Adventures By Julia

16/10/2022

Some pics from Sedona!

16/10/2022

If you and some of your women friends would like some help planning an adventure-oriented weekend or trip, message me!

24/09/2022

Greetings, Adventurers, ABJ member Kerri Scott is hosting a fun event coming up in December! Mark your calendars!

“You are invited to a Day of Pampering, Health, Wellness, Beauty, Ballroom Dancing and Yoga Lesson; and of course, Shopping!
So, It's my Birthday Month, and I want to bring some joy and pampering to my friends and new friends. It's the Big 5-0 I never got to have. (Thanks COVID-19). So I decided, it's not too late to have a Party!”

Saturday, December 17th, 2022
1pm - 6pm
DoubleTree Suites. 175 Hutchinson Ave Columbus Worthington
43235

December 17, 2022 @ 1pm - 6pm : Update.... Please Note Location Change!!You are invited to a Day of Pampering, Health, Wellness, Beauty, Ballroom Dancing and Yoga Lesson; and of course, Shopping!...

09/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Yesterday was our final day in Iceland before flying back to the States on July 8. We spent a large portion of the day traveling from the Snaefellsness Peninsula back the Reykjavik/Keflavik area in order to board our flight the next day. But after some last minute shopping in Reykjavik, we did manage to go to the Blue Lagoon, a man-made warm lagoon not far from the airport and near to where we were staying on our last night. It was beautiful in a sort of Disneyworld/Vegas sort of way and I think either Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon are almost rites of passage for tourists to Iceland. However, I enjoyed the local, village/town-level swimming complexes much more. The pool culture in Iceland is truly astonishing and one of many things the people of Iceland do right.

This was truly an amazing trip in so many ways. The photos speak for themselves but they barely hint at Iceland’s beauty and if you ever have the opportunity to see it for yourself, you should jump at it.

What’s on your bucket list? To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world (Freya Stark) - get out and explore the world!

08/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Wednesday, July 6

Refreshed from our Zero Day we booked a whale watching tour from the town of Olasfvik and it was beyond incredible. We no more than got out into the harbour a bit and were pretty much surrounded by Humpback whales. Humpbacks are solitary creatures but will sometimes cooperate with each other in the quest for catching massive amounts of fish and we got to witness this rather amazing cooperation. It was truly a magnificent experience, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Iceland.

We grabbed a quick lunch at Sker right in Olasfvik - highly recommend the surf & turf burger! -and then headed out to the Snaefellsjokull National Park at the far west end of the peninsula. The large visitor center was closed but we visited the smaller one which had a small museum detailing some history of the area and plenty of books for sale. The weather was turning so we didn’t stay terribly long but the landscape was remarkable with the North Atlantic on one side and lava fields as far as the eye can see on the other.

When we arrived back in Grundarfjordur we had a quick dinner of fish and chips, carrot cake, and ice cream, and then headed back to start packing for our drive back to Reykjavik/Keflavik in order to catch our plane on July 8. We were very sad to leave the beauty of Alfasteinn but there is a big world out there with so much more to see.

A woman named Mary Anne Radmacher once opined that “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world”. Where would you like to see the moon shine? Take the first steps to getting there today!

07/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Tuesday, July 5

When traveling, I always like to schedule what I call a “Zero Day” to just explore the town where I’m staying, rest and catch up, and eat some great food. We did all three yesterday. In the morning, I walked around the property where we are staying, which is right on the edge of the shoreline of the North Atlantic. Lots of interesting and different plants and seaweed. We then walked around the town a bit, had some lunch, and did a little shopping. I’m not a big shopper but I managed to find something awesome for my grandson.

There are four restaurants in the town of Grundarfjardarbaer including a food truck, Maestro, that sells Iceland’s famous hot dogs. I’d already had lunch at the Harbour Café but since I couldn’t leave Iceland without trying a hot dog, I bought one and took a couple of bites. It was different than an American hot dog, meatier somehow, and the mustard was kind of tan and runny. I didn’t feel the need to buy a hot dog kit to take home as many Americans do but I was glad I tried it.

Next we took a short hike to a waterfall that is right above the town. I have seen more waterfalls than I thought was possible on this trip so if you love waterfalls, Iceland is the place to be.

