Addicted to the Amalfi Coast

I know I'm bouncing around about my trip but I have been having difficulty with wifi in a lot of areas and I want to share the best parts of my trip as soon as I am able to. But don't worry, I'll update about everything else as well once I get the down time and better internet connection.

Jeff (the boyfriend) met me in Italy, and we spent two weeks traveling through Tuscany, Rome and the Coast. Italy tops my charts at one of my favorite countries because of the vast amounts of history and beauty it offers. While each region of Italy had its advantages and disadvantages, my favorite part was the Amalfi Coast and the way there.



We decided on taking a tour that left from Naples and went to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Pompeii was amazing, but we'll save that for another day. The guides came and picked us up from our hotel in Naples and we were off. After Pompeii, we began our journey and started off with beautiful views of the Sorrento Peninsula. It was stunning and was only going to get better from there. We passed beautiful beaches covered with people enjoying their weekend. Come prepared to pay, though, if you want to use the actual beaches here, as they cost about 20 to 25 euro to spend the day there.



The ride to the coastline after leaving the peninsula, is not for the faint of heart. While it's well worth the visit, you ride along windy roads on the edge of the cliffs, with steep slopes careening off into the water. The roads through the small towns along the way are so skinny, only one car can fit through at a time. If you're on a bus, I'm sure you'll love that. We saw two buses scrape by each other, causing a minor wreck and a little bit of waiting. Our driver was a bit nuts and took the turns at gut wrenching speeds. We finally had to let him know we weren't feeling well and he took it a little easier on us. Even then, if you're terrified of heights and get motion sickness, be prepared and take some motion sickness medicine before going through with this. The only way to get here is by car, bus or ferry in the high season.



I stumbled out of the van and wanted to kiss the ground for making it to our first stop, Positano. This village is one of the main stops along the coast and it's easy to see why. Positano sits among the cliffs with views of the sparkling blue waters of the sea. The purple flowers of bougainvillea hanging from the windows on the colorful buildings make for the perfect picturesque stop. People in this area tend to live very long lives. Their secret? It's wonderfully quite, has great food and to get where you want to go, you have to climb up or down stairs and steep hills.



There's a great quote that describes how amazing Positano is by John Steinbeck, "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it...The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water lips gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide. Nearly always when you find a place as beautiful as Positano, your impulse is to conceal it."



After grudgingly leaving behind the beautiful village in front of me, we headed to our lunch destination to a gorgeous restaurant located on the other side of Praiano called Calajanara Restaurant. The food was magnificent. We were served bread with organically made olive oil from the olives of the coast, a salad and a pasta with eggplant and tomato sauce. My mouth is just watering from remembering the taste of the food. We were served on a gorgeous terrace with views of the sea, Praiano and an old tower that used to be a lookout point to spot pirates. It's quite a romantic spot and the service there is one of the best I've received since being in Italy.





We left the restaurant and made our way to our final destination, Amalfi. Amalfi is very small and impossible to get lost in. Jeff and I spent our time admiring the view from the pier. I could have stayed there all day sun bathing on the rocks near the water and admiring the scene before me. Our visit was all to short and we were soon ushered back into our van to head back to Naples through the Milk Mountains (which was just as motion sick inducing, if not more, than the ride there).





I won't say the name of the tour company I used because I did not like them, but to give you an idea of how much it was, the tour cost €85 per person. It was combined with Pompeii and we also had to pay €11 separately to get into the ruins. There is a sight seeing bus tour that leaves from Sorrento, which only costs €18 per person. It begins in Sorrento and stops at Positano and Amalfi. For me, it would have been a better deal and I probably would have enjoyed it more because we would have had time to enjoy the stops. I usually enjoy tours because they're well organized, allow you to do and see a lot, learn a lot and take the stress away from you from having to do all of the planning. But with this, I would have preferred something different.

At least I know I have something to come back to Italy for!



