Photo Highlights of 2018

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 5 Comments

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!

Machupicchu with Mom (July, 2018)

November 9, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 6 Comments

Looking back at these photos is bittersweet; we really miss this trip but still cherish every memory and are grateful for the opportunity that we had together.

The trek up to the old civilization was an adventure in-and-of itself! Our bus driver was winding through the narrow roads like nobody’s business, abruptly dodging other tourist buses on the way up! I was too excited to be nauseous on the way there, but the way back down was another story…

We had the BEST group on our tour and our guide was amazing. Jamie (pronounced “Hi-May” in South America) was the perfect combo of educational and entertaining! He joked and said he hiked the Inca Trail at least once a week to get away from the world; part of me thinks he was serious because you could tell he was at home here at Machu Picchu.

What still amazes me the most about the Incas is how forward and advanced they were, especially for their time. The way they worked collectively, farmed with innovation in mind, and how they utilized everything they had astounds me.

The views, no matter which direction you faced, were beyond impressive. As soon as I uploaded this photo, I was shocked that I was physically standing there not too long ago; I am truly blessed. AND I got to see some llamas in their natural habitat, which obviously made my dreams come true!

My mom and I were exhausted on the way back home, but our train ride fashion show kept us fairly engaged 🙂 I recommend Machu Picchu, Peru, and South America for anyone who loves cultural immersion, friendly people, and adventure!

First Day in Lima, Peru (June, 2018)

October 6, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

I’ve been missing my mother-daughter travels and have been holding off on posting photos from my Canon Rebel. Early this morning I’ve finally uploaded them and am ready to share them with all of you 🙂

My mom and I were in no rush during our first full day in Lima; we decided to walk in gardens and explore off the beaten path.

We admired how bright and colorful everything was! We truly knew we were in a new place that was very different from life in Michigan.

After visiting a local garden, my mom and I chose to walk toward the coast and visit some parks. It was the perfect day: not too hot, not too cold, not too bright! Seeing families and dogs at the Parque del Amor (Park of Love) reminded us of Chicago.

Although the colors at the park were admirable, the architecture was also impressive. I was never able to visit Barcelona when I was in Spain, but I felt like I was at the famous Park Guell!

Even though Parque del Amor was surrounded with romance, I am thankful to have shared this experience with my mom. We both enjoy walking around and soaking in new culture, which made Lima a great destination!

Machu Picchu, Peru in iOS (July, 2018)

August 28, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Being with my mom was obviously the best part of Peru.

The second? Walking the steps of Machu Picchu (llamas are the third)!

My favorite movie growing up was The Emperor’s New Groove (lets be honest, it still is!) and being here made me feel like I was alongside David Spade and John Goodman. I’m so happy my mom found these Kuzco shirts!

More importantly, I have been fascinated with The Inca Empire since the sixth grade. I had a teacher who had been to Peru many times and shared his experience and stories with us in great detail. Plus, my fiancé is Ecuadorian and I somehow felt closer to his culture and past.

Our guide, Jamie (“Hi May” in Spanish, Jamie in English) was THE BEST! He provided us with unique information that we otherwise wouldn’t have learned. We also had a phenomenal group with us (one guy lives ~30 minutes away from me)! The experience as a whole was incredible. My mom and I also felt like Amazon women walking through the ancient city, standing at 5’8” and 5’10”!

After our amazing day, we had to take a bus back down to the city centre. Unfortunately, I was a bit car sick and my mom had a killer migraine! We relaxed in town, then headed back to Cusco via train. Our Machu Picchu Train was awesome and I was even able to dance with the god Carmen during the staff’s “fashion show!”

Cusco, Peru in iOS (June/July, 2018)

August 19, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Although my mom and I enjoyed our time in Lima, Cusco was our favorite!

Spending all of this quality time meant the world to me! The only downside about Cusco? The altitude adjustment (or lack thereof on my end)! I instantly felt hungover, even when I was only drinking hot water. Being with my mom and petting/holding baby animals made me feel better though!

Our first night in Cusco consisted of me puking and the two of us watching old Denzel Washington movies 😂 At least the next day I seemed to make a full recovery…

We ate at the chocolate museum (twice!), saw amazing parade floats, visited more animals, climbed the cathedral for the best views, ate more incredible meals, and met some of the kindest people. Cusco, we’ll be back for sure!

