Tynemouth with my adopted Newcastle family

So it has been far too long since I have last updated, but since arriving in Newcastle, I have been incredibly distracted… and that’s a good thing! I’ve been having the time of my life and enjoying every bit of living here. I’ve also been ill for almost three weeks, however, that has not stopped me from having fun. 🙂

I’ve made many friends and I’ve had many new experiences which I shall mention later, but for now, I want to put up this very much delayed post from my first weekend in Newcastle along with a brief story.

The pictures that you are about to look at are from my first Sunday in Newcastle with Sam and two absolutely wonderful people who have shown us so much kindness, Colleen and John. I met Colleen on the flight from London Gatwick to Newcastle. She sat beside me and just before landing, we started to talk. She is from Newcastle and was fascinated that I was coming from America to study here for a year. We both must have seen the good in one another because after talking the whole way to baggage claim, we exchanged phone numbers and she invited me to tea. Being the idealist that I am, I was so excited about being invited to tea because it seemed like such a traditional British thing to do. Sorry for the stereotype, but I mean it in the best possible way.

I introduced her to Sam and she introduced us to her husband. They offered us a ride to the university from the airport but we already had prior arrangements so we politely declined. After getting settled into Newcastle, I sent Colleen a text message telling her I was loving it here and would love to get together sometime. We made arrangements and the next day, she and John picked up Sam and I to take us to Tynemouth on the seaside. We chatted along the way and absolutely adored them.

They took us to a cute pub on the coast situated next to a castle, called the Gibraltar. Since it was Sunday, we all opted for the traditional English roast, called a carvery. It’s as much food as one would have on Thanksgiving, but the lucky English get to have it every week.

After a very satisfying meal, we walked along the coast, visited a monument, and we were then lucky enough to see the royal air show which is only put on about 8 times a year. We walked through town a bit, then as the rain came in, they took us back home to Newcastle. I told them that I would adopt them as my Newcastle parents and being the first people that I had met in Newcastle,  I already knew that I would love it here. 🙂

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

Arriving in Newcastle

Before my departure from London Gatwick to Newcastle, Sam and I met up again with Alex and went out for the traditional English breakfast which is protein heavy, consisting of British bacon, sausage, and eggs, and the sides vary, but the options are usually fried tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, and toast, along with a cup of tea. After our extremely filling breakfast, we parted ways with Alex and went to King’s Cross to find our train.

Before coming to the UK, I had previously read about the 16-25 railcard which is a card that you can buy if you’re between 16-25, or a ‘mature student,’ and it will save you 1/3 on all train fares within the UK. It costs £30 for the year, but it pays for itself quite quickly. A train fare just from King’s Cross to Gatwick is £10, and yet, I only had to pay £6 once I got the card, so after a few trips to London or Edinburgh, it’ll pay for itself. If you’re going to get one, come with a passport photo ready. I luckily had an extra with me from my visa application, but Sam didn’t have one so he couldn’t get one yet.

We arrived at Gatwick, and our flight was with the budget airline, Flybe. I knew that we would have to check our bags for this type of flight, but when I tried to book it online, it didn’t work. I talked to the help desk at the airport and found out that it does that sometimes if you’re trying to book it from the U.S. However, It costs £14 to book it online, and £40 if you do it at the airport. That’s a HUGE difference… so when I found out, I went off to the side and figured out how to do it from my phone then booked it right there, checked it and got away with it. Make sure you don’t fall for their tricks and let them get all of your money! It goes fast in Europe…

We finally boarded our flight, and basically, you lift off, hang out in the sky for a few minutes and then start descending again… incredibly short flight, so I recommend taking the scenic view from the train instead. As we were landing, I started talking with the lady next to me, Colleen, who happened to be from Newcastle and was returning home. She was fascinated that I was from America and came to Newcastle to study for a year. We talked until exiting baggage claim and she introduced Sam and I to her husband, John. We exchanged phone numbers and she invited us over for tea sometime, which I was incredibly thrilled about because it seemed like such a traditional English invitation. Later on, I found out that she has never just given out her number like that but she must have seen the good in me, which I am thankful for… and you’ll find out why later.