This is part of the #sundaytravlerseries with Chasing the Donkey and don't forget to support all of the other participants! :)

Month 1 Summary

So it is officially one month since I began traveling!! I've been on the move so much and going so quickly, it's hard to imagine that I have been gone for 30 days. It's been a whirlwind of excitement and new experiences and I'm loving almost every minute of my journey. Though, my savings account is going away alarmingly quick and I don't know how long my one year journey will last, I know I will at least get all the way through my Euro Adventure. So without further ado, here is a summary of my first month on the road.



Countries visited

Iceland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, France

Cities visited

Reykjavik, Skogar, Vik, Hofn, Djupivogur, Breiddalsvik, Stodvarfjordur, Egilsstadir, Husavik, Akureyri, Skagafjordur, Holar, Borgarnes, Stykkisholmur, Hellnar, Arnastapi, Budir, Bergen, Askoy, Oslo, Amsterdam, Volendam, Zaanse Schans, Marken, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Lueven, Paris, Montmatre



Money Spent

Ballpark $2500 (this is also so high because I am still paying bills, I'm in Western Europe and I've had to deal with a few issues the required me to spend above and beyond the normal amount).

Pictures Taken

2702

Transportation

5 planes
6 Trains

Miles Traveled

About 8500 miles

High

As you can see, I've been moving extremely fast through Europe and getting more exhausted by the day. My absolute high was getting to spend one week in Paris, getting to spend a couple of days laying in bed until noon and sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. I also enjoyed my sprint through Iceland. I dread cities and being out in nature was good for my soul.



Low

My low time would have to be when I was in Belgium. I really enjoyed Ghent, but the rest of my time spent there was not that great. I'd been on the move a lot, alone and lack of preparation had me scrabbling around frantically looking for a place to stay.



I've been enjoying my time so much, but I am missing home quite a bit. The next month to come, I'll be spending with the boyfriend in Italy and my dad and cousin in Germany. The thought of slowing down even more excites me and I hope my need to travel is revived because right now it's at an all time low and the euro is KILLIN' me. I hope you're enjoying following me around Europe and can't wait to update you all on what else I've been up to :)!

8 Tips for Visiting Iceland

So, before you go barreling off to Iceland to see all this beautiful country has to offer, I have come up with a few tips you should follow. Iceland is great but it is still a small country, with an even smaller population. While in Reykjavik and Akureyri, you'll feel right at home, with restaurants galore and plenty of music stations; but outside of the cities, it's a desolate and undeveloped land. Make sure you're well prepared for your trip and you'll be loving Iceland in no time!

1. Bring an eye mask.
If you are visiting between May and September, you might want to bring an eye mask. It stays light well into the sleeping hours and the suns rises extremely early. In the time that I visited, the sun rose at 4:30 am and didn't set until 10:30 pm and even then it wasn't dark. Sometimes your blinds may not be enough to keep all of the light out.

2. Stop Frequently!
Once you begin your journey, stops are few and far between. It could be 50 to 100 miles until you see the next small town or village. So, stop and fill up when you can and make sure to empty your bladder! Otherwise, you will be sorry.



3. Don't fly in on a Sunday.
We flew in on a Sunday and EVERYTHING was closed and what wasn't closed didn't open until fairly late (about 9 or 10).

4. Bring Snacks.
If we didn't have a few snacks in the car, I'm not sure what would have happened. When visiting the small towns and villages, most of the cafes were closed and when they pointed out one that was open, we couldn't even eat there. My mom is allergic to eggs and those "cafes" that they told us to go to, served nothing but pastries or coffee. I'm not sure if it's easier to find places when it's "in season" for them or what. But we drove around hours a few days looking for a place to eat.



5. Don't Trust Your GPS!
I recommend getting a map for your trip and using it instead of a GPS. Our rental car company provided us a Garmin for our trip and it didn't really do anything except get us lost... A LOT. The only time we got to where we were going without confusion was when we used our map. So unless you have a really good GPS that is updated, then using a map will be more than enough. Our's had all of the major points of interest on it and more.

6. Bring Your Own Music.
Near Akureyri and Reykjavik, there are plenty of stations to listen to. But once you get out and around the ring road, you only get to listen to talk shows in Icelandic or static. Most of the time it was just static. And quite car rides are difficult to stay awake for. If it weren't for my iPod and the informative CD's Hertz gave us, we would have had rode in a lot of silence.



