pancakes with honey butter and berries. 

I don't even remember how Evan described it, but it was amazing

Even though we have an incredible journey waiting for us, we both left New York dreaming of the day when we can return to the city that put us in an empire state of mind.

See the World

Michele and I (Lynn) are writing this blog to share our experiences traveling through Europe and Africa with our family and friends and so that we will always have a reminder of our trip. We'll try to update as often as possible, but due to spotty internet and limited time, that may not be as often as we would like. We hope you enjoy reading about our travels as much as we enjoy traveling!

A little intro to Lynn...It is hard to believe that just a few years ago I had never left the country, didn't have a passport, could only speak 1 language, and had no idea what adventures lay ahead. I was lucky enough to travel a bit as a kid to California for vacations, Florida for family, Hawaii for soccer, and Alaska for volleyball, but it wasn't until college that I really caught the travel bug. As a freshman, I decided to study abroad during the summer which led me to Orvieto, Italy. After spending half a summer learning Italian, eating pizza and exploring the ancient ruins and modern cities; I was hooked on language, culture and long plane rides. I spent a summer in India with my good friend which was extremely challenging and one of the most defining times of my life. A semester in Chile, a few months in Indonesia, and a few more traveling around Asia solidified my love of travel and taught me enough about the importance of traveling light to prepare me to take off on this adventure. I would say that I am taking a break form my life plan, but that would imply that traveling isn't a part of that plan, which it most definitely is. In my mind, the point of this first post should be to explain my reasons for embarking on this journey, so here they are: I like to travel, I want to meet people from all over the world, I want to see as much beauty as I can, and I am too young to grow up and get a job :) Put simply, I just want to see the world.

I suppose since Lynn wrote a little intro I should...I spent a lot of my youth traveling around the US and had my first bit of international experience in high school when I went on a tour of Europe. If I thought I loved traveling then, I had no idea what would be in store. The summer before my sophomore year of college I went to the Dominican Republic for a week to help out at an orphanage. It was difficult at times but it was the point where I realized I love cultures, meeting people who spoke a different language and lived a different way. The whole next year I was determined to go to Africa and summer of 2010, I did. Now two years later I am embarking on another adventure, but this time for much longer and for different reasons. The last couple were for testing the waters, this time I already knew I would love it. The idea of being a backpacker thrills me. Carrying everything you own in one bag, learning to be creative with eating, and freedom to decide your life one day, no one minute at a time. I might discover something about myself along the way, but really I'm here to learn about the world.

Graduation from the University of Arizona, Class of 2012

Laying in the fall leaves in Chicago