Frolicking through the Arctic Tundra

May 11, 2014July 29, 2017 ~ Viva ~ 1 Comment

Iceland is a mystical country full of tall tales, natural beauty and wonder. Reykjavik, the capital city, falls directly within that description. Having more of a ski town/backpackers hideout type of feel rather than a national city, Reykjavik easily is one of my favorites cities (really towns) in the world.

I don’t know if it was the bearded-mountain-man/granola eating feel to the city or the fact that the population of Iceland is half that of any major city, but Reykjavik is the perfect place to start exploration of one of the worlds best places for natural wonders.

We originally got roped into traveling to the country through a groupon deal to see the northern lights. Sadly those suckers are a difficult thing to track down and only a lucky few get to see the colourful green hues. What we did get to do though was snorkel in arctic temperatures in one of the top 25 diving locations in the world, Silfra in Þingvellir National Park; see what all geysers have been named after, geysir and strokkur; cave underneath the frozen layer of snow and relax after it is all said and done relax in an outdoor arctic spa famously known as ‘The Blue Lagoon’.

Swimming in near freezing water? No problem, just put on a dry suit. Being new to diving, I had no idea that cold, glacier water often has some of the best diving/snorkeling in the world. Created by melting glaciers and cleaned naturally through hardened lava rocks, the water is as blue as the carribean sea. The surreal thing to all of this though is…it is snowing will you are swimming!

Losing feeling in my hands and feet, I was happy to end our 45 min journey and travel on to explore lava caves created nearly 2,000 years ago. Within these crevasses our guide shared some of the folklore of this ancient country. One of my favourites was the tale of the 13 Santa’s or more properly named ‘Yule lads’.

Iceland children do not have just 1 figure at Christmas time, but 13. These little guys are not the benevolent image known today by children, but mischievous trolls that will take you things, leave a potato in your shoe and generally haze you if you have been a bad boy or girl. Utilised a tool for scaring children into obdience, modern Yule lads have morphed into a much nicer version compared to their original creation.

Moving from folklore and freezing tempatures, my partner and I took to the road and drove the famous ‘Golden Circle’. Hitting 3 crucial stops Þingvellir National Park, home to the first commonwealth/democracy established in Iceland, Gulffoss waterfall, and Geysir and strokkur. Geysir was the first geyser to be documented and thus shaped the modern english word ‘geyser’. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, “to gush”, the verb from Old Norse.

Rounding out our adventure holiday, we took a break in one of worlds most famous geothermal spa’s, the Blue Lagoon. Heated by volcanic lava that is circulated every 2 days, the waters contain high levels of silica and sulphur that are meant to be extremely good for the skin, including having the ability to cure skin diseases such as psoriasis.

Aside from the sheer beauty of sitting in warm blue water amidst snowing mountain caps, they also offer in-water massages. Being a bit of a spa enthusiast, I was not going to let this unique opportunity pass me by, so I signed up for the ‘Silica indulgence’. Weirdly floating in this warm water, yet cold air, I will have to say it makes the top 5 of most interesting massages (with the Korean scrub down being the best) – but I don’t know if I would do it again. While the session starts out with exfoliation and ends with a floating message, the cold air (and sometimes cold message oil/exfoliant) combined with the warm water makes the overall experience a bit of a balancing act between shivers and warm relief. However, at the end of the day I was the most relaxed I had ever been and felt the silica had truly done wonders for my skin.

After all our adventuring, exploring and story telling, there is an even better happy ending to the Icelandic trip.

Never could I have imagined such a wondrous journey, would end with getting engaged to the love of my life and fellow travel/life enthusiast. Iceland will forever be one of the most interesting, life changing trips – and I cannot wait to see what’s in store next.

A Day at the Races

April 18, 2014August 15, 2014 ~ Viva ~ 1 Comment

Big hats, champagne, horse betting…probably some of the best people watching you could ever experience… everything you could ever want in a day!

Having never been to a horse race, or really attempted to bet on anything in my life, The 2014 Crabbie’s Grand National will go down as one of my favourite days this year.