7. Don't worry about exchanging cash or withdrawing any.
Credit cards were excepted everywhere we went in Iceland, even the tiny little guesthouses we were staying at and for any amount. So avoid those ATM fees and rip exchange rates at the airport. Just use your card (and make sure your bank knows about it).

8. Last but not least: Take your time.
There's so much to see in Iceland. Don't try to cram so much of it in at once. Give yourself time to enjoy everything so you're not so exhausted the next day when you get up and start all over again. If you do like us and do the ring road, make sure you prepare well for the first couple of days because there's so much in the beginning and it slows down towards the end of it.





This is part of the #sundaytravlerseries with Chasing the Donkey and don't forget to support all of the other participants! :)

Ghent: The City That Saved Me

Ok, so I know this is way out of order of my traveling but I think it's time for me to update everyone on how things are going.

I have been traveling now for about 3 weeks and everything is pretty awesome for the most part. I love discovering the cities I visit, trying some new foods, meeting new people and exploring the famous sites.



I've experienced couchsurfing and hosteling, tried Belgium waffles and almost bought a cannibus lolli pop in Amsterdam and nearly cried my way to the top of climbing a tower in Ghent because of how small the width and steep the stairway was.



But, I'm still adjusting to being on my own since it's only been about 2 weeks officially on my own. Every time I've gotten to a new city and place, I've hated it. Cities make me feel claustrophobic and it was even worse because I was unfamiliar with the place. After I would get to the new city, I'd get to my hostel or host's house, take a nap, freshen up and grab some food. And POOF! Just like that, I'd start enjoying the city and make my way around.



With Ghent, it was completely different. The second I stepped off of the train and out into the street, I fell in love with the city.

I began walking to the historic center which was probably only a mile or two away from the station and couldn't stop looking around me. The buildings looked ancient, the streets were so clean, I felt super safe (more so than I have anywhere else I've been to on my own so far) and it wasn't so over-whelming that I felt like I'd loose myself.



As I was walking, I saw a hotel and decided to book it because I wanted the feeling I had to last a bit longer. My original plan was to go back to Brussels and stay with someone through couchsurfing who kindly answered my plea for help (since I failed to acknowledge the weekend was coming up and didn't book a hostel, so I had no where to stay, silly me and lesson learned!) but I just didn't think I'd be ready to leave this place. And I was right (even if it did cost me a little over $100.)



After settling in at the hotel, I grabbed a map and started exploring. I did a little bit of research before coming here but I did it months ago and couldn't remember anything that I had looked up. I just let the stoned streets lead me around.

I came across the Gravensteen Castle first and spent the €6 to walk around the castle. I enjoyed the views of the city from some of the higher parts and reading about the torturing methods was pretty... uhhh... interesting.



Then I made my way to Belfry, a huge tower from where you can get panoramic views of the city. While I enjoyed the views, I was quite terrified. I am scared of heights and small spaces and that is what all this place was about!





I also enjoyed getting to explore St. Nicholas and St. Michael's churches. And then I just wondered around and got intentionally lost. The city isn't too terribly big and it seemed easy enough to get back to where I needed to go. I'm starting to get used to asking for help when I can't find my way :p. This is when I ended up loosing my credit card though, and I freaked out momentarily. But quickly called the company and cancelled the card.



I am so glad I ended up coming to Ghent. Even though I barely found a place to stay for the weekend and lost my main source of money, I was in a wonderful place where I didn't feel smothered and over-whelmed by everything around me. It gives me hope to continue my trip and the amazing support that I'm receiving from my friends and family are helping more than they know. I'm so thankful to them all and can't wait to share my journey with everyone.

Photo Essay: Skogafoss

Skogafoss can be seen from the main road on the way to Vik. It's stunning and one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland at a width of 82 feet with a 200 foot drop. There is a sleep path with stairs up along side of the falls and on a nice sunny day, the spray from the falls brings out beautiful rainbows.

Skogafoss is located in the small village of Skogar with about 25 people. This village is home to a folk museum that is opened daily, Hotel Skogar with beautiful views of the falls and a restaurant as well.

