Guest Post: I Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow

There aren't adequate English words to describe Iceland, so I'll use some of their own. One Icelandic proverb I came across, "Ilt er þeim er á ólandi er alinn" translates as "Things look bleak for the one who lives in a foreign country."

After spending 4 days in Iceland, I understand where they're coming from. My soul felt happy there. This is the sunrise that greeted us on our first day:

Our first day's adventure took us on a whirlwind tour of the natural beauty around Reykjavik. We drove in darkness to our Bed and Breakfast the night before and could only anticipate the scenery which awaited us on our trip to see Gullfoss (Golden falls).

Only an hour from Reykjavik is this amazing waterfall. It's not one drop-off, it's three! The name comes from the golden hue the waters have in the afternoon under the glow of the sun. Iceland is so far North that in the winter the sun never makes it all the way in the sky, casting a warm, ethereal light below. Just as soon as the waterfall appears, the water seems to fade into the gorge below.

The falls is close to Langjökull Glacier (long glacier), the second largest in Iceland. To get there, you need to take a bad-ass vehicle off-roading. Only the roads in the cities and major areas are actually paved. Once you hit wilderness, the paths are marked by tall yellow poles and are only marginally leveled. 

Once we reached the glacier, Blair and I got to drive around on a snow-mobile and see Iceland from several thousand feet.

Convinced you to visit Iceland yet? The saga continues in my next post after I upload more pictures of Strokkur, and the Northern Lights. 

Thanks for sharing Chelsea! Catch up on Chelsea's other Iceland posts:
View from On-High
Mush
Off to a Warmer Climate
And be sure to check out her blog, Chelsea's Air Force Life.

50 Cent Art

Ok, technically it's 50 pence art, not 50 cents, but let's not quibble. The point is, I made some really cheap awesome art.

I have a great mud room in the front of my house, but other than a huge pile of wood and a shoe rack, it's completely empty. Since it's the first thing anyone sees when they come in my house, I think it should have a bit more personality and cheer.

My mud room

I channeled John and Sherry's "use-what-you've-got" philosophy to try and make some cheap art. Last year my friend Dani sent me a really cool vintage Washington, DC calendar. I lived in DC for 7 years and I loved having that little slice of home in my kitchen. Even though the calendar is now out-of-date, the pictures are still beautiful.

I picked out my favorite picture and found a 50 pence picture frame at a charity shop in which to frame it. The picture is an odd size so it needed some sort of matting, but I didn't have any paper that looked great with it. That's when I reached in to my stash of jeans leftover from my denim pouf. It's not the most obvious choice for matting a picture, but I really like how it looks.

This room still needs a ton of art that's more to-scale, but at least it's starting to look a bit cheerier.

Guest Post: Off to a Warmer Climate

Hi everyone! I'm out of town at the moment, but my friend and former co-worker, Chelsea, volunteered to write about her trip to Iceland. Prepare to be as jealous as I am. Iceland is definitely on my to-do list, so I can't wait to hear about Chelsea's adventures!  

This title could work for both me and Calli, and I just love the image it gives. While Calli is off in Israel, she graciously let me take over her blog for a few days. I love writing mine, and can't wait to share my adventures with even more people.

As you can probably guess, we're an Air Force family. My husband is active duty and has kept us pretty busy moving around the globe. Last year, we were stationed in Korea. Thankfully, we get to spend a bit more time in Germany, where we're currently stationed. On a personal note, I have a soft-spot for out-of-the-way destinations. France will always be there, but India or Turkey? Maybe not. While I've enjoyed my travels to Paris, London, and Edinburgh; it's the smaller places that have truly found a place in my heart.

Enter Iceland. My whole life, I've been fascinated by the Northern Lights, volcanoes, glaciers, dog-sleds, geysers, lava, and hot water. When I found out all these things existed in one place, I just had to visit. The more I researched Iceland, the more I fell in love with the idea of it. It's a land of hidden worlds, and old myths-- all with a climate that's no worse than the East Coast.

While I was looking through my guide book, I came across this passage:

" Once you've seen some of the lava fields, and eerie natural formations that characterize most of the Icelandic landscape, it probably comes as no surprise that Icelanders believe their country is populated by hidden races of wee people - gnomes, elves, fairies, dwarves, lovelings, mountain spirits, angels, and 'hidden people.' ....in fact, construction on roads and homes in Hafnarffjordur is only permitted after is has been determined that the site in question is not already populated by wee people. " (Lonely Planet)

What a magical place! I can only imagine what it must be like to live somewhere so stately and serene that you could picture a fairy tale happening in your backyard. I haven't left yet, but it looks like I have a lot to look forward to! Check back in for updates as my friend, Blair, and I soak in geothermal pools, hunt the Northern lights, man (woman?) a dog-sled, hike a glacier, and eat delicious seafood!

