For people who committed to traveling the world for 5 months, you would think that one could never tire of exploring… Actually though, I was beginning to wonder if we’d be able to keep this whole travel thing up. We were both a little cold, still very sick (well me anyways), and had been physically exhausting ourselves hiking waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, etc. Needless to say, we weren’t ready to give up yet! We decided to head to the Strokkur Geysir, and learn some more about Iceland’s version of Old Faithful. It was quite a walk to the Geysir from the cafe where there was parking. The Geysir erupts about every 5-10 minutes or so, and we had seen the last eruption from the parking lot, before making it to the pool. It was hard to capture the scale of the Geysir, but the pool itself was really big! It took several minutes longer for the pressure to build up and […]
After our honeymoon stay at the Blue Lagoon, we headed off to do some serious exploring of all the natural wonders of Iceland. Our first stop at Merkjárfoss, which was along the way to our next stay at a Hotel in Hella, we stopped and took some pictures at Gluggafoss/Merkjárfoss. This was our first waterfall, and it was magical since we were the only ones there. I took a few decent photos, but honestly, nothing can compare to the serenity you feel sitting beneath it. It was pretty frigidly cold, and I was still severely sick while wandering about. Once we got on the road, I found my sense of adventure and could feel the sense of excitement by all the sights unfolding in front of us. I know I was sick, but there was a breathlessness in my lungs from the sheer wonder of what we would see. First stop after Merkjárfoss (last post) that morning was Solheimajokull Glacier (accessible by […]
One thing I learned quickly about Iceland, was that you should not be quick to apply what is true about one part of Iceland to the other. I had no idea we would encounter such a diverse set of landscapes. I knew, before coming, that Iceland was the land of Fire & Ice, but somehow that hadn’t sunk in. On our way to the Blue Lagoon, we passed fields and fields of volcanic rock that would have destroyed any stray vehicle. Most of the roads were pretty well paved, but it didn’t calm our unease after declining all the insurance on our rental car (our credit card covered all accidental damage to a rental car – Thanks Chase Sapphire Visa). It was only a few hours drive to the Silica hotel, which was not easy to spot from the road. The only thing that gave it away, was the giant plumes of hot steam rising up from the hot springs. Fun Fact, apparently, […]
As soon as we landed in Iceland, our trip finally became a little more real. We had decided to spend a few days in Reykjavik, but hadn’t quite realized just how far outside the city the airport was. A further testament to our lack of planning, we had no idea how we were going to get to our Airbnb in downtown Reykjavik from there. Luckily we were able to grab a bus, and 50 minutes later we were dropped in front of the closest hotel on the line the bus went to. Now, before Isaac and I had left, he had shown a few signs of getting a cold but somehow, with his superior immune system, only managed to get a bit of a sore throat before passing it onto me. I however, got the full force of the flu (thank you love!). The weather in Iceland made us wish we had gotten a sim card. We only had a prayer […]
Isaac and I have been planning our wedding on Lake Mirror in Lakeland, FL for almost 2 years. Honestly, I see now why most people after getting married, say they wish they’d have eloped. Planning a wedding is a ton of work, even more so when you choose a DIY wedding with several large scale projects, and then tack having a destination wedding – it made our wedding week a little hectic to say the least. 🙂 We had a beautiful week in Reunion Resort near Championsgate in Kissimmee, Florida. We rented a huge mansion-style home to house all the immediate family and bridal party members. With 14 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, pool, swim up bar, water slide, huge kitchen, 2 entertainment areas, we were never without things to do. My parents and Isaac’s parents hung out on the balcony on the 2nd floor, and my little niece’s (Alayna) favorite spot was in the hot tub with her newest partner in […]
On July 11th, 2014, Isaac treated us to a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cincinnati, OH. Our feet hit the floor at 5 am in a rush to lift of at 6:15 am at Sunrise at a small airfield just outside of town. After doing a splash and go on mirror-esque lake, we soared over a river and lush landscapes, brushing tree tops to arrive at a “Hot Air Ballon challenge”. Though what I was told was a target (a common Hot Air Balloon contest), turned out to be a sign with the words “Will You Marry Me?” written on it. Isaac got down on one knee, and though his very distracted girlfriend was obsessively taking pictures out the other side of the balloon, he was as patient as he could be. In the zone, I was interrupted by not only the Pilot’s incessant barkings “What does that sign say?!” and “look at the sign!”, Isaac also prompted me […]
DAYS 59 – 79 | SAFETY BAY– Tons of images from the Holiday while adrenaline Aussies were out & about– COMING SOON!
DAYS 53- 58 | AUSTRALIND– Isaac’s brother Matt (“2 years older than Isaac”- aka. 1 yr. 8 mos.) & his beautiful Natalie (His future wife no doubt), closed on a new house some time ago. Both are incredibly thrifty, appreciative of art, and love nature. It was during one of Matt’s particularly thrifty inspirations, that he some how ended up with a bundle of _____ wood floor pieces (still trying to find out what type of exotic luxury wood this was). Someone else had bought too much and although weathered and aged (some may have felt it was unusable), now had this beautiful patina. Matt would certainly never admit it, though Natalie would know this best, it takes a special person to see past convention and see truth, beauty, and possibility. I have to admit, this is a quality the entire Gould Family shares in their own unique ways. You can imagine that Isaac & Matt (being the closest in relative […]
DAYS 48- 52 | MARGARET RIVER– I emerged one night from editing and introverting to find Lynne, Purri, and Isaac talking about this awesome, modern Villa in Margaret River. Before I knew it, we were whisked away to the Wine Country of WA! The route to get there wasn’t too much different than what we took to Windy Harbor. Winding roads, lots of country side, and one time familiar quaint towns made me feel more at home. We were nearing Margaret River when Lynne said we had to stop for chocolate! Always game for chocolate, I must have missed the conversation about the significance of this specific chocolate. Boy did it live up to its name: Gabriel’s Chocolate. The had won awards for their pure origin chocolates. We got in just before dinner, and got settled in to, not the hyper modern villa, but a perfectly quirky Balinese style home. I have never been to Bali, but the idea of […]
Day 48 | FREEMANTLE– All about our adventure to Fremantle’s markets, eatery, and tour of the city– COMING SOON!