Famous Blue Lagoon in Iceland

No matter how long you're visiting or why you're visiting Iceland, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is a must. At least this is what everyone told me when they found out I was going to Iceland. I wasn't too keen on going to this place though, because I don't really care about spas.

But, mom said we needed to do it and I signed us up. I'm super glad we ended up doing this! Once we ate our ridiculously good and expensive breakfast in Reykjavick, we made our way to the lagoon. As soon as we came up over a hill, we could spot the steam from the geothermal pools.



We made our way into the spa and checked in. I knew that it was required for us to wash off before we got into the pools, but it is required to bathe fully naked and wash with the provided shampoo and conditioner and stuff. Thank goodness there were some covered showers because most of the women were just using the uncovered ones, which was a shock for me. I'm not a prude or anything, but old lady parts are not something I enjoy seeing in the morning.



After bathing and changing, we made our way to the beautiful blue, 98 degree waters of the lagoon. The water from the lagoon is rich in silica, sulfur and other minerals, which are said to have healing properties for certain skin problems. The lagoon is man made and the water comes from Svartsengi, a nearby geothermal power plant that was built in 1976.



The water was such a comfortable temperature and never too hot. There's also a bar you can swim up to and grab a couple of cocktails and relax for a few ours. On the sides of the lagoon, there are buckets full of a mineral mud mixture. I put this all over my face and shoulders and just let it exfoliate my skin and relaxed.

Afterwards, I felt so refreshed. Jet lag didn't seem to be a problem any more and we were ready to begin our trip.

Lovely Village of Vik, Iceland

Mom and I spent our night in a beautiful guesthouse in between Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. On our way to our new destination for the day, we passed through Vik. A charming little village that is located at the southern most point in Iceland and also known as the wettest.



This quite little village is home to about 500 people and sits on the coast with views of tall cliffs, filled with sea birds, black sand beaches and the Atlantic Ocean. Vik also sits below the Myrdalsjokull glacier and this glacier is located right on top of the Katla volcano.



If the volcano were to ever erupt (the last eruption being in 1918), the city would be flooded and washed away from the melted waters of the glacier. The village's church is located high up on a hill in the village and is believed to be the only area that could survive a flood should it happen. Periodic drills go on in the town, so if ever an eruption happens, people will be able to run to the hills!



The cliffs nearby are home to many types of seabirds, including the well-known puffin. Unfortunately, for us, the cliffs were closed due to puffin breeding season and we were unable to visit or see a cute little.



Out of all of the towns and villages we passed through, Vik was my favorite. Even though there are not many people, it has everything you could need and beautiful views that stretch on for miles.

Seljalandsfoss: Bucket List Completion

Seljalandsfoss has been on my bucket list for years. It is actually the main reason I even wanted to go to Iceland in the first place. I'd see amazing pictures of the falls in a vibrant orange glow from the setting sun surrounded by bright green grasses and moss. The falls looked like it came from a dream world and I wanted to experience it for myself since I'm a mega waterfall lover.



We had already had such an eventful first day and done so much, mom and I were pretty exhausted. But lucky for us, the falls can be seen from the Hvolsvöllur to Vik route and on our way to our guesthouse for that night.

As soon as we came around the curve, I saw it and acted like a 6 year old girl getting to meet her first Disney Princess in Disney World. Seljalandsfoss was as magical as I thought it would be. Since it wasn't sunny at all this day, I didn't get to see the beautiful orange glow from the sunset. But I still got to see my dream waterfall :).



There were also two other mini waterfalls falling off of the same area as well. I walked the path to the side that was laid out and ran up to the top of the second one to see the view of the area.



There are multiple viewpoints you can get from the falls while you're there if you visit. There is a platform that you can walk up to view it from the side and the path leads down to get behind it. The wind was blowing very hard and it's super wet behind there, so instead of taking my clumsy butt back there, I just admired it from my nice little side view. You can also climb up a steep but short path up a hill on the other side of it as well for another angle.



Even though it's not the biggest or even considered the best waterfall, I still loved it.

