In less than 24 hours, I saw a Russian folk show, went on a limo tour of the sites at night, walked around in the Hermitage, and stayed in the sketchiest hostel I will ever see. My dad’s side of the family is predominantly Russian, so being in the “homeland” so to speak brought just what I imagined: adventure!
I have visited a dear friend in Hamburg, Germany twice now: once in 2012 and once in 2016. I love this city very much and have nothing but good things to say about it. In fact, Hamburg was my first city visited outside of North America and has been a gateway for my many adventures abroad! The late night dancing, scenery, food, streets, harbor and good company keep me easily entertained and happy whenever I spend time with Saskia and her parents!
The cold, windy air hitting my nose and cheeks in Michigan reminds me of Swedish Lapland. We visited Abisko and Kiruna, and even crossed the border into Norway for an afternoon. From visiting the ice hotel I saw in Nat Geo as a third grader to sledding in the town after bar hopping, riding on the back of a dog sled, feeding the reindeer and seeing the Northern Lights (three times!), Lapland was probably the happiest week of my life…
It has been nearly three years since I wandered the streets of this amazing city. Our class trip, a cruise around Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Finland, commenced here and we couldn’t get enough!
2018…what a year! So many incredible things happened, which has led to lifelong memories that I’ll always cherish.
I was able to spend lots of quality time with my Little Sister of four years, Aniya!
I had a travel marathon from March – July (Chicago, Boston, Iceland, Myrtle Beach, Peru and Portland)! I was able to spend time with old friends, have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with my mom, hang out with my brother on the west coast and get engaged during this short period of time!
I was able to spend more time with my pup Linley than ever. We even went to a baseball game with grams in Detroit!
My dad and I were able to hang out a lot more than usual, now that we’re in the same department at work. My dad is also in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and seeing his Little Brother grow up is amazing (and scary…)!
My best friend (who I call my twin) and I share the same birthday!!! We were able to celebrate our 25th year on this earth together 🙂
My fiance and pup cheered me up on Halloween as they dressed as a minion and a bee!
And the most eventful day was Friday, November 16, the day I married my best friend 🙂
I have no idea what could be better than repeating 2018, but I’m very excited for what 2019 has in store for all of us 🙂 Happy New Year!
Lima had its highlights, but Cusco had a flare of its own! Aside from the turbulent plane ride and altitude sickness, my mom and I really enjoyed ourselves (and wish we could go back)…
The city center had a lot to offer! The architecture was a mix of what you’d envision in places like Spain or Portugal with South American charm. There were terraces and balconies on almost every building, especially the restaurants! We were in this valley surrounded by mountains, tourists from all over the globe and many friendly street vendors (AND pups).
The narrow streets really fascinated my mom and me because there were so many cars AND so many people weaving through them. We would chase after the sun because the wind and cool air picked up in the images you see above. I’m also lucky that I didn’t twist an ankle because the fitted sidewalks were incredibly uneven!
My mom and I saw TONS of friendly dogs and bright colors while walking in the evening. We also heard beautiful music and were able to see a fun parade during one of our nights in Cusco.
Many consider Cusco a tourist trap, but I hope these photos prove otherwise. My mom and I really immersed ourselves in the culture and didn’t want to come home!
Friday, July 27 (continued)
After our time relaxing at the beach, Al and I knew we had some hiking to do!
Our walk to the state park wasn’t all flowers and sunshine though! We had to walk up to the entrance of the park, which consisted of walking uphill for ~30 mins-1 hour and made us short of breath even before the “real” hiking began!
Once we arrived at the entrance, the guide helped us pick which trail we wanted to hike. Since we craved high, ocean views, we chose to head west and felt the ocean air.
Prior to heading back uphill to continue on our path, a huge bug landed in Al’s mouth as he was talking! I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even walk back up on the trail!
Even though I couldn’t get his bug incident on camera, I’m happy we took the above pictures 🙂
The views were incredible, the stories were endless, and the laughs were much-needed after a long day of hiking!
“Foss” in Icelandic is “waterfall” in English, so there are many long names with “foss” at the end in this country!
Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss were two of the last sites seen on our South Coast tour. It was breezy, hailing and damp, but well worth it 🙂
That’s a wrap for my Iceland posts! Thank you for reading and following my story. Now I need to start writing about Peru… 😉
My mom and I returned from Peru yesterday evening! I really need to wrap up my Iceland posts to start my Peru ones…
After Bethany and I left the glacier, we were able to visit a black sand beach! It was great because the sun was out (at first) and the landscape reminded me of Ireland all over again!
As you can see, the sun doesn’t stay out for long in Iceland…
The sand was so pure and dark, that my boots blend in here!^
My Michigan roots have always led me to water, and I’m happy to have seen this side of Iceland!
I can’t pronounce, let alone SPELL, the name of this glacier. What I CAN tell you is that this glacier is a must-see on Iceland’s southern coast!
The walk to get here from the parking lot wasn’t short; however, with views like these, I would’ve walked an extra mile!
I had Iceland layovers in 2014 AND 2016, so I had to make 2018 count 🙂 Going outside of the city is something I should’ve done four years ago…
Being so close to the water made me want to swim in it (or at least go kayaking)!
The walk back consisted of hail, rain, snow, and sunshine all in one! But with the sunshine came a lot of green.
Note: I chose not to lighten any of these photos because I want you to see the glacier (almost) as I did!
Reykjavik is truly a melting pot, mainly due to increased tourism over the years! Even though the city had more authenticity when I first visited in 2014, this May was the first time I truly experienced all Reykjavik had to offer…
The “pops of color” and street art took over its downtown area, which is something I always feel the need to photograph!
Reykjavik is unique in many ways, one being that you feel like you’re in Norway, Ireland, and the early 2000s (at times) all in one!
Oh, and the gluten-free dessert AND savory crepes were beyond amazing!!!
No matter where you turned, you saw something special; you definitely weren’t in the States anymore!
My message to you: always go off the beaten path!
Here’s some mediocre photos from my weekend getaway, in a not-so-mediocre city!
Traveling with the Traceys 