We met up with our uni’s meet and greet students and took a taxi to our accommodation. The girl who was in my flat before had just moved out the previous weekend and apparently took her room key with her so when they gave me a key, it only worked for the building and the actual flat, leaving my room unlocked. I was a little nervous about that at first because of my camera gear, computer, etc… but luckily, there were only three rooms in my flat and only one other girl had already moved in.

I put my stuff in my room, and then went with Sam, his friend Emmy, and her mom to a place called ASDA which is like the UK’s Walmart. Emmy studied in Atlanta the previous year and knew what it was like to come to a brand new place with nothing so she and her mother so generously took us to shop for all of the basic necessities as soon as we arrived.

After shopping, we took our new things back to our flats then began to search for Grey’s Monument, which is in the center of Newcastle, and a great meeting place. I met a girl named Gabi in Iceland, who was on her way to Prague for the same TEFL program that I want to do when I graduate, and she was taking a European adventure along the way with one more night in Newcastle. We met her at the monument, then went to an Indian restaurant for some amazing Indian food. After, we checked out a bar called ‘PleasedToMeetYou’ which I enjoyed because it didn’t give off the insane Newcastle party vibe that I had heard about. It was a rather relaxed bar with interesting people and quality drinks. After drinks, we parted ways with Gabi, then Sam and I decided that we were really going to enjoy this town. Our flats are in the center of town, with only a short walk to anything we need. The city has gorgeous architecture and the people are friendly. We were off to a good start for our year in the UK.

This post was rushed, as I am trying to catch up. I’ve fallen behind since settling in Newcastle, and especially now that I’ve started classes. More to come soon!! Thanks for reading!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

A simple day in London

After 3.5 hours of sleep in a hostel room full of twelve people, I awoke just as I was supposed to meet Sam in the lobby and so I took a shower as fast as I could and ran downstairs. I met him at breakfast which was one of the worst excuses for a breakfast I’ve ever seen, but we ate it so we didn’t have to spend more money and headed out for King’s Cross Station.

The first thing we did was go to buy an Oyster card as I had learned the previous night that you shouldn’t be in London without one. It’s initially £5 for the card, but after that, you can just refill it. We took a train to London Bridge and when we got off, I could not stop complaining about how bad my foot hurt… every time I took a step, it was like torture. I came across a shoe store and went in to buy some soles for my shoes hoping that might solve the problem… unfortunately, it did not.

We continued on to London Bridge, then stopped in a coffee shop situated underneath and had some coffee while recharging our phones. After coffee, we walked across the bridge and to The Tower of London. We then passed by All Hallows-by-the-Tower, which is the oldest church in England, founded in 675. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, was baptized here in 1647 and John Quincy Adams, 6th U.S. president, was married here in 1797.

We then continued to walk on and I was probably about to cry from the pain in my foot. At that point, we stumbled upon a running store, which obviously had better shoes than the (too big for me) Dr. Martens that I was wearing. I normally don’t like running shoes for day-to-day wear, but at this point, I didn’t care. I knew that I couldn’t leave that store and walk anymore with the same shoes on so I caved and bought some new Nikes, also discovering once I took my shoe off that I had a blister the size of a quarter on my left foot. I know that may be too much information, but the lesson here is that when it comes to traveling and walking for extensive amounts of time, many day in a row, wearing the same shoes (because there wasn’t room to bring more), you should sacrifice style for comfort… for sure. I learned the hard way and it’s a week and a half later that I’m writing this, and the blister is still healing, but finally getting better.

Anyways, after my shoe dilemma, we decided to get sim cards so our phones could be relevant and we could function properly in 21st society again. I’m exaggerating, but really, smart phones can be quite useful when lost in London or trying to figure out the underground system. We went to vodaphone and purchased a basic package that includes 500 minutes to UK numbers, unlimited texts in the UK, and 1GB data plan for £20. It’s really awesome because it’s only pay as you go, which in the states, is a lot harder to come by so next month, we can choose a whole new plan… and we probably will, because vodaphone isn’t the best on picking up signal.

