The Icelandic Horse :: A Pictorial From Our Adventure in Iceland

February 25, 2020March 18, 2019

Don’t you just love an Icelandic horse! Craig and I had just arrived in Iceland at 6:00am, a day before our Magical Northern Lights Tour with Collette began. With no time to waste, we met up with the Collette video production team at the hotel. After packing the Land Cruiser to the ceiling with camera equipment, we went looking for adventure in a phenomenal Icelandic landscape. The great news was that we didn’t have to travel more than an hour outside Reykjavik when we came across this glorious sight! A truly pinch me moment!

The Unique Icelandic Horse

The beautiful and sure-footed Icelandic horse can be seen all over Iceland. I have read that there are some 80,000 horses in the country and there are only about 350,000 people! These are treasured animals. As we drove the primary highway called the Golden Circle in Southern Iceland, we pulled over a couple of times when we had a chance to see these beauties up close.

An Epic Tour of Iceland You Need To See & Experience

February 25, 2020March 11, 2019

A Tour of Iceland with Collette

Where do I begin? Iceland is so unique and so insanely interesting that I have had a challenging time trying to organize how I am going to share this with you! This post is a long one but filled with interesting facts and engaging photos. You can always bookmark it for later or better yet start a new travel adventure file for a future trip! Here we go!

Iceland is called the land of fire and ice, but it should be considered the land of water as well. It is a watery wilderness with waterfalls so tall it is difficult to see the very top and others so enormous they would dwarf Niagara Falls. Around every bend in the road there is a new natural wonder to enjoy!

The fire description is attributed to the fact that the island is covered in volcanic rock and volcanoes. There are 130 volcanoes and 30 active ones! As you drive along the primary touring highway, the Golden Circle, the landscape changes from rocky mountains and meadows, to snow covered land, to a rocky volcanic surface which looks like you just landed on the moon.

The Northern Lights Tour by Collette manages to pack a great deal in to just seven days. Everyday another fascinating aspect of nature was ours to enjoy and photograph. In addition to traveling with the tour group, my husband Craig and I traveled with Dan and Drew, the professional photographers whose goal was to capture on film what it was really like on this extraordinary tour. I will describe this bonus experience in another upcoming post.

The New Hyatt Regency Seattle :: An Impressive & Beautiful Hotel

February 25, 2020February 15, 2019

Our stay at the new Hyatt Regency Seattle

A Bucket List Adventure : A Trip to Iceland and to See the Northern Lights!

February 25, 2020February 12, 2019

A Trip to Iceland and to See the Northern Lights!

A trip to Iceland to see the northern lights has been at the top of my travel bucket list for as long as I have had a list. It is actually happening! Can I get a woohoo? Craig and I are headed over to the land of fire and ice next week. Our friends at Collette have invited us to experience a country which has been described to me by fellow travelers as “other worldly”. We will experience nature on such a grand scale on Iceland’s Magical Northern Lights Tour.

Hopefully the night sky will be clear enough to see the heavenly northern lights! Our tour will certainly qualify as a once-in-a-lifetime type of journey and it is part of the Explorations group of tours. This size tour allows us to develop a deeper, even more meaningful connection, an opportunity to get closer and to discover a slice of everyday life. We cannot wait!

The Most Romantic Dinner Ever – Mallorca, Spain

February 25, 2020February 4, 2019

Today I will take you to Mallorca, Spain where the Mediterranean Sea is so magical and so deeply blue, the sun is bright in the sky and the air is sweet with vacation vibes. A relaxing time for two was spent with my favorite person in the world, my husband.

My Most Romantic Dinner … Ever!

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and some of us may be in the beginning stages of making some romantic dinner plans? What really qualifies a meal as “the most romantic dinner ever”? This is certainly a very personal opinion and preference. Some couples enjoy snow-capped mountains and a picnic by the fire sipping champagne or some love watching the sunset at the beach, while others may enjoy a private dinner at their favorite restaurant.

A Quiet Vacation for Two in Mallorca, Spain

February 25, 2020January 18, 2019

Vacation for two please

Now that we are experiencing more rain, grey skies and in some areas of the country, harsh winter months, does warm sun on your face, eating tapas by the beach, watching cliff divers and gazing out at the spectacular turquoise blue Mediterranean Sea sound good? Yes, it does to me too.