Thanks for sharing, Chelsea! Like me, Chelsea is an American living in Europe and she's got some great stories to tell. Be sure to check out her blog, Chelsea's Air Force Life. 

21 Weeks!

We're having a little girl!! After Baby Levin decided not to cooperate during last week's ultrasound, Dan and I chose to get a private scan this weekend to find out the baby's gender. Forget what I said about patience being a virtue...I needed to know! :)

More than halfway into this pregnancy and I am still loving it. I feel great, but big. There's no question now about whether I'm pregnant; it's very obvious. I can still fit into some pre-pregnancy shirts, but I definitely feel best in fitted clothes. They accentuate my bump in a more flattering way.

Thankfully the only symptoms I'm having are pretty minor, and very common. I'm experiencing a bit of round ligament pain, which feels kind of like a bruise on my lower left hip. I feel it most when I'm very active, and as long as I slow down and take it easy it goes away. Baby Levin is definitely setting her own pace.

As I mentioned, we decided to get a private ultrasound to find out the baby's sex. What really tipped me over the edge is that I found out our American insurance will cover it. A free chance to see my baby again? Yes, please!

This experience was very different than the NHS appointments. It was definitely a more spa-like atmosphere where they offer you coffee or tea while you wait on a nice leather couch. Then, they brought us into our own private room where not just one, but two big screen TVs displayed the ultrasound images. This was the first time I really got to see all the action. Previously, the technician was facing a small computer monitor to check baby. At the end of the appointment, she would turn the screen for me to see.

This was also the first time we heard the heartbeat while seeing the baby. It was really weird when I heard, saw and felt the baby all at once!

How far along? 21 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Really good, actually

Best moment of the week: Finding out the baby's gender!

Miss anything? Nope

Movement: Tons!

Food cravings:  None

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender: Girl!!

Belly Button in or out? Still pretty even

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Bonding with my little girl

Sweet Tooth Traveler: Malta

I'm back on Trip Wolf chatting about my sweet tooth travels in Malta. Check it out!

The Sweet Tooth Traveler: Malta
For such a small country, Malta packs a culinary punch. While Malta’s proximity to Sicily means you can find tasty Italian sweets like cannoli and gelato, I was delighted to find many unique treats as well.

One sweet I found all over the island is called prinjolata. It looks like a mess, but it’s quite tasty. It is made from shortcrust, candied fruit, cream, nuts, chocolate and meringue. Apparently, when shops all over the island start making this dessert, it is a clear sign that the Carnival season has begun. My favorite version was at the Marsaxlokk market on a Sunday morning. The cake towered over a table full of pastries.

Click here to read the full post.

It's A...

We're having a little girl! I know this violates my self-imposed rule of only posting pregnancy stuff once a week, but I just couldn't wait to share the news. Baby Levin finally decided to cooperate during a private ultrasound this weekend. I'll be back on Wednesday with pictures and more info.

I hope your weekend was as good as mine :)

Last Minute Trip to Bath

Last week Dan's boss asked if he would be available to leave for a work trip the next day. Since the meeting location was a four-hour drive, Dan asked if I wanted to keep him company. It actually worked out really well because it brought us four-hours closer to a city we've been wanting to see since we first moved to England: Bath.

At the Roman baths in Bath

Everyone raves about this city; after spending a weekend there, it's obvious why. The architecture is spectacular. As I learned from our free city tour, most buildings are done in the Palladian style, which focuses heavily on symmetry and balance with a nod to ancient Rome. Great examples of this style are the Circus and the Royal Crescent. They are gorgeous in person.

The Circus

The Royal Crescent

Pulteney Bridge

The Abbey is another stunning landmark.

My favorite part of the Abbey is the ceiling. It is such an intricate design that I haven't seen before.

Dan and I took a hike up to Prior Park. Tourist Information will tell you it's only a 25 minute walk from city center. Baloney! It took us around 45 minutes, mostly because it was completely uphill. Me being 5 months pregnant may also have had something to do with it. Either way, the hike was completely worth it! Even in the dead of winter, this park is beautiful.

Of course a main highlight are the baths themselves. Entrance to the museum includes a pretty fantastic audio guide that takes you through the whole complex. I am so impressed with the complexity of the baths. It is hard to believe that 2,000 years ago the Romans had saunas, jacuzzis, and cold plunge pools.

You know we couldn't leave Bath without trying some local food, right? We stopped at the famous Sally Lunn house. It's one of the oldest homes in Bath and the originator of the Bath bun. They serve both sweet and savory versions of this sweet brioche-like bun. We had a Welsh rarebit (my favorite!) and a cinnamon-sugar. They were DELICIOUS!

Rarebit bun

Though it all came together at the very last minute, it turned into a great weekend trip!