For dinner, we decided to try Bjargarsteinn Mathus, the nicest of the restaurant choices here. It was, in fact, very nice. At first we felt a little underdressed in hiking gear but then realized everyone else was wearing the same thing. In our experience so far, Iceland does not appear to be a very fancy place and Icelanders put on no airs at all. But regardless of our attire, the food was magnificent. We decided to splurge on the five-course tasting menu. The first course was fried seaweed topped with a fried fish skin served with a skyr (Icelandic yogurt) dipping sauce and a seaweed wine made with cloves. Very different. I was a bit dubious, but when in Rome, I try to do what the Romans do, and I made a respectable stab at it. It was quite interesting. Not sure if I ever need to eat it again, but I was intrigued.

Next up was my favorite, fish soup. Brimming with shrimp, scallops, white fish, red onion in a savory broth with some flaked seaweed (are you sensing a trend here?) for seasoning. Served with hearty Icelandic bread, I would have licked the little pot it was served in if I thought I wouldn’t look ridiculous. This was followed by a palate-cleansing blueberry sorbet.

The main course was a choice between horse, lamb, or a white fish similar to flounder. I’m a somewhat adventurous eater, but as a horsewoman, horse meat was a bridge too far, so I chose the white fish. It was served with a creamed barley with parmesan which was surprisingly yummy, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower with some picked red onion on the side. It was truly an amazing dish.

I then mentioned to our server that I might be too full to eat the finale, which was what they described as “chocolate cake”. She scoffed and told me that when I saw it, I would make room. I didn’t argue. She let us sit there for quite a while, perhaps in the hope that I would feel less full after a while. When she finally brought it, it was a little lava cake (fitting as we are surrounded by volcanos) that was heavenly. It was a sweet finish to an incredibly lovely meal.

After dinner, although we were loath to put on swimsuits in our over-satiated state, we went to the local swimming pool. As I mentioned in an earlier post, nearly every village of any size at all has a heated outdoor pool as well as hot tubs and the locals gather at these swim complexes much like they do in other countries at pubs. I swam some laps and then relaxed in one of the hot tubs and talked to a young woman who works here leading kayaking tours in the summer and then goes to Lapland, Finland to lead snowmobile tours in the winter. What a life she has!

That pretty much did it for our Zero Day, and we were well-rested and well-fed to tackle the last couple of days of our trip. Where will your next trip be? Helen Keller once said that life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all – make yours an adventure!

05/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Sixth Entry - Monday, July 4

After leaving the Hekla Comfort House in Hvolsvollur, we began making our way west to the Snaesfellsnes Peninsula which is where our final house on this trip is located. We stopped along the way to take a look at some waterfalls, including some unnamed ones and Glymur, a fairly famous one. This route took us again through Thingvellir National Park where we were able to take some additional stunning photos. In case you haven’t guessed by now, it seems we hit the weather lottery in Iceland, as locals say it is rare to string together so many beautiful, blue sky weather days in Iceland’s very tempestuous and ever-changing climate. I brought a fair amount of winter layers but have needed them very seldom. No complaints, however – I’ll take the nice weather any day.

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is a region in western Iceland and the views here do not disappoint. Our little house, called Alfasteinn, is just feet away from an inlet of the North Atlantic. It’s nesting season so the mama gulls are very concerned that we will hurt their babies and attempt to dive bomb us every time we step outside, but I just pull my hood up and keep going. From this house, for a full 360 degrees, the views are splendid. One side is the sea and the other sides feature snow-capped mountains. It seems remote but is just a couple of kilometers from the town of Grundarfjorour, population less than one thousand, except in the summer when the cruise ships temporarily add some more people. It is a harbor town and fishing is one of the main occupations. It’s small but it has a supermarket and even a Vinbudin (Iceland’s version of a state liquor store – no alcohol is available for purchase in supermarkets in Iceland).

What is your dream trip? Why not take the first step in planning it? Remember: the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page. -St. Augustine

05/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Fifth Entry – Sunday, July 3

For our final full day at our sweet little remote house in Hvolsvollur, we decided to make our way down the coast heading south, stopping at waterfalls along the way. The first up was Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, which was positively stunning and two smaller waterfalls right there on the same ridge, as well. We worked our way down to view all three.