After getting our phones set up, we felt like we were finally living in the UK, and we went to a nearby coffee shop. Yes I know, more coffee… While I was trying to pay for mine, and fumbling through my various types of coins, the barista asked my name and told me today’s coffee would be free for me. I told the guy he made my day, and he really did, because I was broke at this point.

We sat in this coffee shop for about an hour, finally getting in touch with family and friends back home through iMessage and Whatsapp. I also downloaded the London Tube app which is one of the most useful apps ever. Wherever you are in London, you put in your location and where you’re trying to go, and it’ll give you the directions for the tube which seriously makes life 10x easier.

We took the tube back to King’s Cross and went our separate ways because Sam had plans that evening with his friends, and I had plans with my friend, Alex, who had just moved to London earlier that morning. I took the tube to Stoke Newington, where she was staying, and we met at a Turkish restaurant, which had amazing food. We caught up and talked about our experiences thus far in London, then went to a convenience store and bought cider which we drank on the walk back to her place because there’s no law against open containers in the UK. We finished off our evening at a local bar, down the street, and made plans for breakfast the next morning. Then I hopped a bus back to King’s Cross and went to bed, ready to take the final step to my new home the next day… Newcastle!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

Iceland –> London

On Tuesday morning, I woke up, saddened by the fact that I would be leaving the dreamworld I call Iceland later on that afternoon. Sam and I went to our favorite little coffee shop 2 blocks down the road and had some coffee with a chocolate croissant. After coffee, we made one last visit to Hallgrimur’s church to take the lift to the top so we could see the beautiful view of Reykjavik that everyone had been telling us about.

After viewing Reykjavik from the top of the church, we went back downstairs to find an organist playing so we sat down and listened for awhile. Finally, we went back to our hostel, then gathered our belongings and took a bus to Keflavik airport. Keflavik airport is one of my favorites that I’ve been in. It’s extremely modern and clean. We went to duty free and both bought some Icelandic chocolate, and I grabbed a variety of Icelandic shots to take to Newcastle with me.

After waiting at our terminal for quite some time, we realized that no one else was around so there had to have been a mistake. We found out they switched our flight due to inclement weather. We finally found our gate and boarded our plane to London. I was excited because I had never ridden on a plane where you walk outside and up the stairs to the plane. It sounds like something silly to be excited about, especially for someone who has taken as many flights as I have, but I’ve always ridden on massive jets so they have the inside walking gate directly to the plane. This was something new that I had only seen in films.

After 3 hours, we arrived at London Heathrow airport, exhilarated to finally be arriving in our new country of residence for the next year! It’s a huge airport and we had to walk through long and winding corridors to finally get to customs. After waiting in line, I walked up to the customs officer with my visa. She asked me what I was doing here and for how long, as well as what uni I’m attending and what I’m studying, then she stamped my visa and that was that. I’m always daunted by customs, because the United States’ is so intense, but it was actually rather simple.

Sam and I went on to find the entrance to the London underground and bought tickets for the Piccadilly line to King’s Cross, which was £5. Upon arriving at King’s Cross, we got our first real taste of London. It was crowded, loud, and bright… a lot like New York, but much nicer and cleaner. We asked for directions to King’s Cross Road, so we could find our hostel, Clink78. Clink78 used to be a courthouse where Charles Dickens worked while writing Oliver Twist. It is also where the Clash went to court for shooting a prize pigeon in 1978.

Our hostel was £16 a night, and was at a pretty central, easy to find location. They charge £2 for a towel (which I got out of by fumbling with my change long enough) and £3 for wifi during your stay. They have two old courtrooms that they have turned into a computer room and tv room, as well as a lively bar and kitchen in the basement. I would say that it was pretty decent for the money, but very crowded, so if you like more privacy, it might not be for you.

