Somehow we did not know White Sands National Monument even existed until I stumbled upon an Instagram pic a year ago and knew we just had to go.  It has to be one of the best kept travel secrets in the U.S. If you can manage to go there when they are not testing missiles (no exaggeration...make sure to read the brochure and website ahead of time), you will love the experience. Taking this route through Nevada was on of the best surprise travel experiences we ever had. So many fascinating roadside things to see and explore from clown motels to plane wrecks and alien brothels (more on that in upcoming posts).

We were fortunate enough to have an amazing catch to randomly spot two horses roaming over a sea of white sand covered in cotton-candy clouds surrounded by lightening storms in the distance. The lightening was behind us, but an all-around magnificent panorama to sit and watch as the sun set. Occasional dust devils would kick up and you could see little mini tornadoes of sand kicked up in the distance, or beams of light would pour through the clouds onto the sea of white dunes, making the person standing there look they were being blessed by the heavens.  Some people took sleds down the dunes. Some people picnicked. Most just wandered and took pictures. It was not very crowded on the dunes, but come sunset, the line of cars to get into the park was backed up a long distance.  If you decide to visit, you will definitely want to go a couple hours before sunset, with light casts the most amazing shadows from the sand at dusk.

We took a drive though the next town headed west and stopped at an antique store. The proprietor was about the nicest man you could ever meet. He welcomed us and gave us a history of the town and some nearby travel tips.  Definitely worth checking out if you are nearby.

On our mammoth trip last winter to England, Scotland, Iceland, and Ireland, Ireland was the most green and the most welcoming.  London is always crazy and hectic, Scotland was beautiful but browner, Iceland was a blast but not unlike the Scandinavian countries in Northern Europe in many ways.  Driving in all those countries was crazy for us as Americans, but Ireland was the most challenging especially in rural areas because of how narrow the roads were and the fact that often those roads which were often not even wide enough for two compact cars, would have impassible, potentially damaging stone walls on either side.  Out along the Cliffs of Moher in County Claire, the walls are lower and the land is the greenest we saw while we were there. 

February there was by no means beach weather whatsoever and the fact that one cannot get close to the sea didn't matter much; viewing it from a distance was more suitable anyway.  We found The Island View Bed and Breakfast there at the last minute and our hosts were especially gracious and their breakfast nook overlooked the water and had homey accents like their wedding photos and a full dishware set up for breakfast cereals, and beverages.  She was kind in the reserved, quiet, polite way that everyone there seemed to be.  I think because I have often heard that the Irish like Americans, I expected them to be a louder, more brash, less reserved, you know, like most of us, but they have their own way of being.  Everything natural we saw, from the dark hedges, to Giant's Causeway, to the cliffs was breathtakingly beautiful, even in the off-season.  Many inns featured Irish faire, working fireplaces, and candlelight.  All in all, the food was considerably better than I expected.  I had this seafood pot pie on the coast that was phenomenal and many other meat and potato dishes that exceeded expectations.  I went easy on the beer since I don't like Guinness (but drank some Harp here and there).  We watched the sunrise over the famous Cliffs of Moher and Meg spread her dad's ashes over them into the sea (more details in an earlier Feb 2018 post). That wind was no joke and seriously cold enough to freeze your limbs in winter.

While in Belfast, we took a "troubles" tour.  The guidebooks told us to avoid that subject at all costs, so we, of course, gravitated to it.  It focused on the main walled area in downtown Belfast between the Catholic and Protestant separated neighborhoods.  The Catholic side is filled with murals mainly dedicated to social justice and world politics and the Protestant neighborhood features numerous murals of what our Catholic tour guide categorized as militia men who are considered heroes for having killed Catholics.  Our tour guide came in a black and white cab and looked like a pasty alcoholic.  He was very soft-spoken and personable.  He loved to talk about social divisions, racism, American  history as well and told us he would love to get a tattoo of Harriet Tubman and that Obama should be the next James Bond.  After seeing Meg's social justice pin he became animated telling us we were going to like the next mural so much we would pee our pants.  It was pretty gorgeous, but we kept our bladders in check.  He gave us some pens to leave our own messages on the walls too.  Afterward, he took us to see the Titanic memorial and pointed out all the streets named after the former residents that died on the Titanic. He also pointed us to the lovely Crown Liquor Saloon and had our first Irish pub experience complete with a pot pie, potatoes, and a decadent brownie (see pics in the slideshow).

