Iceland In Pictures

This post is full of pictures from our "recent" Iceland trip. Better late than never right?....Right!

Iceland - Part 1

I believe that travel is good for the soul. It is VERY good for my soul. Every time we travel, I come back a brand new person with brand new perspective on life and what really matters. Prakhar is a perfect travel partner. Together we make a good team and we make good decisions (at least when it comes to travel). He keeps me grounded and I keep him adventurous. I remember watching a special on Iceland few years ago with him. I had made him pinky promise me that one day we will go there. Work is always crazy busy for him and taking time off is really difficult. So when Prakhar told me that he can take a week off, I was so excited, I didn’t know what to. We couldn't decide on a destination. I started looking at my notes, and my pretend vacation itineraries (one of my hobbies...long story). We checked for flights to Iceland and within 30 minutes,

Iceland was better than good. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. I fell in love with this country. Doing a self-drive tour was probably the best decision. I loved the fact that we can manage our own time. We didn’t have much time to plan our trip. We booked our flight and then didn’t know where to go from there. I did so much research on hotels, things to do and trying to create a perfect itinerary so that we can make most of our time there. Then things got so busy with work and seeing houses that I thought we would cancel our trip. I came across the travel agency Nordic Visitor on Trip Advisor. They had fantastic reviews and so I decided to contact them. I got a response the very next day from their travel consultant. Sigfus was fantastic. He knew the country. I sent him our list of things we wanted see. He took those ideas and turned into a fantastic itinerary. He helped us plan our route, book hotels and rent our car. As we were booking this trip, Barbathbunga happened! We decided to go anyways. Best decision ever!!

Did I mention that we got upgraded to business class?? Yes! Nice way to start the trip. Free unlimited champagne served in real champagne glass sure is nice way to start your vacation!

We arrived in Reykjavík, and breezed through the immigration process. A representative from Nordic Visitor was waiting for us. He helped us with our luggage and handed us our travel bag. That travel bag had our personalized itinerary, cell phone with a charger, map, vouchers for all of our activities, car and hotels. On our way to the hotel, he gave us an update on the Volcano and assured us that it won’t be a big deal. Since we were going to drive on our own, he answered all of our questions on the roads, speed limit etc. He even pointed out some structures and features in the city before arriving at our hotel.  Our hotel was really nice. It was situated in the perfect location with close proximity to major attractions in Reykjavík.  

landed safely, only to find out bardarbunga volcano had erupted over nice.

What can I say about this city? It is quiet and yet busy. While the weather was overcast, it was warm enough to walk around. I do wish, we had more time to explore more. The streets are full of small cafes and cute little shops. The first day, we decided to explore the city on our own. The map that Nordic Visitor provided to us was extremely useful and accurate.  Since we had an option to meet Sigfus in person and go over our itinerary, we decided to take advantage of that service. We also wanted to thank him in person for helping us plan our trip. He was one of the friendliest people we met in Iceland. He was very professional and explained everything. We might have gone a little overboard with questions but he answered them calmly.

I do have billion pictures to share with reviews on hotels, restaurants etc...so I think this trip deserves multiple posts. One of the reasons I started this blog was to capture and document our travels, so that when I'm 90 and can't remember what I ate for breakfast, I can come here and read about how wonderful this world is and how lucky I was to see a small piece of it.

Can I get a high five for blogging after what 5 months???? ;)

12 hours in Charleston

We recently spent few days in Myrtle Beach, SC. We decided to take a day trip to Charleston. Charleston is very very beautiful. The words do no do justice to how cute this city is. People there are some of the friendliest people that I've ever met. Despite few rain showers, we had fantastic time. The city known for its rich history and spectacular architecture. We spent the day taking in the scenery and dreaming about what it would be like to live in one of the gorgeous french style homes. We also had amazing food. Only thing we regret is not spending more time there!

Charleston City Market is a must stop if you are in the city. When you enter the market it looks small and then you realize the market actually spans 4 city blocks! If you're looking for souvenirs, this is the place to go. You'll meet friendly people and eat good food too! If you're looking for something unique then I recommend Gullah sweetgrass baskets. We were lucky enough to chat with the talented artists and learn more about the history.  

 The weather for perfect for a walk in the waterfront park. 

After all the walking we decided to eat at Magnolias. Our server was so friendly. Since I'm vegetarian, we asked our server for some suggestions. He told us he'll be right back. Next thing we know the chef is making me off the menu dish!! Who does that during busy time?? Food was out of this world. I still don't how we walked out of there. I highly recommend Magnolia. Try their sweet tea and please save room for dessert because trust me you don't want to miss that.

Before heading back to Myrtle Beach, we decided to stop by the Angel Oak Tree on John's Island. Due to rain storms through out the day, the road to this park was muddy which made us bit uneasy driving. But, we managed to get there and boy were we glad. Sadly the park closed at 5pm so we were not allowed to go in but what we saw from outside was simply breath taking. This tree is over 500 years old! And it was simply beautiful.

 I was bit sad to leave this charming city. I know we'll be back here for sure!