Well, I guess we couldn't just keep traveling forever- we arrived in New York City on March 21st and will be on the east coast until April 5th. We've been staying with family and seeing old friends and getting adjusted to being back in the United States.
While I miss traveling overseas and seeing new sights and learning bits of new languages there is no doubt it feels good to be back.
Can't wait to see you all, give hugs and share stories. If I learned one thing traveling for so long it is how much my family and friends mean to me, I love you all.
xoxo
Kaitlyn
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Lots of Ice in Iceland!
Don't believe what everyone says- Iceland is not green (at least not in March) but it is beautiful. We flew into nothing, there is no city within about 40 minutes of the airport and all you see is snow. It is strange and beautiful. Our apartment for the weekend is right in the middle of town- walking distance to cafes, bars (which don't get going until well after midnight), art galleries and amazing shops. As seems to be usual for us, our time is short here, only about 2 1/2 days but we are making the most of it.
Friday night we spent the early evening wandering and enjoying the first snow we've seen in a long while and once the bars opened up we checked out a few local places. Much of the music here is top 40 dance type stuff but we somehow wandered into a place called 'The Factory' and saw a performance by 'Of Monsters and Men.' It was some of the best music I've seen in a long time. They have a sound similar to lots of Seattle bands right now- 'Hey Marseilles,' 'Fleet Foxes,' maybe even a little 'Blind Pilot'- they were amazing (Jack if you are reading this you need to come here and sign them!).
Saturday we slept in and then wandered into a vintage kitchen shop and found the biggest collection of original Pyrex and french glassware I've ever seen! As most of you know, I am a sucker for anything kitchen related so we picked up a few pieces to remind us of our trip once we get home. I've been daydreaming of the dinner parties we will host once we get back to Seattle and get settled.
In the center of Reykjavik is a beautiful church up on a hill with a statue of Leif Erickson (a Norse Explorer regarded as the first European to land to land in North America about 500 years before Columbus) out front. To get a better view of the city we took the lift to the top of the tower. We also had some of the BEST fish and chips I've ever had, fried wolf fish caught out in the bay this morning and onion rings in a spelt and barley batter.
Sunday was a quiet day- we wandered through the National Museum and the snow covered parks, one of which has a geothermal pond to keep the geese and ducks of the city warm. Iceland is such an easy place to travel to, only about a 4 hour flight from New York and I know we'll make it back here to see more, hopefully in the Summer when it is a bit warmer.
Our last morning we woke up early and headed to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor thermal pool set into a lava field out in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by rocks and snow and swam around in the warm water for hours before heading to the airport to fly to New York City!!
It is a bit surreal to be back in the USA- catching up with friends and visiting with family. We'll be in New York for the next week, then heading up to visit Sky's family up north in Connecticut and Maine, then back to New York to take a train to Chicago to visit some of my family. These are trips we have always wanted to take and I am so thrilled we are taking them now!
There will be more updates soon as we travel the eastcoast- miss you and love you all.
xoxo
Kaitlyn
Friday night we spent the early evening wandering and enjoying the first snow we've seen in a long while and once the bars opened up we checked out a few local places. Much of the music here is top 40 dance type stuff but we somehow wandered into a place called 'The Factory' and saw a performance by 'Of Monsters and Men.' It was some of the best music I've seen in a long time. They have a sound similar to lots of Seattle bands right now- 'Hey Marseilles,' 'Fleet Foxes,' maybe even a little 'Blind Pilot'- they were amazing (Jack if you are reading this you need to come here and sign them!).
Saturday we slept in and then wandered into a vintage kitchen shop and found the biggest collection of original Pyrex and french glassware I've ever seen! As most of you know, I am a sucker for anything kitchen related so we picked up a few pieces to remind us of our trip once we get home. I've been daydreaming of the dinner parties we will host once we get back to Seattle and get settled.
In the center of Reykjavik is a beautiful church up on a hill with a statue of Leif Erickson (a Norse Explorer regarded as the first European to land to land in North America about 500 years before Columbus) out front. To get a better view of the city we took the lift to the top of the tower. We also had some of the BEST fish and chips I've ever had, fried wolf fish caught out in the bay this morning and onion rings in a spelt and barley batter.