After checking in, Sam and I went to dinner at a small Italian restaurant a block away. I ordered my first English cider and a gnocchi gorgonzola, it was delicious. Then we walked around for quite some time until we were thoroughly lost and finally found our way back by midnight. We went to the hostel’s bar where everyone was hanging out and I ended up talking to a guy from Belgium, named Robin. He was in London looking for a place to live because he’s a chef and just got an internship at a very nice restaurant in the city.

When the bar closed, Sam went to bed and I went outside with Robin. We walked around for awhile and then I saw a bus going to Trafalgar Square so we decided to be spontaneous and chased it down. He had an Oyster card, which I didn’t know about at the time, but it’s a card you can use in London for buses and the underground. It’s only £1.40 for a bus if you have the card, but £2.40 when you have cash… so I recommend you get one if you’ll be in London. Very useful.

After the hassle of digging for my change, we just sat down in the first seat but then I remembered that it was my first time on a red double decker bus, so obviously, I had to run to the top. We sat in the first row and I was like a little kid in a candy shop the whole way to Trafalgar Square. We finally got there, and walked through the square, Chinatown, Hyde Park, past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. It was so perfect because it wasn’t crowded, especially since it was only a Tuesday night. By the time we had seen everything, it was about 5am so we searched for a bus to King’s Cross and went back to the hostel. I climbed into my teeny tiny little hostel bed, snuggled up to my belongings, and went to sleep, dreading waking up in 3.5 hours.

More from London coming soon!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

Iceland – Day 4 – The South Shore

On our last full day in Iceland, we had our biggest adventure, which I was most excited about: The South Shore! We left at 8:30am and took a beautiful two hour ride to the South Shore, passing volcanoes, lava fields, meadows, greenhouses, thousands of horses and even more sheep, waterfalls, and more until finally we came upon this dirt road. We took the dirt road for a couple of miles thinking that we should be seeing a glacier until one point when Sam and I looked at eachother and asked if we had the wrong idea of what a glacier was, because even though everything around us was beautiful, it wasn’t what we thought a glacier would look like.

After believing that maybe we were at a glacier that had completely melted away, we turned around a corner, and were pleasantly surprised to see that giant mass of ice that we know as a glacier. Apparently in the past decade, it has retreated a significant amount and therefore, it is now much smaller, but still really magnificent. We walked up to the glacier and it was surprisingly warmer than the weather we had been experiencing in Reykjavik. We explored around and hiked up the ice a little bit but were on a time constraint so we didn’t get to spend as much time there as I would have liked.

Our next stop was a beach, by the village of Vík í Mýrdal, which is the southernmost village of Iceland. It has black basaltic sand and is famous for its hexagonal basalt columns and caves. They are remnants from Reynisfjall, which used to be a more extended cliffline, but has been torn away by the sea. The sea can be really rough because there is no landmass between that point and Antarctica.

After the beach, we went for lunch in Vík í Mýrdal, which has a population of only 200 people. I had the traditional Icelandic stew which is, once again, another really delicious Icelandic dish (I spoiled myself in Iceland). Then Sam and I went to the convenience store to buy Icelandic chocolate. Sam got a bag full of various Icelandic candies. I asked the clerk what the best Icelandic chocolate was and he told me it was Pipps, the banana flavor. I was hesitant but I took his word and it definitely wasn’t the best Icelandic chocolate. It wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t get it again. Sam says if you ever go to Iceland, get Nizzas chocolate. Apparently it’s the best, but I guess it’s all according to preference.

We boarded the bus once again, and went on to an Icelandic folk museum. It was the life work of a 92 year old man who still comes in everyday to this day. He actually came out while we were there and showed us how they used to make wool in medieval times. Really exquisite guy. The museum housed Iceland’s oldest Icelandic bible which used to be really expensive. It would cost a person 2-3 cows for a single bible. The cows would be paid to the church, and the church would recycle the cows as food, and also as leather skin for the bibles. The icelanders had to be innovative with what they had. They used whale bones as bowls and made ice skates out of horse or cattle bones.