Next up was the magnificent Skogafoss, which was honestly just breathtaking. After snapping some pics and spending some time just in awe of it, I stopped by the little café that was right there and had a bowl of Icelandic meat soup. I believe the meat was lamb and it was a delicious savory broth with turnips and carrots and some other unidentifiable yet delicious vegetables as well as a cup of tea.

Our next stop was the Black Sand Beach at Reynisfjara near Vik. This was also just an incredible visual experience. Although there were tour buses there, we were able to walk down the beach far enough in one direction to not have anyone around. The beach there is met by basalt column cliffs. Basalt columns are created by the cooling and contracting of lava which causes the ground to crack into long, geometric columns. I’ve seen these once before on Staffa Island in Scotland and they are truly a wonder to behold.

After a cup of cocoa at the café, we then drove into Vik for a little shopping before heading back to Hvolsvollur to sample the swimming pool culture in Iceland. Nearly every village of any size at all has a swimming pool and Icelanders swim all year around. Icelandic swimming pools are more than swimming pools here – they are part of daily life for much of the population, a gathering place to relax and connect with others and for the little ones to burn some energy. This is particularly important during the long dark winter. The pools are heated and the Hvolsvollur Pool had at least two hot spas as well as a water slide for the children. There are a good many rules around the swim experience regarding showering, attire, etc. I struggled with the locker situation as the lockers are one-time use lockers, meaning if you open them, you must then get another token in order to close it and then open it again later. I kept forgetting to put things into the locker like my hearing aids but a very nice Icelandic lady was gracious enough to get me a couple extra tokens.

After having been through the showering ritual, we walked outside into the 50 degree F air and hurried towards the heated pools and hob tubs. We met several lovely Icelanders and a couple of tourists like us. The children in Iceland swim from the time that they are babies and there was a baby in our particular hot tub, under a year old, who was making her way around with just a flimsy pair of water wings under her parents’ watchful eyes. Very impressive.

We finished the day with a sandwich at a Viking-themed pub before going home and getting our gear together for the next day, when we were to leave our little home in the wild and make our way up to our next rental on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, about a 3 ½ hour drive. More on that tomorrow!

Remember: life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Make plans to get out of your comfort zone soon!

03/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Fourth Entry - Saturday, July 2

After a good night’s rest in our remote little home in Hvolsvollur near the Golden Circle in Iceland, we set out to see some more waterfalls and any other natural wonders that we came upon. First up was famous Gullfoss falls. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so a wonderful day to see some of these sights. Gulfoss has been named as one of the world’s top ten waterfalls by World-of-Waterfalls.com and it lives up to it’s reputation. It its positively splendid!

Next up was the Geysir (Icelandic spelling), sometimes known as the Great Geysir which hurls boiling water up to 70 meters (230 ft) in the air. It was hard to get a good video or photo of it as it erupts rather sporadically, but it was fun to see.

Then on to Pingvellir/Thingvellir National Park, designed as a world heritage site by UNESCO and is an utterly fascinating place to see. It was established as a general assembly/gathering place around 930 C.E. and the Icelandic people continued to convene there at intervals up until nearly 1800. As its turns out, Iceland is divided by the Mid-Atlantic Rift, and this park is located where the tectonic plates of North American and Europe meet. In the photograph below where there appear to be two rock columns with a man in black and a woman with a blue jacket walking, the column on the right is North American and the column on the left is Europe. What fun to be able to cross back and forth between Europe and North America!

We stopped at a little cafe on our way home to sample Iceland’s fish and chips and then home to crash. Oh, did I mention that our remote little house has a hot tub? Always a good reason to come home at night!

Remember: We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us. Keep making your travel plans and seeing the world!

02/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

Third Entry - Friday, July 1

We left our lovely little garden flat AirBNB in Hafnarfjordur, which is sort of a suburb of Reykjavik in the Capital Region, to drive to our next lodging, which is in Hvolsvollur, approximately 1 1/2 hours away. But not before stopping at a lovely little bakery on the waterfront called Brikk where we had the most amazing pastries.