Sunday was a quiet day- we wandered through the National Museum and the snow covered parks, one of which has a geothermal pond to keep the geese and ducks of the city warm. Iceland is such an easy place to travel to, only about a 4 hour flight from New York and I know we'll make it back here to see more, hopefully in the Summer when it is a bit warmer.
Our last morning we woke up early and headed to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor thermal pool set into a lava field out in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by rocks and snow and swam around in the warm water for hours before heading to the airport to fly to New York City!!
It is a bit surreal to be back in the USA- catching up with friends and visiting with family. We'll be in New York for the next week, then heading up to visit Sky's family up north in Connecticut and Maine, then back to New York to take a train to Chicago to visit some of my family. These are trips we have always wanted to take and I am so thrilled we are taking them now!
There will be more updates soon as we travel the eastcoast- miss you and love you all.
xoxo
Kaitlyn
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Paris
Having never been to Paris, I was a bit worried that perhaps all the Disney and Hollywood images I had seen might have diminished my impression a bit but it was everything I had hoped for and more!
We were lucky enough to rent a studio apartment on airbnb.com (which is awesome) within walking distance to the Pompidou, the Louvre, the Seine, Notre Dame and an amazing street with chocolate shops, bakeries and cheese shops- oh and a few wine shops and cafes as well. We only had 2 days so we didn't spend much time in museums and my favorite part of our stay was just wandering the streets and watching how people live here.
We walked as many neighborhoods as we could, Montmartre, Il St Louis, St. Germain, the area around the Eiffel Tower and had a delicious picnic on the Seine of baguette, some type of amazing cheese and salumi. We drank wine, we ate pain au chocolate and all sorts of other treats, drank coffee at sidewalk cafes- it was everything I envisioned for our short time here.
One of the coolest things we did here is visit the Catacombs. Located 20 meters under the city the catacombs are home to the bones of about 6 million people dating back to the 1700s when bodies were exhumed from city cemeteries and moved there (mainly for health purposes). The tour takes you underground, below the subways and sewers and into these rooms full of bone. It sounds a bit eerie and creepy I know, and in a way it is but it is also fascinating.
With only 2 days in Paris we hopped the high speed rail back to Amsterdam where we will be until Friday when we fly to Iceland for 3 days. After that we will be back in the states for the first time since October 31st. A bit of a strange feeling but I am feeling ready to begin the journey home.
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
We were lucky enough to rent a studio apartment on airbnb.com (which is awesome) within walking distance to the Pompidou, the Louvre, the Seine, Notre Dame and an amazing street with chocolate shops, bakeries and cheese shops- oh and a few wine shops and cafes as well. We only had 2 days so we didn't spend much time in museums and my favorite part of our stay was just wandering the streets and watching how people live here.
We walked as many neighborhoods as we could, Montmartre, Il St Louis, St. Germain, the area around the Eiffel Tower and had a delicious picnic on the Seine of baguette, some type of amazing cheese and salumi. We drank wine, we ate pain au chocolate and all sorts of other treats, drank coffee at sidewalk cafes- it was everything I envisioned for our short time here.
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| I spent most of the weekend like this, a baguette in one hand and a treat of some sort in the other |
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| Outside the Louvre |
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| The best picnic of my life |
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| crepe + grand marnier + nutella = drool |
One of the coolest things we did here is visit the Catacombs. Located 20 meters under the city the catacombs are home to the bones of about 6 million people dating back to the 1700s when bodies were exhumed from city cemeteries and moved there (mainly for health purposes). The tour takes you underground, below the subways and sewers and into these rooms full of bone. It sounds a bit eerie and creepy I know, and in a way it is but it is also fascinating.
With only 2 days in Paris we hopped the high speed rail back to Amsterdam where we will be until Friday when we fly to Iceland for 3 days. After that we will be back in the states for the first time since October 31st. A bit of a strange feeling but I am feeling ready to begin the journey home.
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
Berlin
From WWI to WW2 and through the Cold War, Berlin has been bombed and rebuilt a million times. Because of that it has an amazing mix of both the old and the new. We decided that this city was too big to tackle on our own so our second day here we took a bicycle tour around many of the historical sights. We started in East Berlin at Alexandre Platz and made our way past the ruins of the Prussian Palace and St Hewig's Cathedral and stopped at the memorial to the Nazi book burning at Humbolt University- in the square is a plaque that has a quote (in German) that translates to "When books are burned people will be too." by Heinriche Heine. He was a Jewish poet from the 1800s and his prophetic words seem to echo throughout the square.