We stayed in several castle hotels and visited several more between Scotland and Ireland.  In Dublin, we stayed in the most swanky and color coordinated of the castles, Clontarf Castle, we had a lengthy European-paced meal that included pigeon and sea bass in their upscale restaurant with exposed stoned ceilings, stained glass, and hard wood accents.  The lobby was filled with 20-foot purple banners, suits of armor, and a stylish piano lounge area.  We also visited a castle in a hillside park overlooking Belfast, known as Belfast Castle, that had numerous cat paintings and sculptures which is right up our alley.  We had some beef stew, hot chocolate, and baked goods with our tea in the lower level of the castle and checked out the views all over the place.  The third one we went to was Bunratty Castle which we found while driving from County Claire to Dublin.  That castle featured numerous rooms that looked as though they inspired game of thrones with canopy beds, skulls and antlers and tapestries galore.  I bought a high-quality lined wool hat in their gift shop that makes me sweat even in the dead of winter.  They had a large area full of recreated period castle buildings and lots of animals like Irish wolfhounds you could pet, foul, swine etc...

The main attraction for our return will be nightlife in Dublin.  We couldn't park our car anywhere in the bar district and so were unable to easily get out and check out the mass of bars, casinos, music halls, that we saw and coveted through the windows.  It really looks like a blast there, but as with everywhere in the Isles, our having rented a car caused lots of problems.  Have to return and stay on foot and trains...

We've had a few close calls over the years with bombings, shootings, and volcanic eruptions near or just after our visit. Last week we visited the Big Island of Hawai'i. We explored the Halema'uma'u crater at the Kilauea caldera in Volcanoes National Park, stood by the steam vents on a cold night, and swam in the Ahalanui warm pond heated by volcanic energy. We drove around the island and took in the sites. It was astonishing to see how the lava would swallow up the land. As far as the eye could see, there would black blobs of rock and then suddenly the black hardened ooze would stop and turn to flourishing green grass.  At the crater you could see bubbling pools of red and smoke pluming out of the hole taking shape into what appeared to be a fire demon, perhaps the lava goddess Pele?

​Chris, enamored with Hawaii was inquiring from various people about cost of living and land here. A hitchhiker we picked up in Kona told us about a plot of land his friend bought for $8000 and told us about the costs to clear the land. He said a livable dwelling with plumbing and a tin roof would cost another $8000 for labor and materials.  We met another woman who had been at the trauma conference I was presenting at who had a plot of land in Hilo for part of the year. We stayed at the Hamakua Cabana Guesthouse and slept in hammocks at a place run by an Ohio native now making a living off of hikers in Hilo. 

​Chris' dreams were hampered this week when the reality of what Hawaiian life really entails. We have been reading about the park closers due to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunami fears.  

​Mother nature is beautiful, but fierce. We wish all our Hawaiian friends the best. Mahalo for all your gifts and lessons.

When we told my family we wanted to visit a leper colony, they thought we were crazy, considering Meg tends to contract horrible diseases or injuries on our journeys. We had been pining over taking this tour since we saw it featured in a travel video years ago. We made a special trip to Molokai, Hawaii to see the place. We had read a lot of reviews about people being scared on the mule ride, but I do not think it was nearly as bad as what others stated. We booked online a few months in advance. It was not cheap, but once we took the tour, the cost made sense given all the people, animals, guides, and effort involved.  We flew to Molokai the day before and stayed at a nearby bnb so we could arrive on time. We met up at the office location early the next morning, signed some waivers, then drove to the trail meeting point. We waited almost an hour for the mules to arrive with the mule skinners. We were in a group of 5 guests and two mule skinners. They matched us with a mule, which really looked more like a horse with a short mane, gave us instructions on how to ride, and we took off down the trail with a mule skinner in the middle and the back.