The day was really simple, honestly. It started at 1330ish with the first race of the day, and hosted a race nearly every hour leading up to the big one at 1630. With 40 horses all vying for first place, and unreliable odds, your guess was as good as mine – so I went with the one with best name: Balthazar King. Turns out the guy somehow got 2nd place! And I honestly recommend betting this way in the future — with how little I know about betting in general, I hear horse racing is a crap shoot anyway – so pick your favorite based on whatever logic you think is best; whether it be name, jersey color or some sort of odds calculation.

Now…the best part was not necessarily betting on the horses (OK maybe the 2nd best). It was people watching — particularly the ladies (sorry ladies!). Pictures really describe the day better than words, so I have added a Daily Mail article below (not really recommended for intellectually stimulating news, but for a pop news source, not too bad).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2596282/Glamorous-revellers-pull-stops-vie-title-best-dressed-racegoer-10-000-Caribbean-holiday-Ladies-Day-Aintree.html

I have to confess: I love the ladies (being one myself) and respect them. You go girl! If you can wear a dress that half covers the vital parts of your body and still look hott 6 pints later, then more power to you, but not really what I was expecting for a classy day at the races? Has a £90 (starting price) ticketed event come to this? There is a difference between a night out and a day event at the races – and just for the record – just because you put a hat on your head, doesn’t make you any more classy, love.

Ah, my British sisters, I do love you, but really?! Have some respect! I would really love to put the boys in this same category, but unfortunately nearly all of them were dressed to impress and somehow all within the 20-25 age range.

A day at the races. A day to remember. And still one of my favourite days in 2014. If go to a race in England, however, just prepare yourself for some good old British style debauchery.

Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day

March 29, 2014March 29, 2014 ~ Viva ~ 1 Comment

St. Patrick’s Day in America: St. Patrick’s Day in Seoul: http://www.st-patricks-day.com/st_patricks_day_parades_asia_korea.html St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin: No matter where you go in the world, there is someone ready to lift a glass in honor of the Irish St Patrick. Funny enough, not much is known about this St. other than his famed use of the 3 leaf clover to teach the holy trinity. Yet the world, especially Americans & expats, love to done green, look for leprechaun and consider themselves Irish for a day.

Talking with the Brits, Scots and Welsh, their patron St.’s are little known figures in a history of religious Saints. One wonders how such a holiday become so popular throughout the world that it even threatens to take over the genuine celebration in its home country!

I have to admit, while drinking a pint of Guinness, on St. Patrick’s Day, in Dublin was on my top 5 musts while living in the UK — my favorite St. Patrick’s Day, by far, was in Seoul, South Korea. I don’t know if it was because it was the gathering of westerners in an Asian country or that coming across an Irish lass in the bathroom was out of the ordinary or that the people I was with was just that cool — in the end it doesn’t matter.

St. Patrick’s Day, no matter where you are, is about the same experience. It just requires, good people, good food and a pint in your hand.

Walking in the Ruins of History

March 15, 2014July 2, 2016 ~ Viva ~ 1 Comment

Traveling to Greece, I imagine, is like traveling to Jerusalem–it has an infinite history that seems impossible. This is especially hard to grasp being American and comparing our short countries history to that of mesopotamia.

When I was younger, the only thing that held my attention (besides world history) was Roman/Greek mythology. A tie between real life and that of a fantasy world, it comes to life in the ruins amongst the city of Athens and surrounding villages and islands.

The renowned Parthenon is the highest point in the city of Athens. Late every evening, it paints a backdrop to a metropolitan city that has seen its series of uprisings, and change in political thought, yet it reminds us of its foundation to the western world. It took 9 years to build and at the height of Greek & Roman power, and had nearly 50 tons of gold adorning its pillars. With an average of 10-12K visitors a day, the area surrounding this centrepiece is exactly what you would expect from a European tourist hub. Cheap vendors peddle their ‘one of a kind’ old Greek style pottery, lines of stalls sell Greek food and crafts of wine (which is fairly amazing) and locals hurry through the crowds being no stranger to either crowd or ancient ruins.