After touring around the museum, we went outside to see the traditional Icelandic homes from medieval times. These homes were actually used for a long time, even up into the 20th century. They look like elf homes, as they are build into the ground, covered by grass. When looking from the outside, they appear to be tiny, but I was shocked when I went inside to see that they were larger than they appeared. Some even had a second level. We also went inside an old church and schoolhouse.

After leaving the museum, we visited a waterfall with a 200ft drop, called Skógafoss, which was incredibly beautiful. Our final visit was to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which is very famous because there is a path that allows you to walk behind it. Once you come out of the other side, you’re soaking wet, but it’s a really cool experience.

 

After our beautiful day on the South Shore, we had a two hour ride back to Reykjavik, and I slept the whole way. When we got back to our hostel, we packed our things, then went for dinner at the soup place where we went the night before because it was so good. We returned to our hostel, sad to only have one more night and one more day in this magical country.

Next… last day in Iceland, as well as our long awaited arrival in London!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

Iceland – Day 3 – Blue Lagoon

On Sunday morning, we slept in because we didn’t have anything planned that day except for the Blue Lagoon… so it was our day of relaxation. We left Reykjavik at 11am and got to the Blue Lagoon around 12. It was surrounded for miles and miles by the Christianity lava that I mentioned in the last post, and we started to see the steam in the air from a couple of miles away until finally, we saw a patch of fluorescent blue water. I had seen pictures before, but I don’t think you can ever quite understand how beautiful the Blue Lagoon is until you see it in person. 

 

 

There are walls of lava surrounding it and black sand at the bottom, yet it’s color is so pure. At first when you step in, it’s warm, but not extremely warm. To the right, there is a wet bar but the drinks are outrageously priced, even worse than everything else in Iceland. As you move towards the further edges, the water temperature starts rising and in some parts, it’s really hot, but so relaxing. There are buckets of the white sulphuric scrub for you to rub on your skin which exfoliates it and cleanses it… I left with my face feeling softer than baby skin. Also, no one warned me, but if you have long hair, do NOT let it get wet. I guess the sulphur makes it feel weird and greasy even though it doesn’t look any different. It also makes it more inclined to tangle, so be smarter than I was, and pull your hair up. 

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While swimming in the Blue Lagoon, we ran into the friends I had made the day before at the Golden Circle, Andreina and Jenny. That’s the thing about Iceland, it’s so small that you’re likely to run into people you know everywhere you go even if you do only stay a few days. We talked with them for awhile and then I got out, showered and ate a snack. I came with Sam and our two friends we met from Fiji and Australia, but after searching all over the Blue Lagoon, I couldn’t find them. We finally contacted eachother through e-mail and decided to leave around 3pm. 

 

When we got back to Reykjavik, we walked around the city, and window shopped for awhile. I admired the Icelandic wool sweaters that I can only dream of having because my wallet won’t allow me one. Then we walked into an Icelandic record store and the guy working there asked if he could give me any recommendations. I told him I love Bjork so he told me to check out the following bands which I haven’t had a chance to check them all out yet, but if you’re interested: Hjaltalin, Asgeir Traulsti, Hljoma Pu, Solry, Cheek Mountain, and Ruxpin. The spelling might not be quite right on all of those but I’m sure it’s enough to help you find it. 

 

After the record store, we went to a noodle bar a few doors down that we had been wanting to check out since our first day. It was so good, I don’t even know what to say about it. I’m a “phonatic”… meaning I loooove Vietnamese pho. This place was like an Icelandic twist on pho. It was beef, noodles (thicker than the kind for pho), a darker broth, sprouts, peanuts, and various spices. It wasn’t exactly spicy, but they just added many different spices giving each bite a plethora of flavors. If you want to make a lot of money, open up a restaurant with this stuff in the states… it’s killer. 