The tour lasted nearly five hours and we saw too many sights to name but here are some photos with captions explaining a bit. Our tour guide, Alex, totally rocked and we even grabbed a drink with him the night after the tour to have some time to just hang out. Making new friends in new cities is always so exciting and we look forward to getting back to Berlin to spend more time with him and check out one of his shows. He is a bike tour guide by day and DJ by night.
Speaking of DJs- no trip to Berlin would be complete without a night of clubbing and so clubbing we went. We found a great place that was an old abandoned warehouse of some sort in formally East Berlin with 2 rooms of music, red lights, and dancers dressed up in French Revolution costumes, white wigs and all. I don't think we made it to sleep until the sun came up which is a pretty normal event for anyone in Berlin.
Our last full day in Berlin we made our way to the Parliament Building, the Reichstag. The dome of the building is made entirely of glass and has the best view of the city and a great cafe to sit and eat and enjoy the view. We were escorted in by the Polizei and had to show them our passports- it was a bit intense.
One of the best parts about being in Berlin though was that for the first time since high school I got to practice the 3 years of German that I had taken. Turns out I remember more than I thought I did and with just a few days could carry on a simple conversation. I hope to come back for longer and improve my skills.
Next we are off to Paris! Our last stop before heading back to Amsterdam and saying goodbye to Europe.
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
The tour lasted nearly five hours and we saw too many sights to name but here are some photos with captions explaining a bit. Our tour guide, Alex, totally rocked and we even grabbed a drink with him the night after the tour to have some time to just hang out. Making new friends in new cities is always so exciting and we look forward to getting back to Berlin to spend more time with him and check out one of his shows. He is a bike tour guide by day and DJ by night.
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| Checkpoint Charlie- a former crossing between east and west Berlin |
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| A portion of the Berlin Wall still standing |
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| One of the sniper towers that used to be in the 'death zone' on either | side of the wall |
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| Memorial to the Murdered Jew of Europe |
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| Brandenburg Gate, where people began tearing down the wall the night the wall fell. |
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| Inside the dome of the Reichstag |
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| The Reichstag |
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| Keith Haring statue |
Speaking of DJs- no trip to Berlin would be complete without a night of clubbing and so clubbing we went. We found a great place that was an old abandoned warehouse of some sort in formally East Berlin with 2 rooms of music, red lights, and dancers dressed up in French Revolution costumes, white wigs and all. I don't think we made it to sleep until the sun came up which is a pretty normal event for anyone in Berlin.
Our last full day in Berlin we made our way to the Parliament Building, the Reichstag. The dome of the building is made entirely of glass and has the best view of the city and a great cafe to sit and eat and enjoy the view. We were escorted in by the Polizei and had to show them our passports- it was a bit intense.
One of the best parts about being in Berlin though was that for the first time since high school I got to practice the 3 years of German that I had taken. Turns out I remember more than I thought I did and with just a few days could carry on a simple conversation. I hope to come back for longer and improve my skills.
Next we are off to Paris! Our last stop before heading back to Amsterdam and saying goodbye to Europe.
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
Copenhagen and Sweden
Copenhagen is a beautiful city- ever corner you turn there is a huge church or copper statue or some remnant of a castle. Our three days there was mostly spent gawking at architecture (and enjoying some local beers, Carlsberg and Tuborg). I'm not going to lie- it was cold. Very cold. The ponds and waterfront are still frozen enough for the swans to walk on without falling in. Luckilly we had some warm clothes to borrow and there are plenty of places to grab a hot coffee and a bite and warm up.
In a city as old as Copenhagen there are too many sights to see in three days but we did our best. We saw a few castles, the little mermaid statue (the original version of the story being one of my favorites of all time), the viking exhibition at the national museum, the Jewish museum, the resistance museum, watched the changing of the guard at the royal palace, enjoyed some amazing danish food in the Nyborg neighborhood and walked around the many squares and walking streets that are everywhere throughout the city.
