On day two we awoke to an amazing sunrise over the stunning coastline of The Westman Islands. We arrived in the dark the night before, so had no idea what to expect, and were thoroughly impressed by what the golden light of 8:00am revealed. Excited to get outside and take some photos, we checked out of the Aska Hostel and headed to the bakery/cafe ("bakari/konditori") across the street for coffee and a quick breakfast.
Read MoreWell hello. Long time no see. Probably because I've been very busy with work and also with wrapping up planning on the Iceland 2.0 2016 road trip, which I am currently on. I'm almost live blogging (2 days later)! Technology has come so far!
Iceland day 1 was kind of like 3 days. It started off in Baltimore with a flight on Icelandic airline WOW Air, and some celebratory Icelandic Gull beer and American Pringles. Roughly five hours later we touched down in Keflavik to begin our adventure.
Read MoreDays when winter breaks and you can go outside unencumbered by your gigantic coat and hat and heavy bag and walk down the street with nothing in your hands and be free. And you could probably walk forever because you are so light, and so happy to be alive, and the wind's in your hair and it feels good and nothing else matters. And the city is quiet and your head is quiet with no sounds in your ears except for these words that need to escape and go somewhere, because not every day is a day like today.
Read MoreYesterday, winter storm (blizzard? Nor'easter? Snowpocalypse?) Jonas battered the northeastern United States from Maryland up to New York, dumping more than 27 inches of snow over the course of 24 hours. With crazy snowfall, intense winds, and freezing temperatures, even typically unstoppable NYC came to a bit of a standstill with suspended public transportation and businesses closing midday in the interest of public safety.
Read MoreSometimes it helps to put a little space between yourself and your experiences so that you can look back with some perspective and weed the important moments out from the forgettable ones. Or that's the reason I'm using for why it's taken me this long to finish a fairly short post about my even shorter time in Portland, Oregon.
I got off the bus from Eugene and it was raining. No one, myself included, was surprised. I had a few hours to spend in Portland before my flight out of PDX in the evening, and since the weather was gloomy as always, struggled to find things to do inside while still getting a taste of the Pacific Northwest's capital of urban hipness.
I woke up in Willits to more of the same enthusiasm-crushing greyness that was really coming to define my trip. I checked out around 9:00am, passed the laughable outdoor pool, and got into my Hyundai Accent, which had - thus far - conquered wet roads, steep hills, and high speeds without even a hint of complaint.
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