Iceland, Day 1: #MiaWandersToDenmark

August 20, 2015 Amelia Klaus

Hello everyone,

I am writing this while I am in ICELAND!!! EEEEEP someone pinch me! Today might be more appropriately described as #MiaBlundersThroughIceland, as it was a smorgasbord of small blunders that resulted in lots of laughs and great memories.

Here are the highlights:

1) We had misplaced the name of the street we were staying on, so we had to guess when we told our bus driver where to drop us off (luckily for us, our bus driver was very nice and knew what street we were trying to say). Also, they overbooked the bus, so I ended up sitting in an emergency seat over the bus stairs, which was alright by me, as it gave me an unobstructed view of the Icelandic countryside through the front window.

2) We arrived at our apartment early, so Ilse and I sat on the steps and laughed about the small mishaps we had already made. Also I tried black licorice salt candies (it was not a pleasant experience), and Ilse made friends with on of Reykjavik's many cats (a much more pleasant experience).

3) Turns out our shower door doesn't close all the way, which I discovered when I mini-flooded the bathroom this morning (whoops). :'D Since then, Ilse has figured out how to move the shower head so that it doesn't hit the door anymore. Also, the water here warms up within a minute of being turned on and is deliciously hot.

4) By this point both Ilse and I had been awake for way too long, so we took a nap... until 3:30 in the afternoon! Whoops! While it took away from our time to explore, the extra Zzzzs gave us the energy to go pick up groceries and then explore the city- and oh yeah, did I mention that the harbor is surrounded by stunning mountain views?

We found the Rainbow Road, which was painted for the Reykjavik Pride Festival that occurred earlier this August.

Also, a paver that has an open flame... is this normal or is this an Iceland thing?

5) At around 8 we walked into a cute basement restaurant where we ate out of Mason jars and I tried sweet potato fries with a vanilla yogurt based sauce and royal pudding, while Ilse had lamb, fish, wild game, and hummus based dishes (her comment on them was a very happy YUM) . We then headed back to the harbor, where we met a gentleman who was fishing from the pier and cleaning his catches right on the dock- he didn't see us at first, so we almost got smacked by one of his catches (whoops!). It was worth being almost smacked in the face by a fish, however, as we found a perfect spot to watch one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever had the pleasure to witness.

6. We ended our day relaxing in our beautiful apartment, working on our computers, and watching the first few episodes of Sense 8 on Netflix. All in all, it was a perfect first day in Iceland. I can't wait to see what adventures and laughter the next few days here bring!

Until next time,

"Let's Go Adventuring!" (Friday Harbor Jan 2015)

February 15, 2015 Amelia Klaus

Hello dearies,

By this point you have probably realized that one of my favorite sentences is "let's go adventuring!" So, of course, when I heard them in conjunction with 'Friday Harbor' roadtrip, I practically peed myself with excitement. That is basically the short version of how myself and three of the best people I've ever met ended up dragging our exhausted selves out of bed and piling into a car at 6:00 AM to head north.

This unplanned, semi-spontaneous type of trip is my favorite traveling style, as it leaves everyone involved open for unexpected detours which often turn into the best moments of the trip. We had a vague plan, which gave us a sense of direction, but it was open enough that we were able to visit adorable local cafes (which turn out to have amazing milkshakes in a bazillion flavors! WIN!) and wander along the harbor just absorbing the beauty around us. We barrelled down a hill and across a driftwood maze in order to dip our feet in the sea, had a staring contest with a seal, and screamed exactly what we were feeling into the ocean breeze because who was there to stop us? If there is one word that summed up the feeling of the day for me, it would be:

Exuberance.

I hope that you are also finding time to adventure and spend quality time with friends!!

Till we meet again,

OMG GUYS IT IS XMAS SEASON!!! (and none of these photos are related to that fact)

December 10, 2014 Amelia Klaus

Hello lovelies!!

I hope you are all having a fantastic start to your December! If you are still chugging away at finals, I wish you good luck- you are almost done!! Christmas is my favorite holiday, and as such I have taken it upon myself to decorate the apartment and sing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs. Today, however, I am not going to be sharing Christmas. Instead I am sharing a special roommate bonding day that occurred right before Veterans day.

We had a long weekend (read: excuse to procrastinate on homework), and it was a lovely sunny Seattle afternoon. One of my roommates and I didn't want to study (see above), but didn't really know what to do with ourselves. It was then that I remembered someone telling me that I needed to visit Golden Gardens Park when I had some time. So, in true impromptu adventure style, we pulled up the bus route, grabbed supplies (aka: my camera), and hit the road.

After and hour long bus ride through Seattle, we hopped off the bus and began to meander down some stairs. And then we went down some more stairs. And then, when we were wondering if the stairs would ever end, we went underneath the railroad tracks and Golden Gardens was spread out before us in a glorious mixture of sea, sand, and stunning mountain vistas.

In true Nodak-Has-Spent-Basically-No-Time-Around-Large-Bodies-Of-Water fashion, I immediately stripped off my shoes and socks and ran into the surf. It was refreshing and a bit chilly and I loved every minute of walking in the sand- I was so enthusiastic about it, in fact, that I convinced my roommate to shed his shoes and socks and splash along the waterline with me. We wandered the length of the beach and back, and were graced with one of the most glorious and never ending sunsets I have ever seen. It was so fantastic that it deserves(and will get) a post entirely devoted to it.

So this is Roommate Bonding Day Pt. 1: Sand, Surf, and Sunsets that Never End. Hope you enjoy!!