You start at the top of the mountain and ride down the steep trail with around 26 switchbacks. You gotta hold on tight and lean back. The mules were pretty cooperative, but mine liked to eat and did not like to be passed and pushed past another mule on the trail to get back in her place, which thankfully was not on a very narrow part. There are parts of the trail where the mule turns when you feel like you are hanging over a cliff, but most the time it was fine. The trail was wider than I expected, maybe 5 feet across with rocks and stairs built into the mud.  The view was breathtaking. We spotted a mountain goat in the woods, the trees were sprawling, and it opened up to the amazing blue ocean and skies. At the bottom of the trail you ride along a pristine beach to the guide meet-up point. You leave the mule there to rest while a van takes you on a tour of the Kalaupapa leper colony. We heard all about Father Damien, Mother Marianne, and leprosy. There were once 2000 residents, but now only 7 of the former lepers remained. Apparently, after a cure was found, many of them moved to Vegas, because why not?  We stopped by the town bookstore manned by one of the residents. Our tour guide was very friendly and told us lots of tales and sang along with a Ukulele and regaled us with lovely singing to demonstrate the acoustics of the church. One of the songs contained a reference to deer hunting which appears to be a pastime on the island due to population issues.  The guide was an avid hunter and makes belts out of deer hides and sells them.  Chris was disappointed he didn't have any with him for sale.  The Hawaiians are a spiritual people, so if you are put off by any mention of spirituality, Hawaii may be an uncomfortable fit. The guide tried to give a thorough example of the history of Catholicism in the town. I am not spiritual myself, but I appreciated the context and information provided.

A sack lunch was provided for us with a sandwich, chips, granola bar, and water. We ate lunch in a park area overlooking the mountains and ocean with a nice breeze. Bathrooms were available.
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After lunch we returned to the van, checked out the churches and cemetery, and spotted pigs and deer along the trail. Our guide was very enthusiastic. After that we returned to our mules and rode back up, stopping several times to let them rest. It was certainly harder on the mules going up. I could feel Smokey's heart beating beneath me. She would give some neighing protests before going further up the trail. One mule lost her footing and fell to his knees and the rider fell onto the stone pathway, but luckily was uninjured. The mules were sweating by the time we finished. I felt a bit bad for them, but you can see by their size and mass they are clearly large working mules. They know the trail without you needing to direct them at all.
The skinners were great and quick to help along the trail. It was one person's birthday, and the skinners and their children stood in a group with their arms around one another and sang a personal birthday song to her. It was so cute and endearing. Made you feel like family. I hope the land disputes are settled and the tours continue, because it would otherwise be a real loss for Molokai and the public. It was a fantastically unique, and memorable experience. I would highly recommend the trip either by hiking or the mule ride. 

​We finished off our trip to Molokai by heading to the Post-a-nut Post office. We decorated some coconuts with Hawaiian themes and mailed them home to our family. After that we dropped off our rental Mustang Convertible and flew back to Oahu. Stay tuned to hear more adventures.

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In our crazy global travels we stopped off in Scotland for a few days. This has been a much awaited trip for us. Like many others, I was inspired by the melodic tunes of bagpipes and the indelible images from Braveheart (which I, incidentally have seen about 50 times). I knew in our plans that I wanted to visit some of the historical places linked to William Wallace, but I had no idea how close they were to one another. 

We started off our trip visiting the Wallace Monument in Stirling and climbed the hundreds of stone stairs up the narrow winding passageway to the top. It was fascinating to read the history and see the images of famous figures. I was most psyched about seeing Wallace's sword. It was probably taller than me, enclosed in a glass case. I would be frightened of anyone wielding something like that. Those soldiers were hard core. From the top we could look out at the area where the battle of Stirling took place. I could not get over how close all the historical sites were to one another. There was a gift shop at the top and bottom of the monument. They have a cafe with bathrooms at the bottom near the entrance (and gift shop) as well as a tour bus that drives you up the mountain. Our bus driver was kind enough to show Chris how to thread his beard bead.