For the second year in a row we visited an island off the coast of Spain that is spelled two ways (Mallorca and Majorca)and actually most people have not heard of it. Just a 45 min plane ride from Barcelona, sits an unspoiled, quiet vacation for two. The stuff that dreams are made of.

We discovered this magical place last year and we could not wait to return. This past summer Craig and I traveled with our family to Italy and the trip to Mallorca from Florence, Italy is an easy one. We needed a vacation from our vacation. Not really, but we had such a special time that we wanted to try to replicate it. And it was such a quick flight.

Side note: If I am stressed and need to imagine a quiet place that could transport me the calmness I hope for, I think of Mallorca.

Can everyone fly off to a tiny Spanish island to “get away”? No probably not. I do believe that this is the kind of place I would spend my vacation fund however. It is so amazing, so special, so unique that I want my friends like you to know. If for nothing else than a 5 minute escape from whatever you were doing before you sat down to read this. We saved airline miles and hotel points and created this perfect vacation for two.

Eat, Drink & Discover – Culinary Travel to Northern Italy

February 25, 2020January 14, 2019

A Springtime Adventure! Venture to Veneto with me!

Come discover the sights, smells and tastes of the region of Veneto in Northern Italy on a culinary tour with Oldways. See the production of Prosecco (and taste yes please!) first hand and meet the artisans that make delicious cheese and local olive oil.

What better way to get to know a new region than to be introduced through culinary travel? I am joining a tour of travelers who share the same passion for food that I do. Another added bonus… Chefs Kevin O’Donnell and Michael Lombardi of the acclaimed SRV restaurant in Boston will be traveling with us sharing their knowledge and expertise as well. Oldways culinary tours takes small groups of travelers off the beaten path. Each tour is led in partnership with a culinary expert or chef, planned with a ﬁrm belief that the heart of any culture can be illuminated by exploring its food, wine, and culinary traditions.

Your Most Favorite Posts of the Year! Did you miss any?

February 25, 2020January 7, 2019

Another year of adventures

Well, another year has passed lightning fast, hasn’t it? We have all turned another page on the calendar that signifies the end of 12 more months of adventures. I don’t actually use a paper calendar but for some reason I visualize this large calendar with the word January 2019 printed at the top. Do you do that?

I went electronic with my personal calendar years ago and only write on paper in my bullet journal and book journal. I am a thank you note writer and card sender, but all of my calendar activities are stored in my computer and on my iPhone.

Life has evolved to the point that we all seem to need instant gratification. I could never be discussing a potential event or trip and say “Hold on, I need to go home and look at my calendar, I will get back to you.” It seems rather dramatic, but we expect instant decision-making. Don’t we?

Happy New Year! What is it really like to see the floats at the Rose Parade?

February 25, 2020January 3, 2019

Standing next to the Queen and Court Float on New Year’s Day

What is it really like to see the floats at the Rose Parade?

Absolutely amazing!

Are you planning to come this year? Hey Oregon! Hey Wisconsin!!

Although we rose at 6:00 am in 30 degree weather on New Year’s Day, our trip to see the floats at the Rose Parade was magical! You can feel the positive energy and excitement of the thousands of visitors. Observing the pure delight in the eyes of children as well as adults as they walk past these magnificent floats is a New Year gift. As a former Rose Princess, (celebrating my 40th anniversary) and growing up in the Pasadena area I have been privileged to enjoy an insider’s seat at the Rose Parade my entire life. Although I only watched two parades in person, rode on a float once and now for the past three years made the early morning stroll to the parade to see the floats BEFORE the parade begins – I am an expert of sorts. See below 🙂

Over one million people line the streets of Colorado Boulevard every New Year’s Day morning to watch the spectacular Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA. For over one hundred years, visitors from around the world have been making this journey to Southern California to experience this wondrous one of a kind event. Millions and millions more watch from their warm, cozy living room.

Deep Dive: An Intriguing New Cocktail Bar in Seattle

February 25, 2020December 19, 2018

An alluring new cocktail bar in Seattle

I love discovering new places and intriguing spaces. Don’t you? If a friend shares a hot new restaurant or an insider bit of travel news, I am forever grateful. Well my friends, I too have something compelling to share!

On this recent trip to Seattle we struck new-restaurant-gold. Only a few months ago Renee Erickson chef and creator of Sea Creatures restaurant group, opened a new cocktail bar called Deep Dive. We heard it was “like a New York speakeasy”, super small and really hard to get in to. There were reports of three and four hour waits to get in! Who waits that long? Not us. But hold on, there is more…