Athens itself is hot, crowded and fairly touristy. Yet, even among the throngs of foreign travellers, you can view the first theatre in the world, the ancient temple of Zeus and hop to surrounding islands and inland cities.

One such place, and probably the most memorable of the trip, was the town of Delphi; home of the temple of Apollo. Built originally in 7 BC, the columns you see today are remnants of its 3rd rebuilding in 300BC following a fire in 6BC and earthquake 373 BC.

The temple was home to some of the first Olympic trials. It attracted travellers and visitors from all around the old world seeking blessings from the Gods and guidance from the oracle.

My image of an ancient oracle is fairly tainted by the film 300. Portraying a beautiful (nearly naked) women trapped in a temple surrounded by priests who guard her and interpret her visions.

Indeed, this is fairly similar to how it actually worked, with some slight scientific additions.

The location for the Temple of Apollo was thought to have been selected because of a chasm in the earth that emitted vapours upon which the oracle would inhale and profess its visions. What was emmitted? It is thought to be natural gas vapours that the oracle would inhale periodically. So in fact, the unintelgable visions of the Gods she would have that ‘only’ the priests could interpret were most likely professions of a person extremely high on gas chemicals.

So was life in the ancient world – full of mystery and the Gods. It is hard not to let your imagination run away with how the common people must of interpreted their everyday life’s walking in between reality and that of an other reality. One were temples, sacrifices and oracles filled the world.

It makes you wonder – how will the world view our ancient pillars constructed today to worship our current Gods? Will they laugh at the idea of our oracles thinking their most current interpretation of the world more accurate than those who built modern western belief systems nearly 2,500 years prior?

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

February 23, 2014August 15, 2014 ~ Viva ~ 3 Comments

Winter Solstice, the shorest day of the year – a day with great importance for the pagan people who created Stonehenge nearly 4,000 years ago. Stll wrought with spiritual signficance today, it is 1 of 4 days out of the year the site is open to the public.

Going to visit the site itself is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but to see it as it was originally intended, on one of the holist days in the pagan calander – now that is something truly unique. What makes it unique are the pagan people (commonly and appropriately referred to as ‘hippies’) who still visit the site during the equinox and soltices.

As we approached the holy site, I heard chanting as I walked up the hill. Interesting, I thought, people must be protesting. As we approached the entrance, however, it was not protesting that was being chanted as we entered the site, it was a pagan prayer of sorts. Gathered in old-fashioned harry-potter-like cloaks were a group of about 10 people lined on either side of the walkway yelling: “Bring back the ancestors, respect the bones” (or something to that affect).

Repeating this chant over and over again, I realized as we got closer to the center there were more people playing music, chanting and dress up in all sorts of random costumes (my favorite was a lady in a unicorn outfit). It seemed that my partner and I were the only semi-normal people in the crowd as the site was taken over by high-hippies prancing about the site, touching the stones and yelling chants in a methodical, trance like rhythm.

I am not going to lie – I loved it. I love hippies. They are my kindred spirits prancing around, wearing their hair in dreds and generally not caring about the materialistic tendencies of the real world. Many were crying touching the stones and praying with them.

Touching the stones themselves is meant to have healing properties and was what drew travelers to the site thousands of years ago. There are stories of watches stopping in the center of the complex and crop circles often randomly pop up around the farms around the site (although my boyfriend diappointingly pointed out there was a recent news story on the farmers who created these sites…).

Whatever your belief system, there is something magical about traveling to a site that has gathered pilgrams since the beginning of time and continues to do so well into the 21st century.

If you are interested in visiting or learning more history about the site or taking a tour yourself, UKs English Heritage site as all the info you need on it:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Burns Night

February 15, 2014August 15, 2014 ~ Viva ~ 3 Comments

As an American, I had no idea what this meant until about a month ago.

Despite dating a Scottish person and living in the UK, the concept of a ‘Burns Night’ never really sank in until I had the brilliant idea to host one.