*Note for visitors: During the winter time or at night, the falls are eliminated by bright lights, making the falls come alive during the darkness. If you're lucky, you can even experience the breathtaking northern lights over the falls as well. Make sure you know how set your cameras because it's going to be one helluva site. :)




This is part of the #sundaytravlerseries with Ice Cream and Permafrost and don't forget to support all of the other participants! :)

Dettifoss

Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Europe by volume of water and has a reputation of being one of the most powerful waterfalls. It sits on a river that flows from the Vatnajokull ice cap and there's a few other waterfalls in the area as well.

Getting to the waterfall was very... uh... interesting. We ignored our GPS and took a newer road that was just recently built, which was the better choice because this side had port-a-potties (ew) and a better view of the falls.



The falls isn't too far from the parking lot and was only about 800 to 900 meters away. But, we didn't realize it would still be covered under a foot of snow! The path was well marked and carved out by previous hikers, so it wasn't as difficult as it could have been. Some of the trail made me nervous though because of the "Stay on trail! Deep waters nearby." Deep water nearby?!? I tread very carefully after reading that one!



Once we finally reached the beautiful Dettifoss, it was difficult to get a good picture. Because of all the waterfall mist and the cold, the lower region, where the best view points are, were marked off due to the frozen ground. Although it looked like someone had been down there recently, I was not going down there in my little sketchers and risk slipping off of the side to get the picture I wanted. I was perfectly fine viewing the falls from where I was. Dettifoss was beautiful, but maybe I'm bias because of my love for waterfalls.



But there were also some mega mean looking clouds coming our way and we needed to snap, admire and run back before we got slammed by whatever it was that was coming for us. We carefully but speedly made our way back and just as we came to the car, the storm unleashed its power. Down came ice and snow, covering our car and the roads before we could get away. Luckyily though, we made it out fine and left the big wall of white behind us. On to our next destination.

Bucket List Completion: Jokusarlon Glacial Lagoon

Jokusarlon was every bit of amazing and more. After mom and I had finished our glacier walk, we headed to our hotel and ended up passing it on our way. It was unexpected and the moment the lagoon came into view I squealed with excitement and demanded we pull over.



We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to take in the wonder of it. Huge and small icebergs float throughout this huge lagoon. It's 8 km from the shore to head of Breidamerkurjokull and it doesn't even look that far.



The lagoon was created once the glacier began receding, much like other lakes and such that are formed in front of glaciers. The lagoon is only about a mile from the ocean and covers almost 7 square miles! While you are at the lagoon, you're visiting the lowest and highest point of Iceland. The lake is around 814 feet deep and the peak right near it is the highest point.



Getting up the next morning and knowing that we would get to take a boat ride around the lake had us leaving our beautiful guesthouse at 6:30 am. I wanted to make sure we were finished with our Svartifoss hike by the time the rides started at 10 am. Since our hike finished up way early, we got to the lake right at 10.



They had us on a car boat thing which was weird and at first I though they were just going to drive us around on a car that looked like a boat, but no, they drive the boat to the edge of the lagoon and then turn the motors on and everything.



The 30 minute ride around the outside of the lake was incredible. We saw icebergs covered in ashes and dirt and ones that were completely white or blue. The icebergs that appear white are the ones that have been on the surface the longest. I'm not going to get all scientificky because I don't really understand it but the "blue" icebergs are not really blue. It's just an illusion. A pretty illusion but an illusion none the less. If the icebergs do appear blue, those are the ones that have more recently flipped over and out of the water. 90% of an iceberg is hidden under water, so you can never fully see all of it.



Once the guide finished giving us our lesson about the lake, he grabbed an iceburg out of the water and cut little pieces of ice off for everyone to try. I got to eat a 1000 year old piece of ice!! How freaking awesome is that? And then... I got to hold the iceburg, which was heavy and extremely extremely cold.



So if you're visiting Iceland and don't know if you should take the boat tour, you really don't have to. When you're on the ring road (road 1), you'll see it right from there. There is a parking area and a path around the lake you can walk. The boat goes about three km into the lake and no further because of how many iceburgs there are but the different view points you get are worth it and the fact that they let you have a piece of iceberg to eat!