 We continued our travels to Stirling castle, but first stopping off at the church cemetery nearby once known for royal ceremonies like Mary Queen of Scots baptism.  The church had these beautiful arching stained glass windows. Unfortunately, it was closed so we could not enter. Instead, we headed to the cemetery. Check out our cemetery page for more detailed pics. From the castle, we could see the Wallace Monument up on a mountain.

After we spent time enjoying the peace of the cemetery and contemplating its history, we continued on to the castle. We marveled over the architecture  with ornate sculptures, gothic looking doors, and ambient, glowing passageways. It was fun to see how they used technology to educate people with games. 

I also really enjoyed seeing the furnished bedrooms with lavish tapestries, elegant beds, and glowing fireplaces, Home renovation inspiration anyone?

The  Inside decor matched out outer decor.

Not only was the castle gorgeous, but so was the rest of the city. Everything looked straight out of the 16th century. Giant stone walls, cobblestone paths, just like stepping into a timewarp. We stopped by a local restaurant for one of the best meals on our trip at Hermann’s Restaurant.

On our way out of Stirling back to Edinburgh we passed through Falkirk and has to checkout the Kelpies, the beautiful legendary horse statues that can be seen from afar and are lit up in an array of changing lights at night. One of our friends commented that this is what her nightmares were made of. You can spot them from the highway, and if you follow the signs you can find the expansive park on which they reside. You really cannot miss them. It is a nice, gentle stroll to get to admire them up close.

As any good tourist would, we spent the night in a Scottish castle, Dalhousie Castle. It was set into the countryside just out of Edinburgh.  It had a classic feel with lots of maroon coloring and wood accents, stone, and knights in armor statues. We ate breakfast on the patio overlooking the grounds of trees and grass. The breakfast was weird. I never had an omelette without cheese, and hope never to again. Since the place had no elevator, lugging our giant suitcases upstairs was awful. However, I was ecstatic to find a cat that lives on a nearby farm comes over daily to be fed at the castle gate. He is sometimes let in and aids in the reception process.  Who cares about the bill when there's an adorable cat lounging in your seat!

The next day we explored another nearby cemetery before heading off to Edinburgh. Once again, the sites were gorgeous. They somehow even managed to make signs about dog poo seem fancy.

Once again, we were astonished by the ancient beauty of a Scottish city.  We spent the day exploring the Royal Mile, a street that looks like castles filled with shops and pubs nearby Edinburgh Castle. It was a bustling part of town. We ventured into the Scottish National gallery and took is some amazing art. There was one portrait that I stared at for 15 minutes. We were hurried along by a tour on our tales, but they allowed a perfect photo op.

After that, we ate lunch at a pub where Chris had fish n chips and I had a weird dessert made of grapes with a pastry crumble on top, kind of like apple cobbler, only with sour grapes. I was not a fan.

We found a place to buy tickets for a haunted tour of the  city underground vaults.  No one we talked to knew where they were, but the lady at the tourism depot had loads of information for us and she was super friendly and patient with us and our many questions.

We stopped and watched some street musicians play, including a bagpiper. Checked out a few shops of Scottish fashions, and Chris found himself a new pair of Doc Martens. I am still trying to locate the blue sparkly pair I saw in there in my size in the States. We wandered down the street to a nearby park and hiked up a hill to find some Romanesque Columns. We don't know what they were or why they were there, but they sure looked pretty. As we strolled, we consorted with owls on the street and made a donation to show we gave a hoot! Parking was atrocious, but from the looks of it, a bike might not be such a great idea either.