Generally, I understood that the night was a kind of Scottish themed party honoring the famous Scottish poet Robert “Rabbie” Burns (think “Old Lang Syne” – that New Years song we sing drunkly every year). Little did I know the event itself is a little more than drinking whisky and eating haggis neeps & tatties (Scottish talk for haggis = google it, neeps =turnips, & tatties = potatoes).

The night typically starts off with the ‘piping in of the haggis’. A kind of parading around of the chef and piper in full kilt gear, with his masterpiece and main dish, the haggis, displayed on a large silver platter. Stopping at the front of the room, the piper then gives an ‘address to the Haggis’ which was wittily written by the man of the evening, Robert Burns in old Scots.

Nothing can really replace experiencing this for yourself – but the youtube video below gives you an idea of how it goes:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C8l2m3_2Xjg

If you understand any of it..good for you because reading the poem and speeches on paper is a bit like deciphering a puzzle. Such as the next event in the program, Grace.

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

And sae let the Lord be thankit.

The funny thing is, if you know a Scot, they do actually speak as the above reads.

After getting the intro and the Grace over with, you finally get the opportunity to enjoy your meal – haggis, neeps & tatties, all washed down with whisky, which is also there to toast with. Meanwhile it is again speech time – a speech dedicated to the Immortal memory of Robert Burns himself

This part is pretty interesting as it is a commemoration to the man himself and the works he gave to the rest of the world; it is the reason for the event. The first real burns night was held in the 18th century by Robert Burns close friends after his untimely death in 1796. It started small and intimate and was meant to be a memorial to the life Burns led.

Since this time it has grown into something more meaningful – and fun – which brings me to the last and final speech or speeches of the evening, the toast to the lassies and the laddies. This toast highlights all the things we love and adore about our opposite sex.

As it was my partner and I hosting the event, we had a bit of fun with the banter back and forth. If your curious/looking for ideas, I posted the toasts below.

A night to remember, the evening ended with a proper ceilidh. Sort of the original Scottish version of square dancing, the night overall was a blast.

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TO THE LASSIES

I was honoured this evening to be asked to assist with the event and will take great joy in you all remembering me as the host with the funny accent. If you’re interested in a copy of the transcript, just speak to me at the bar as that’s where you’ll always find the Scotsman.

Our dear females, girls, ladies, lassies. We love you, but we cannot understand you. It had to be said. To ensure a better co-existence, I think it’s time to lay down some ground-rules. I have numbered them all 1 as they’re all as important as each another!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl, if it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. We never complain about it being left down.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. You have enough clothes

1. You have too many shoes

1. Men know of only 16 basic colours. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. And we have no idea what mauve is.

It was to womanhood, and to the literary celebration of their many virtues, that Burns devoted so much of his energy. The irresistible beauty, and the sensuality, of the women who inhabited the world of Burns is evidenced by the fact that he fathered no fewer than thirteen (13) children through liaisons with no fewer than five (5) women whose names are known to us. Clearly, Burns enjoyed “the friendship of the thighs,” and found, in that, his greatest inspiration. Burns could not have attained the status he has so long enjoyed, were it not for the fact that he was surrounded by remarkable women. And, aren’t we all? His love of the lassies, is best summarized in this excerpt from Green Grow the Rashes:

Auld Nature swears the lovely dears

Her noblest work she classes;

Her ‘prentice han’ she tried on man,

And then She made the lasses!

And so we toast the daughters of the Celts, and All the members of the fairer sex who are the inheritors of the Spirit of the Celts, as celebrated in the verse of Robert Burns, in all their beauty, dignity, strength, and, yes, in their ferocity.

Gentlemen, please rise…

Together we stand, here in praise

For the women around us and in our days,

Like Robert Burns, he once knew

That we love our lassies, though he had more than a few

They feed our spirit, they feed our soul

For many of us, they fill our bowl.

They care for us, they keep us well

Though occasionally, they make it feel like … heaven.

They teach us manners, they teach us style,

For many of us, that takes quite a while.

They improve with age, while we do not

For that is clear, looking at you lot.

But,

Tonight we stand, here in praise,

So join me lads, let your voices raise.