Our second lodging is known as the Hekla Comfort House. It is a lovely little home in a seemingly remote area, with windows everywhere and no one around. We’re using this house as a base camp for day trips to Gullfoss, Geyser, and Pingvellir National Park. More about that tomorrow.

On the way, we stopped at Kerid Volcanic Crater Lake. The water is very blue and it was fun to just walk around the upper perimeter and take some photos. There is a tremendous amount of volcanic activity in Iceland and when driving, you can see lava fields for miles. It’s very other-worldly at times.

We arrived at our house, stowed our gear, and went out to explore some things nearby. We happened upon Gluggafoss Waterfall not too far from our house and it is magnificent in a land full of magnificent waterfalls.

On the way home we treated ourselves to burgers and fries at an out-of-the-way restaurant called Hygge, then headed home to prepare things for the next day’s exploring.

Don’t wait any longer to make your travel plans - the only trip you’ll ever regret is the one you never took!

01/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland - Thursday, June 30

Had to wake up bright and early to get to the pickup site for our horseback riding tour. Icelandic horses were especially bred to offer two additional gaits besides walk, trot, and canter/gallop. They have a unique four-beat lateral gait, for which the breed is best known that is called a “tolt”. It’s much smoother than a traditional trot that I’m used to with horses in the USA and there was no need to even post. As a horsewoman, I was in love.💙

We did a six-hour tour, and about halfway through we stopped at a hot river for lunch and to take a dip if we wanted to. The water is heated by the volcanic lava flowing underground and hot springs and rivers appear all over Iceland, which the country converts into electricity. The scenery was completely amazing although the pics don’t reflect it as it was difficult to take pics while riding.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a new dispatch from Yesterday in Iceland and start putting together your own bucket list!

01/07/2022

Yesterday in Iceland

First Entry - Thursday June 30th

After a whole 24-hour delay courtesy of United Airlines, we arrived in Iceland yesterday morning. My habit when I’m traveling across time zones is to force myself to adjust to the local time as quickly as possible. So after arriving at 8:15 am local time, we had to keep busy to keep ourselves awake until at least 9:00 pm. We rented our car, checked into our AirBNB in the Capitol Region, bought some groceries, and then went to explore downtown Reykjavik. We scouted the pickup spot for our first excursion the next day, peeked in some shops, and walked along the waterfront. And walked. And walked some more. Anything to stay awake!

We made dinner reservations at a great restaurant a short walk away our AirBNB and I think I had some of the best lobster soup I have ever eaten. Truly amazing! We dragged ourselves back to our house and crashed after being up for nearly 24 hours straight. We had to wear eye shades to sleep as it was light outside until nearly midnight!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow about our adventures in this Yesterday in Iceland travel diary. And maybe start planning your next trip!😎

13/06/2022

We just got back last week from a long weekend hiking in Red River Gorge, Kentucky! Great women, great weather, great time - come join us for your next adventure at Meetup.com/adventures-by-Julia - you need a Meetup account to view the details but it’s easy and free to create one!

18/04/2022

It’s National Park Week! Comment below your favorite one you have visited or are looking forward to visiting in the future 🏞

16/04/2022

Only about six weeks until our yoga and hiking trip to beautiful Red River Gorge in Kentucky, June 1-5, 2022. We still have a couple of spots left so now is the time to RSVP to join us! We have a gorgeous cabin with a hot tub reserved and the price includes lodging, all meals from Wednesday dinner through Sunday brunch, guided hiking, and a fabulous opportunity to meet other amazing women for a terrific weekend of adventure and friendship. There may also be an opportunity to kayak. Total price for all but any extra activities = $595! For all of details and to RSVP, go to Meetup.com/adventures-by-julia - you need a Meetup account to view but it’s easy and free to create one. Come away with us for a wonderful long weekend!

17/03/2022

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hoping all the luck is on your side this year 🍀🇮🇪

Who else has Ireland on their Bucket List of places to visit?

14/03/2022

Adventures by Julia is now on Instagram! Follow along for fun and beautiful scenes from trips by ABJ! https://www.instagram.com/p/CbGNxefJvd6/?utm_medium=copy_link