 The clerks at the Doc Martens store highly recommended visiting Arthur's seat.  We did not even know this place existed, yet it became the highlight of our visit. We hiked up Arthur’s Seat to find the crumbling skeleton of a church once used as a refuge for “people with skin problems,” which I suspect translates to Leprosy. We reached the summit just as the sun was setting and it gave us this amazing view of Edinburgh lit up at night...the twinkling lights contrasting with brilliant blue sky. Absolutely amazing!  

Unfortunately I lost the tickets I bought earlier, so we hung our heads in shame as we walked back to the tourist office  to get a copy of our tickets. Thankfully, they had them. So, it was now onto our ghostly tour of the underground vaults and cemetery with Mercat tours.  Meeting up with people you don't know in front of a cathedral at night was a new experience for us.  Our tour guide, Astrid, was knowledgeable about local history and somewhat believable when discussing the various spirits that allegedly inhabit the vaults (cynic that I am).  I suspended my disbelief as much as I could and managed to be moderately creeped out a few times.  Mostly, I just imagined what hell it must have been to live or even to engage in illicit practices down there, as we were told was common.  We heard about hangings, grave robbings, human waste disposal, and many other facets of Edinburgh's history.  The cemetery just off the main drag that we visited at the end was gothic and fabulous.  Especially since the tour was very affordable, I would say it was well worth the money.  We tried to do more adventuring, but to our surprise, pretty much everything was closed by 10 pm. A local bartender told us "it's embarrassing, but everything closes really early here." So, we took our cue and rode back to our castle.

So, next time someone asks what you can do in 3 days in Scotland in winter, the answer is: A LOT! There is something here for everybody. I really can't believe this isn't people's number one travel destination. It may be Europe's best kept secret. Wear comfortable shoes and have your camera ready! 

Join us next time to hear more traveling tales and inspire your own journey! Leave a comment or a like if you enjoy the pics or the post.

While scanning through youtube and pinterest, I fell in love with the breathtaking photos of auroras and ice caves. I knew we had to visit! I had been pressuring my partner the past 2 years, and he finally caved to my wanderlust for a frozen wonderland. We enjoyed 6 days of ice covered dreams. So what can you do in less than a week in Iceland in the winter? Turns out you can do a lot, it just may not be what you initially intended. Mother nature up there is fierce!

​Our first night in Reykjavic we were too tired to do much from the long travels, so we just enjoyed our spaceship experience at Galaxy Pod Hostel. We slept in a futuristic looking pod like something out of aliens that was lit with bluish-purple lighting.

Since we were snowed in, we decided to take advantage of the Viking experience by getting Viking portraits done at Mink Studio. The photographer Gustavo was so friendly and made the experience a ton of fun. Even though we have been together for nearly 2 decades, this was the first professional portraits we had ever taken together. This by far was better than any of the corny shots you see people post on fb, and was weird just like us!

Day 4: Finally, the blizzard stopped so we got up at 5 am to start driving toward Jokulsarlon in hopes of being able to make our ice cave tour. We needed to do some rearranging, but we managed to get there by noon. Since the road closings had not been updated overnight, it still looked like the roads were closed and no one else was out yet.  Even though we were not able to explore ring road, we managed to get an ice cave tour with GoEcco  all by ourselves. Despite there being 26 tour operators, we were still practically the only ones in the cave, a pretty rare experience from what we understand. We explored the crystal cave with its amazing blue canopy before heading out on a glacier hike. We wore these lovely crampons (spikes that attach to your shoes) and began our march. It was fascinating to look down at all the layers in the ice. We stopped on part of the glacier where a Moulin was nestled into the ice. This was basically like huge platforms of ice with cutouts from the wind. It was so cold and exhausting for our out of shape selves, but pretty magical. Chris went into shock from the cold and we had to stop for a bit while I tried to warm him up. He was pretty miserable for about 15 minutes, but everything turned out ok in the end.

My next task was to convince Chris to explore Diamond beach, which incidentally was right across the street from our tour meetup point by glacier lagoon. It was so worth it as you can see. The beach was covered with these blocks of blue melted glacier pieces (sad really). We spotted seals swimming in the water nearby. It was magical.