Prepare to toast, fill up your glasses,

Join me now, to our bonnie lasses.

To the Lasses.

TO THE LADDIES

While I admit my partner did point out a few good points, — and no we can never have too many shoes.— I have to admit I’M GLAD I’M A WOMAN.

In fact, I’m so glad, I wrote a poem about it!

I’m glad I’m a woman, yes I am, yes I am.

I don’t live off of Budweiser, Beer Nuts and Spam.

I don’t ignore my injury, broken bone or infection.

I won’t drive to Hell before I ask for directions.

I don’t get wasted at parties, and act like a clown.

And I know how to put that damned toilet seat down!

I don’t belch in public, I don’t scratch my behind.

I’m a woman you see-I’m just not that kind!

I’m glad I’m a woman, I’m so glad I could sing.

I don’t have body hair like shag carpeting.

It doesn’t grow from my ears or cover my back.

When I lean over you can’t see 3 inches of crack.

And whats on my head doesn’t leave with my comb.

I’ll never buy a toupe to cover my dome.

I’m a woman by chance and I’m thankful, it’s true.

Thank god im a women not a man like you.

Now while I am pretty excited to be a chick – and these things may be true— there is a reason we still tolerate our men.

You see a man needs his lassie as much as a lassie needs her man. In reality our laddies are like pipers in the mist, they bring music to our hearts and many a time a tear to our eye. Lads and lassies go together just like Scotland and the thistle, whiskey and haggis, stars and strips and the union jack.

I may be American by birth, but tonight I am an honorary highland lass representing all the wonderful lasses in this room. So from this highland lass, I ask you lassies gathered here tonight to please stand, seize your drinks and raise your glass.

Lassies I proudly give you our strength, our heart, our laddies.

TO THE LADDIES!

——————————————————————————————————————-

The Search for Nessie

September 2, 2013March 15, 2014 ~ Viva ~ Leave a comment

You do not have an adventure in Scotland without first, drinking Scotch, and second – searching for Nessie in the depths of Lock Ness (in which order, it does not matter, but I recommend the latter).

After drinking the local spirit, we traveled to the town of Drumnadrochit (do not ask me to say it out loud). There we caught a ride on the Nessie Hunter – a vessel specially designed to track down the infamous Monster. Led by our trusty guide, George Edwards, one of leading experts on the creature, we set sail on the murky lake to find our monster.

Was it real?? Nice? Mean?

It is certainly understandable why this area of Scotland has so many myths associated with it. Loch Ness is the deepest fresh water lake in the UK spanning 52km and able to fit the population of the earth 3 times over within the depths of its waters. It is also extremely dark due to the Peet in its soil, a smoky mineral used in many whisky’s to give it its rich flavor. Naturally, being such a deep, dark lake – its bound to have its stories.

Aboard the ‘Nessie Hunter’ we went on our search for the mysteries animal that swims the depths of the lake. Our tour guide dove the lake several times a year and had us convinced that there must something down there not discovered. After all, new marine life is found every year in the lake and it being as dark as it is, you can never see past a foot.

Is there a real monster swimming about? We certainly tried our best to find it, but Nessie is allusive at best. Never loose hope though as new sightings resurface when you least expect it…

http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/26/do-new-pictures-from-amateur-photographer-prove-loch-ness-monster-exists-3938074/

Whisky Tasting in Scotland

August 18, 2013August 15, 2014 ~ Viva ~ Leave a comment

If there is anything I have learned through seeing the various countries of the world, it is that off-the-beaten path is so much more interesting than the major capitals. A city is a city, no matter where you are, but the country – that’s where you meet all the interesting people, hear all the interesting stories and make your life adventure.

Up by Inverness, at the very top of Scotland, rests a small distillery called Glen Ord. A part of a large network of Scotch produced throughout the world, a tour through the distillery followed by a tasting, is where the true Scotland lays.

With nearly 2000 whisky’s produced in Scotland alone, the drink itself is synonymous with the very heart of the country. Official distilleries actually only began in the late 18^th century, with whisky being produced in individual homes and small, untaxed establishments prior to this. As a part of the many myths that go with the intricate brewing process of the whisky, angel’s share and the copper dog have to be among my favorite.

