Day 1 – Edinburgh – Scotland

On our first day in Scotland we landed safely at the airport and made our way into town. It was challenging for Juliette to adjust her driving to the other side of the road, but she managed to get us to our guesthouse in one piece. The city of Edinburgh was full of life! We opted in and took a city bus tour on our first day to get the lay of the land. I loved weaving in and out of the streets and hearing all of the stories of Edinburgh’s past. We glimpsed beautiful stone buildings, monuments while hearing bag pipe music flowing through the air.

We arrived just before Edinburgh Festival so the town was slowly getting ready for one of it’s busiest theatre season.

After our bus tour we visited a local fun house, the Camera Obscura!

One of the best meals of our trip was at The Witchery near Edinburgh castle. The occult decor set the mood, the food was magical, and they even accommodated Juliette’s casin allergy.

Day 2 – Edinburgh – Scotland

On our second day, we took an English style horseback ride with Seacliff Stables and glimpsed the famous Bass rock from North Berwick beach.

We also toured Edinburgh Castle located at the end of the Royal Mile. The Military Tattoo was also in full effect when we visited. It is an annual series of events held in August where British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands perform in teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. We didn’t have a chance to see the performance because tickets are sold out far in advance.

We ended our last night in Edinburgh with a very extravagant 6 course meal at The Timberyard. If you have the time (and the resources) you must stop by for some of the finest cuisine in Scotland.

After dinner we took a late night precarious hike up to Arthur’s Seat to see the city filled with light.

Day 3 – Fort William – Scotland

On day three we hit the open road, delicious sandwiches in tow to make our way to Fort William and the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The viaduct is famous for being featured in Harry Potter, taking the Hogwarts express to the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

We stayed in the lovely Mansefield Guesthouse for the night and were treated to a delicious breakfast the next morning. Having a full breakfast became routine for us, and helped to give us energy for the day ahead.

Our Scotland trip continues in Part II: The Isle of Skye and Beyond

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Each day was an epic adventure, and I’m so happy to have spent so much time exploring and experiencing new things with Cooper.

Day 1 – Reykjavik, Iceland Trip

On our first day in Iceland we fought our jet leg and visited a few key sites. Reykjavik celebrated gay pride during our stay and the main government building partnered with a local artist to paint the steps in rainbow colors to support the parade.

The gorgeous Atlantic ocean views near the Sólfar or the Sun Voyager, a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason were the next stop on the journey. The Sun Voyager is concepted as a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. Intrinsically, it contains within itself the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. I love the idea behind it’s construction, it was such a great way to kick off our trip. 

In the evening we took our own walking tour within downtown Reykjavik and saw the city  lit up at night. Who knew that Reykjavík would have it’s own Big Lebowski themed bar! Give it to Iceland to take the 1998 cult classic and make it a lifestyle. The bar boasts 16 varieties of “The Dude’s” iconic drink, The White Russian. The interior of the bar is divided into four separate themes—bowling alley, a southern-style porch, a ‘50s diner, and a kind of ‘60s playboy lounge bar on the upper floor.

We could not miss grabbing a beer and hanging out with the locals. It was quite windy walking through the streets hence Cooper’s wind-blown look.

Day 2 – Hiking | Brautarholtskirkja Church, Þingvellir National Park

Using Reykjavik as our home base we opted to take self driving day trips to the surrounding areas. Just a 40 minute drive out of the capital we were greeted with breath-taking views in Þingvellir National Park. The park is a UNESCO World heritage site and is protected as a national park due to its unique geology and natural features. The Almannagjá canyon is formed between two tectonic plates and is a stunning visual representation of continental drift.

Next we visited Brautarholtskirkja Church, located on the small Kjalarnes Peninsula. It was built in 1857 by a local carpenter and is in fact the oldest wooden church that has been in continuous use in Iceland. The Brautaholtskirkja Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and fishermen.

We encountered our first friendly Icelandic horses near the church, and fed them some of our trail mix. It was surreal watching these majestic creatures frolicking and playing with each other with this stunning mountainous background. On our return drive to Reykjavik we stopped to go on a hike through some rolling hills. We came across several beautiful babbling brooks, flora and fauna, and other friendly hikers.

While hiking we noticed vibrant purple fields of what we found out later was Alaskan lupine. These lavender like flowers bloom in the summers and were introduced to Iceland in 1945 to help with soil fertilization and combat soil erosion. The plant is also able to add atmospheric nitrogen to the soil by using bacteria in its roots.

After the long hike we took pleasure in the public heated pools that Iceland has to offer because our legs were burning. These public pools are visited daily by locals as a way to wind down and soothe their bodies.  They were fantastic, but we didn’t take our camera in with us.

Day 3 – Ignoring TLC, We Chased Waterfalls

Day three of our trip was very active and very wet! We woke up early grabbed an artisanal coffee from Reykjavik Roasters and hit the road determined to see the beautiful Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Bruarfoss waterfalls.

Skógafoss is massive, and we found that the best views to capture of it were from far away with a long lens or with a drone! Once we tried to walk close to it we had to zip up our rain jackets to keep from being soaked just from the spray.

Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall out of a fairytale. One of it’s special features is that you can walk inside of an open air cave to view it from behind. We took the opportunity to shoot drone footage of both Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls.

Cooper and I spent a good two hours trying to find the hidden Bruarfoss waterfall. He was surprised that I was so adventurous that day. As we stomped through overgrown grass creating our own desire path we heard the faint sound of rushing water. We came upon a small bridge and then our jaws fell open when we saw this crystal clear blue colored water flowing from a small but spectacular waterfall seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

“I lift my mind to the sky, and I let it take flight. The wind carries to my ears, precious sound of life. Soon I break all ties which bind me to this earth, and all that surrounds me seems to melt into blue eternal.” – Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson

 Part II

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