 After that we headed toward Hofn to our guesthouse. The drive was stunning with long roads surrounded by icy mountainous landscapes with flowing streams of water slicing a path through the ice. When we arrived at our guest house, we were told it was Cake Day (how cool is that?) in Iceland and were given a homemade cream puff. The guest house experience was new to us. It's sort of like a cross between a hotel, a hostel, and a BnB. You get your own room, but have shared communal space. The owner lives off site and comes over to give you keys, a tour, and cleans.  We stayed at Hofn guesthouse and the proprieter was super friendly and gave us tips to locate the nearby Viking Village. Unfortunately, another blizzard rolled in and we were stranded the rest of the night. This also meant that there was once again no chance of catching an aurora due to cloud cover. Instead, we visited a local restaurant overlooking a fishing dock. It was a nice, classy lodge-like atmosphere. The menu was filled with seafood. There were a few Asian tourists there with us, but it was mostly empty. We dined and then headed back to our guesthouse.

  Day 5 started out in Hofn where the weather seemed ok, but just a few miles down the road we realized that our plans needed to change fast. We were headed toward Viking Village and turned down a small road on a high embankment near the water. The road was not plowed. We crept to a stop when the wind suddenly started blowing the 4x4 several feet across the road. Holy shit! We immediately put the car in reverse and headed back to the main road. The weather was getting worse and we were afraid to drive the couple miles back to the guesthouse so we sought refuge at a nearby Foss hotel until the weather cleared. Interestingly enough, the road map did not reflect the closures until after all this occurred. We waited the storm out, had lunch at a nearby café /gas station/gift shop with locals and were offered a buffet for "Plump Day," which we later realized was Fat Tuesday. Chris enjoyed his meal while I ate a cookie. We were certainly the only tourists, and it was quaint. After a few hours we gave it another try and headed to Viking Village. We were amazed to see all the wild reindeer just roaming about. We stopped and just watched them graze a few feet from our car before continuing on.

We bought our tickets from the Viking café and then walked the 3/4 mile to the village through the thick snow. As we approached we discovered this group of wild Icelandic horses just standing around. We approached them slowly and a curious horse approached us. We were instant friends. Pretty soon we were surrounded by horses wanting attention and probably food, but we had none to offer. One even insisted on a selfie!

We parted ways with the horses and headed on to the village. Our understanding was that it was built for a movie set and then left abandoned. It looked straight out of Vikings.

 We left the village, hung out with the horses again before giving them a parting hug and headed out toward the nearby lighthouse as the café worker suggested. The light house did not appear accessible, so we walked up the cliff side to take a view of the shoreline and discovered one of the most picturesque scenes we could have ever imagined. See for yourself.

We spotted several photographers setting up tripods nearby, but I think they missed the best view. After that we started our journey back to Reykjavic. We searched the sky for auroras as the landscape got dark, but could only see shadows of mountains. Off to the side of the road I spotted a frozen waterfall lit up in the darkness. We decided to try to find our way back to it which resulted in us getting stuck in a snowbank that I was thankfully able to push us out of. Somehow we managed to find our way to the falls. It was such an amazing contrast to see the darkness, stars, and half frozen falls. We noticed a tour group staring at the sky.  They confirmed the greyish looking clouds was actually the northern lights. Despite the low KP index, you could still see the lights. By now my camera batteries were all dead and I lost my charger, but I discovered if you pulled the battery out and put it back in you could get a few pics before it died again. I hastily set up my camera and tripod amidst the blowing cold wind and managed to take a couple shots. Surprisingly, my camera could pick up the coloring more than our eyes could. I was disappointed I could not get the ideal shot, but was so excited to see the lights on our final night!

We left the lights after my battery gave its final hurrah and headed to our guesthouse in Reykjakic. We had a few hours to kill on our final day so we headed back to explore the city when we discovered that it was another special day in Iceland, much like Halloween. Kids were dressed up in costumes and ran gleefully from store to store asking for candy and singing songs in return. We followed a few groups of kids just to hear them sing. While we ate the much talked about hot dogs from Olsen Olsen, we were serenaded by a parade of adorable kids. 

