Iceland Photo Diary

I'm back in Vancouver after a quick jaunt across the pond to Iceland and Germany. Our trip overseas was for my boyfriend's brother's wedding near Munich, and as is the case with our frequent trips to visit family in Germany, we planned to spend a few days of our holidays in another European country. 

Iceland has become a major travel hot spot in the last few years, and Iceland Air's stopover flight offering has been a big factor in showing travelers to Europe the delights that Iceland has to offer. With only four days in Iceland we were eager to cover a lot of ground, and in addition to Reykjavik, check out some of the country's most spectacular natural sights. Iceland is a country unlike any I've ever experienced, and if you're looking for a unique travel destination, would definitely recommend checking it out!

A few fun Iceland facts...

Summer in Iceland? It gets to 15 Celsius at best, though during our trip the temps hovered around only 8-10 degrees, and whoa, the winds are fierce. My daily attire consisted of two pairs of pants, about 5 layers on top, plus toque. Totally styling.

Sunset at this time of year is around midnight; sunrise - about 3:30 am. What constitutes darkness in the hours between, is like the light on an overcast Vancouver winter's day. 

The population and it's resulting gene pool is so small that there's a special website that Icelanders can check to ensure their latest love interest isn't actually a cousin.

Iceland is only a baby by geologic standards; around 25 million years old. It's also one of the most geologically active in the world (volcanos and earthquakes and geysers, oh my!) and possesses the most barren landscape I've witnessed.

Iceland's Blue Lagoon: the perfect remedy to a long flight

The stunning Hallgrimskirkja - Iceland's largest church.

Views over Reykjavik, from the top of Hallgrimskirkja.

One of the geysers at the Geysir Hot Spring Area along Iceland's Golden Circle.

Beautiful Icelandic horses.

Fludir, Iceland's oldest thermal swimming pool.

Magnificent icebergs in the Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon.

Black sand beaches at Iceland's southernmost point.

Hiking in Reykadalur (Steam Valley).

Croatia Photo Diary: Plitvice Lakes & Istria

I'm back with part two of my Croatia photo diary. If you missed part one last week, be sure to check it out here.

After our time on Hvar with our friends, we took the ferry to Split, where we spent the afternoon, before parting ways and continuing on just the two of us.

Approaching Split by ferry.

Chris and I then made our way inland, to spend a day exploring the beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park. These lakes and their accompanying water falls are considered one of the top natural sights in Europe, and they definitely didn't disappoint. We did get hit with a crazy rain storm in the morning, which had us huddling indoors and debating whether we'd be able to explore the park, but luckily the bad weather subsided and we were able to take in Plitvice's breathtaking scenery.

Plitvice Falls

From Plitvice Lakes, we continued on to the region of Croatia know as Istria, where we spent three nights staying in the seaside town of Rovinj. Despite it's beauty, Rovinj was the only part of our trip which we were a tad underwhelmed by, namely because the town was much more touristy than expected - and this is coming from tourists, visiting a country whose primary industry is tourism! I'll admit that it was funny to hear my German boyfriend complaining about "too many Germans!" This said, we were still able to get off the beaten path a bit and explored a beautiful neighboring town, found a couple of super yummy restaurants, and enjoyed an afternoon sunning ourselves on a private beach (Croatian for rocks). In other words, we more than made do :)

Rovinj, Istria.

Wine by candlelight.

The Istrian town of Bale.

 

Truffle semi-freddo. Yup, for real.

 We ended our Croatian adventure with a night in the city of Zadar, which was a wonderful blend of old and new worlds, and which we would definitely love to return to, based on it's close proximity to many beautiful islands.

The view from St. Donatus Church in Zadar.

 Have you ever visited Croatia? If so, what what your favorite part of this country? 

My Coastal Getaway

Last weekend my guy and I got out of town for a long weekend on the Sunshine Coast, just a short ferry ride from Vancouver. 

As much as I call myself a true city girl, and thrive on the buzz of a busy lifestyle, I love to get away from it all sometimes to soak up nature in a quieter and more relaxed setting. It was our first time visiting Pender Harbor and we were both enamored with the gorgeous scenery surrounding this little community. 

Is there a place that you visit where your heart completely opens up? For me, this is the experience of being on the ocean or smelling the earthy, piney scents of the forest. Combine both and you've got one blissed-out lady. Our weekend was filled with exclamations like, "Oh my god, that smell! Ahhhh...." and "Let's stay for a week...I don't want to leave." 

Of course, Chris and I are most content when we're active in nature, so we had our share of hikes and hilly bike rides that ensured we earned those end of day beers. Here are a few photos of our weekend that I thought you might enjoy. If you're still looking for summer getaway plans, I'd highly recommend a few days on the Sunshine Coast!

On The Road

Happy Friday, Friends! As a follow-up to last week's post, I wanted to share a few more travel related jewellery tips with you, as well as a round-up of some great jewellery travel cases.

Keeping your suitcase sorted while traveling can be a bit of a challenge, so you'll want to make sure your jewellery is kept in an easy to access, well-organized place. These cases will also help protect your favorite pieces from any leaks or spills in your bag, from getting tangled, or worse - ending up lost. 

1. Leather monogrammed jewellery roll; $60 at redenvelope.com

2. Quilted jewellery roll; $25 at potterybarn.com

3. Patterned jewellery roll; $25 at bedbathandbeyond.com

4. Jewellery organizer clutch; $32 (on sale) by Vic & Albie - available at etsy.com

5. Rigid jewellery case; $50 at nordstrom.com

6. Jewellery travel box; $23 
(on sale)- by Wolf Design - 
available at wayfair.com

Of course, if you're only bringing a few pieces on your trip with you, you can always resort to storing your items in small ziploc bags and tucking them into their own pouch in your make-up bag. As unglamorous as it may sound, small clear bags are a great way to keep your items untangled and tarnish-free, while allowing you to easily see what's what. Check out my full post here, for more on this!

Finally, bear in mind where you're traveling to, and activities you'll be doing when planning what jewellery to bring. While I'm all for packing a few fun items of jewellery for a city holiday or European getaway, it might not be a smart move to bring your bling if you're going to be hiking in the Rockies, or traveling in a country where your items aren't going to be safe. 

As always, thanks for reading, and have yourselves a lovely weekend!