Sharing this experience with my mom is indescribable. We brought back lots of memories (and llamas)!

Ecola State Park, Oregon

August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

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!

So many “Foss’s”! Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss Falls, Iceland

July 17, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

“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… 😉

Downtown Reykjavik & Street Art

June 23, 2018June 23, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

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!

Iceland “Music Video”

June 20, 2018 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Here’s a subpar travel vid for ya!

Song: Défiler (bande originale de la capsule n. 5 Mosaert) by Stromae

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

May 7, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 6 Comments

I’m about to head home (or back to Toronto, THEN home…), so I might as well post about what kicked off this adventure: the infamous Blue Lagoon!

You get here, and you’re immediately hooked! The water is a misty blue color, to the point of not being able to see your body underneath the calming waves. The skies above are filled with Iceland’s unpredictable weather, yet somehow the on-and-off hail/snow doesn’t faze you once you’re immersed in the pools…

As my friend Bethany put it, “There are no adjectives to describe this experience.” She’s absolutely right! You’ll just have to check it out for yourself!

You can even enjoy mud masks AND refreshing smoothies in the water!!

Highlight of the day: finally being in the water, despite two previous Iceland stopovers!

Worst part of the day: not being able to get the nasty, Icelandic salted chocolate taste out of my mouth!

Second worst part: combing my hair after the lagoon…it’s STILL gross four days later!

Pro tip: wear your hair up ladies and gents!

Mediocre Photos of Boston

April 22, 2018April 23, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Here’s some mediocre photos from my weekend getaway, in a not-so-mediocre city!

Study Abroad Reunion: Chicago (March 9-11)

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 6 Comments

In 2016, I made the best decision of my life: to study abroad in Kalmar, Sweden.

I made THE BEST friends I could’ve asked for! We all decided to have a reunion in Chicago because Alice (to my right in the above photo) was student teaching in Illinois for one month. Mitch and Bethany (to my left) are from Colorado, and Taylor (far right) is from Texas. We HAD to take a selfie at the iconic bean, obviously 🙂

During our first afternoon/evening, we were catching up at dinner, the hotel bar, and even played Uno for awhile in our room. I hadn’t seen Taylor or Alice since I left Sweden in June, 2016, so seeing them meant the world to me. Bethany and I, thankfully, have been able to see each other twice since we returned home (once in Chicago in June, exactly!) and will be going to one of my favorite places, Iceland, this May! Spending time with Mitch is always great, and seeing him meant the world to me as well!

On our only full day together, we went to the Sears Tower (I STILL need to call it that…) and we took some obligatory Sky Deck photos! It was worth it, but the crowds and heat were too much for all of us. Thankfully, Giordano’s was right around the corner 🙂

All of us (except for Taylor – he needed a major nap after the deep dish!) spent time near the Water Tower place, specifically at Nike and Ghiradelli! Mitch and I were OBSESSED with the store. I have probably been in there at least 10 times and it never gets old! Mitch, Alice, and I all got ice cream after, which also put us into a food coma, much like our dear friend!

You can’t go to Chicago without going to a comedy show, am I right? I am in love with Second City and Zanies; I have been to both three times I believe. Bethany and I went to Zanies in June, and I’ve also been there with another friend from studying abroad in France. I decided on Zanies this time because 1) the tickets were cheaper, 2) stand-up is hilarious and is rarely ever bad (in my opinion), and 3) it’s located on N. Wells Street, where all the best bars are!

Of course, we picked the best night to go! It was Zanies’ 40th anniversary so we were able to have some mystery shots, more stand-up comedians, and many more laughs! I would tell you some of the jokes; however, they were NOT appropriate for this blog 🙂 Take my word for it: Zanies is the funniest club in Chicago!

Bethany and I are always thuggin’ it on Wells St…

Our coats got switched at Benchmark…oops!

Fun fact: Bethany and I took a similar photo here back in June. Once we found the same bar, we obviously had to recreate our masterpiece 🙂

This goes without saying, but this was probably the best weekend I’ve had in a long time. Seeing old friends felt so rewarding and I haven’t laughed that hard in SO long (both from the comedians AND my best friends)! I can’t wait until our next reunion together.

I can’t wait for Taylor to have a Guinness at every bar he passes, for Alice to be as stereo-typically French as possible, for Bethany and I to laugh over nothing at all, and for Mitch and I to have the best conversations again 🙂

Traveling with the Traceys

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