After that, we drove around and returned our rental car, amazingly still in one piece.  After 14 days of vacationing, 9 planes, 5 countries, we were ready  to go home and cuddle our cats. We said farewell to Iceland, but not for good. Next time we hope to see the ring road in springtime.
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We recently had a 2 week trip to 4 countries.  We made a lot of observations on our wacky journey. Some may be based entirely on the location we visited or may just be a random occurrence, but they represent what we heard or saw on our travels.  The one thing we always take away from our travels is the widening of our lens.

1. The disapproval of Trump was unanimous. One person asked “Do you know anyone that actually voted for him?”
2. Irish people love light rock. That’s like all the radio stations play.
3. I don’t care what your elementary school teacher told you, Iceland is really fucking icy.
4. Iceland is the third windiest country in the world, but the most populated of the top 3. I swear the wind was coming at us so fast when we stepped off the plane it reminded me of skydiving when the air was coming at me so fast I could not breath.
5. There is a bigass wall that separates the Protestants from the Catholics in Northern Ireland. They only open the door a couple times a day for people to pass through. Interesting to consider that only 3% of the country or so isn’t white, so they fight over religion and politics instead.
6. Ireland is two separate countries, and renting a car to go to both places is difficult and expensive. Some companies won’t let a car go to NI.
7, They repaint the crosswalk that made Abbey Road famous by The Beatles regularly to keep it looking good.
8. Mobs of tourists pose on Abbey road all the time and irritate the locals
9. Getting a cell phone shipped back to you from another country is really friggin complicated and costly. Thanks to Lauren Bostedor for her help.
10. Hundreds of citizens from one town in Belfast lost their lives on the Titanic and there is now a memorial for them and murals that list their names and streets they lived. They also have a Titanic museum.
11. There is some belief that castles should have a cat for good luck, so some castles have cat murals or sculptures. One castle had a stray that comes to the castle daily from a local farm to get fed. They sometimes let him come lounge in the reception area.
12. The language in Iceland is some combination of German and Nordic languages and is really hard to read or pronounce. Hofn is pronounced “Hop”
13. The crystal ice caves in Iceland are partially man made every year by guides joining together to scrape off the dirt from the glacier so the light will pass through the cave and glow blue.
14. reindeer are all over in east Iceland
15. The UK loves to serve bread and cheese and cold cuts for breakfast
16. machinery like microwaves and coffee makers are made very different in other countries and may take you 10 minutes to figure out how to use it.
17. Ditto with doors in Ireland called “Irish doors”
18.  70% of the population of Iceland lives in Reykjavik, the other towns have 5-30 buildings.
19. Iceland loves their Viking past and “Sagas” which are depicted in the “Vikings” show in the history channel.
20. Stonehenge is slightly more interesting than I imagined, even if it is a big pile of rocks in a field you have to pay a lot to see. There is an interesting museum there too.
21. The roads in parts of Ireland are insanely narrow and barely leave two inches on either side.
22. Driving in central London is insane. Don’t do it.
23.  you cannot make turns in the UK, everything has a roundabout that you can get stuck in for a long time. If you miss your turn off you are screwed.
24. Game of thrones is everywhere in Ireland and and Iceland. We met a Dothraki soldier, someone who does photography for them, toured some filming sites, and just missed Kit Harrington at the Iceland airport.
25. taking someone’s ashes in a plane is not that complicated, but you can pretty much plan on being searched.
26) all the cities/battle sites in Braveheart ( Edinburgh, Stirling, Falkirk) are remarkably close together.
27. The scots really do love William Wallace and have a huge, beautiful monument for him that sits atop a mountain and overlooks the site where the battle of Stirling was won.
28. Scotland omelettes apparently don’t have cheese???
29. They use 3 prong outlets in the UK, but two prongs in Iceland (but round not flat)
30. There are entire cities in Scotland that all still look like 15th century castles.