Our last day in Denmark we decided to take a little side trip to Sweden- we ferried across the channel from Helsingor, Denmark (home to Kronborg Castle, formally known as Elsinore and where Hamlet was set) to Helsingborg, Sweden and then took the train south along the coast and back over a bridge into Denmark. It was an amazing day.
We didn't have nearly enough time here but look forward to coming back and seeing a bit more of Sweden and having more time to visit our family friends here.
We are now back in Amsterdam, resting for a few days and spending more time with Ruth and Brent before heading to Iceland and New York!
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
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| The frozen pond outside Karin's house |
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| Karin and I picking out some Danish Sweets |
In a city as old as Copenhagen there are too many sights to see in three days but we did our best. We saw a few castles, the little mermaid statue (the original version of the story being one of my favorites of all time), the viking exhibition at the national museum, the Jewish museum, the resistance museum, watched the changing of the guard at the royal palace, enjoyed some amazing danish food in the Nyborg neighborhood and walked around the many squares and walking streets that are everywhere throughout the city.
Our last day in Denmark we decided to take a little side trip to Sweden- we ferried across the channel from Helsingor, Denmark (home to Kronborg Castle, formally known as Elsinore and where Hamlet was set) to Helsingborg, Sweden and then took the train south along the coast and back over a bridge into Denmark. It was an amazing day.
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| Kronborg Slot, Helsingor, Denmark |
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| Helsinborg, Sweden |
We didn't have nearly enough time here but look forward to coming back and seeing a bit more of Sweden and having more time to visit our family friends here.
We are now back in Amsterdam, resting for a few days and spending more time with Ruth and Brent before heading to Iceland and New York!
Love to you all,
Kaitlyn
Saturday, March 5, 2011
I Heart Amsterdam
Thank goodness for good friends!
We arrived in Amsterdam Wednesday morning around 6:30 after about 15 hours of flying from Bali to Singapore and Singapore to Amsterdam. Luckily Ruth and Brent are only a short walk from the train station and welcomed us with open arms. It feels so good to spend time with old friends after about 5 months on the road. Good hugs, good food and great conversation.
Our first day we spent getting used to the time change, and the cold (it was about 1 degree above freezing when we landed). Ruth and Brent live in a BEAUTIFUL townhouse on the Singel Canal surrounded by cute shops and cafes and we had a great time just walking around the neighborhood.
We only have a few days left here before we fly to Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris, then we come back to Amsterdam to fly out of Europe. With such a short trip planned we've been trying to make the most of our time - filling our days with museums, chocolate shops, cheese shops, coffee shops, a quick visit to the red light district (you can't come to Amsterdam and not see it, I mean really) and bike rides.
The best part of the trip however, has been been reconnecting with old friends. We have had such a great time catching up with Ruth and Brent and seeing how amazing their life is here in Amsterdam. We will never be able to thank them for how great they have been to us here. Thanks guys, love you.
We arrived in Amsterdam Wednesday morning around 6:30 after about 15 hours of flying from Bali to Singapore and Singapore to Amsterdam. Luckily Ruth and Brent are only a short walk from the train station and welcomed us with open arms. It feels so good to spend time with old friends after about 5 months on the road. Good hugs, good food and great conversation.
Our first day we spent getting used to the time change, and the cold (it was about 1 degree above freezing when we landed). Ruth and Brent live in a BEAUTIFUL townhouse on the Singel Canal surrounded by cute shops and cafes and we had a great time just walking around the neighborhood.
We only have a few days left here before we fly to Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris, then we come back to Amsterdam to fly out of Europe. With such a short trip planned we've been trying to make the most of our time - filling our days with museums, chocolate shops, cheese shops, coffee shops, a quick visit to the red light district (you can't come to Amsterdam and not see it, I mean really) and bike rides.
The best part of the trip however, has been been reconnecting with old friends. We have had such a great time catching up with Ruth and Brent and seeing how amazing their life is here in Amsterdam. We will never be able to thank them for how great they have been to us here. Thanks guys, love you.
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| Wandering the canals |
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| Ruth and Brent's view |
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| Vondel Park in the city centre |
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| Best. Chocolate. Ever. |
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| Local liquor distillery |
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| Fresh bread at the market |
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| Oysters! |
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| More good stuff at the market |
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| Apple pie, mint tea- goodness |
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