Nearly 160 bottles are lost every year due to evaporation. Endearingly thought of as the Angel’s Share, the distillery workers also have taken their share throughout the years. Naturally, working around whisky and growing up with the brew, locals developed a method for skimming a little off top. In came the invention of the copper dog. An ingenious invention that could be quickly dipped into the barrel then string along the inner pant leg, with the boss left unaware.

With its intertwined history with the country of Scotland, Scotch is an acquired taste, but an absolute must if visiting Scotland. We tried 3 at Glen Ord – Talisker, a peaty, smoky scotch not for the faint-hearted, Dalwhinnie a 15 year scotch with hints of honey and fruit (my favorite) and of course the singleton, the signature of the distillery, stored in sherry barrels which give it a fruity vanilla taste.

If there was ever any hint of doubt on your love for Scotland and its hardy, rich people, then a tour to a distillery will surely win you over. The pride and heritage of the spirit ties directly into the pride and spirit of the people who make the famous liquor – and you can’t help but love both.

Work Will set You Free

July 30, 2013July 2, 2016 ~ Viva ~ Leave a comment

The ironic words that rest at the archway entering the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz, in southern Poland.

My trip there was exactly what you may expect from a place so rot with terrible history – depressing.

Yet, it serves as a necessary reminder of the terrible things that humanity somehow continues to do to each other. WWII was not the first nor has it been the last sight of human suffering. Atrocities continue in places such as North Korea, Syria and have taken place in countless places in Africa , most famously in Rwanda. And yet the world in 1945 screamed “never again”.

Yet it has happened again- and the world has done little to stop it. But realistically, how could they? The UN condemns acts of atrocity, international NGOs do what they can to alleviate suffering and the US plays big brother when it is in their best interests.

The ironic thing, is that the crime of the Nazi’s is forever repeated in western schooling. We have remembrances, walks and are taught about it from 9-12th grade. But what I found so terribly ironic – is that while WWII was terrible – and thank God we won – it is by far NOT the worst example of humanity (think Rwanda and North Korea).

The difference is, it happened to “us”, The western world. We, who espouse democracy, freedom and all those rights I hold dear. We messed up (well, Germany did – and don’t ever mention it to them, they will forever apologize for the mistakes of their forefathers and become severely embarrassed and ashamed).

We – the western world – were shocked at what we could do when faced with racism in its purist form.

While walking the terrible path that many before me had walked, I thought how this example of human suffering so shocked our western thoughts. The difference between this example and others is how closely it hit home.

I ask you to think on this. Ask yourself if you pay attention to things happening in far off lands that do not necessarily affect your way of life. If not, maybe you should wonder why…if it was one state/country over would it make a difference? Your relative/friend/neighbor?

“Never Again”

That is how it starts. With you. Do not wait for the government to do something – Be the Change you Want to See in the World.

Picture: End of the train that led to Auschwitz. There were no further stops.

To Become a Nose

July 22, 2013July 2, 2016 ~ Viva ~ Leave a comment

We all have them, but only about 200 people in the world properly use them.

A Nose can be equated to a sommelier, a connoisseur of scents. This individual can literally identify every scent in a perfume bottle as well as hundreds more. To be a true Nose one must go through a rigorous training having the ability to pair and mix scents to achieve some of the worlds oldest and most prestigious perfumeries.

I had the pleasure of visiting such a place on a trip to Grasse, France; the home and birth of perfume. Located in the hilly countryside of the southern province, Grasse is exactly the idyllic town you would imagine.

Going there gave me a greater appreciation for the true art of scent. It takes nearly 1 ton of flowers to make just 1 ounce of perfume oil! Further, most factories stick to their classic methods developed in the late 18th century and retain their dedication to quality.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, you too can become a Nose. Simply train yourself to identify the 10,000 smells that the human nose is capable of detecting – and you got it.

(Or you can be like me, appreciate true art when you see it, then leave the rest up to the professionals)