31. There are alleyways called a “close” in Scotland that people used to toss their excrement into from high windows, occasionally hitting people below 🤢😷🤮
32. The cliffs of Moher are super cold and windy in the morning
33. There is something called Black Amethyst you can find in Ireland and it is gorgeous.
34. There were vaults that people lived and worked in beneath the city in Edinburgh that were sealed and forgotten about until recent decades. You can take haunted tours there.
35. don’t bother getting a car in Dublin, you can’t park anywhere
36. The famous Blue Lagoon is beautiful, but completely ruins your hair. It can be partially restored with coconut oil
37. Glaciers are surreal. You can look down and see layers of ice.
38. Crampons (spiked things to attach to your shoes)are like the best winter invention ever.
39. Tipping is not very common in Iceland and Ireland, and they may refuse it.
40. Iceland pretty much lives off credit card machines
41. The Scots apparently love Austin Powers. Saw 3 different posters of him. In general, the American, Hollywood influence was very prevalent.
42. You cannot visit an ice cave or glacier by yourself because of the dangerousness, you need a guide.
43. You do not mention “the troubles” in Ireland.
44. Apparently sheep crossing is common in Ireland and Iceland. But in Iceland, if you hit a sheep you have to pay several thousand to the farmer for the sheep, and you get a ticket.
45. Northern Irelanders love Obama and the queen and have murals of both. In 20 years, no one defaced the mural of the queen.
46. Iceland if very expensive $15 for a hotdog, $30 for a hamburger.
47. They have different colors and lines on the pavement in the UK that indicate where you can park, where you are not supposed to park, and where you will definitely get towed if you park.
48. Long swords are indeed long and you can see William Wallace’s giant sword on display at his monument
49. The bottled water in Iceland is all natural from their island
50. Iceland has a penis museum and it is just as weird and funny as you might think.
51. Iceland has cake/bun day where everyone eats cake
52. On Fat Tuesday or “plump day”  or "bursting day"" depending on the translation, as someone called it in Iceland,  they have special buffets and serve horse.
53. Boiled sheep head is supposed to be good?? Hmm, I think they tried to pull a prank on the tourists.
54. On Ash Wednesday in Iceland they have an event similar to Halloween. Kids dress up in costumes and go to different stores and businesses singing for candy. The most popular song was set to Alouette (sp?) We did hear someone sing Trick or treat smell my feet.
55. Interestingly enough, we barely saw a police officer or police car anywhere in Europe. They just had speed cameras. Made the Us look like a police state.
56. In Ireland, if they are investigating a shooting in a major city, they set up a police checkpoint and stop and ask every car that goes by if they knew anything about the shooting.
57. Despite how expensive hybrid or electric car rentals are in the US, they are the most common and popular in the UK, and cheaper.
58. Scotland has a weird dessert made with sour grapes crumbled with cinnamon on top. It was not good.
59. England seems to be a much bigger fan of fruity tart things than sweet things. Most our sweet drinks they do not have, orange fanta is the sweetest.
60. Instant coffee in the UK is still a thing, and all the coffee and hot Chocolate they serve tastes bad.
61. Some countries have such modernized public restrooms that the water, soap, and dryer all come from the same metal bar over the sink.
62. At times the aurora borealis may not be readily apparent with your eyes, or appear like gray clouds, but appears green on camera.
63. In England Your meals are served with finger bowls to wash your hands.
64. Sea food is served everywhere, but noodle dishes are harder to come by.
65. Breadsticks in Iceland look like a pizza.
66. The pace of meals and responsiveness is so much slower we were in fits of laughter at the length of time we spent staring into each other’s eyes.
67. The Icelandic currency is called a Kroner, The UK uses Pound Stirling, Northern Ireland uses the Euro.
68. They do celebrate St. Patrick’s day in Northern Ireland, but not on the Protestant side. It looks like every other day. They may not use the same symbols though.
69. You can only get mucus decongestants from the pharmacy by talking to the pharmacist in Ireland.

What  interesting things have you learned on your travels?