After the restaurant, we returned to our hostel, and I showered for the second time after the Blue Lagoon trying to get the sulphur out of my hair. Later that evening, my roommate, Adrienne, and I went downstairs for our hostel bar’s happy hour which was two Icelandic beers for the price of one. We ran into a girl I met on the first day and sat down with her and two other girls. We all talked for a few hours and were surprisingly all from North America… it was probably the most people I had met from North America the whole time I was there. After adding each other all on facebook, we decided to go to a place down the street known to have the best soup in Iceland. I honestly can’t say enough about how good the food is in Iceland. This place only offers two types of soup each day (meat and vegetarian) and nothing else other than alcohol. I had the meat soup (more like a stew) in a bread bowl and it was delicious. It was supposed to be “Mexican style” which I can see hints of in the flavor, but everything in Iceland has a bit of a twist to it. 

 

After our late dinner, we all said our goodbyes and some of us made plans to meet later because our paths would be crossing again in the near future. We all returned to our hostels and went to bed, ready for another day of Icelandic adventure.

Coming soon… day 4 in Iceland, my favorite day: The South Shore Adventure!!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

  

Iceland – Day 2 – The Golden Circle and Icelandic History

On our second day in Iceland, I woke up after 5 hours of sleep in 3 days to go on an adventure around Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. I was too excited to let myself be exhausted. When Sam and I boarded the bus, we noticed two friendly faces that we had met and talked with the day before in Reykjavik. They were a really cool and well-traveled couple from San Francisco, but are now living in London. We sat behind them and they gave us advice on living in the UK and traveling in Europe, so we quickly became friends.

Once the bus departed, our tour guide introduced herself and gave us a brief history of Iceland. She said that Iceland is basically a large basaltic rock on the active mid-Atlantic ridge and has about 35-42 volcanoes. Most of Iceland is dried lava and we passed over this one part of lava that looks very green and luscious and is found all over Iceland, especially surrounding the Blue Lagoon and it’s called Christianity lava. She says that Iceland was a pagan country and when they converted to Christianity in year 1000, this giant volcano erupted and this type of lava spread everywhere. It is said that the pagan gods were angry that the nation had converted so they caused it.

Iceland thrives off of geothermal power which is really clean, affordable, and sustainable. Icelanders pay an average of 1 euro a day for electrical energy. Their water comes from glacial rivers and is pure with no additives, like chlorine, therefore, the best you can get.

Iceland’s climate is not the best for sustainable food and the only things that grow are potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower. The environment is not conducive for fruit so fruit is very expensive. Iceland’s geothermal power has made greenhouses possible so that Icelanders can sustainably grow organic non-gmo tomatoes and cucumbers among other things. Our first stop was at a greenhouse where they mostly grew tomatoes. I tried a fresh tomato soup there which was absolutely delicious along with the fresh bread that comes with it. I met two girls there from Zurich, Switzerland who happened to be staying in the same hostel as I am. We talked about traveling in Iceland and I gave them advice on visiting America. They ended up becoming good friends of mine throughout the trip.

After the greenhouse stop, we moved along to the Gullfoss Falls. They are not quite the largest falls in Iceland, but are still truly magnificent. As one person pointed out, they are sort of shaped like a slice of pizza and now every time I look at a picture of them, that’s all I see! We walked to the top and viewed them from above, then went down right beside them which was pretty surreal. I left soaking wet and freezing but it was worth it!

After Gullfoss, we went to visit the Strokkur geyser among many others which was a true test to one’s patience. In front of Strokkur, there was a line of about 30 or more people all with their cameras out waiting to get the perfect shot as the water spewed up into the air. You have to get the timing right or you might miss it and have to wait for the next one. After checking out the geysers, I hiked up the adjacent mountain with my new friends from Switzerland, Andreina and Jenny. The hike was not very long but the view from the top was picturesque. On the other side were great stretches of greenery with beautiful Icelandic homes and numerous Icelandic horses.

Icelandic horses are quite majestic. The Icelandic people are mostly settlers from Norway and when they first came to the island, the only animal already here was the arctic fox, which they think came from Greenland. They brought all of the other animals with them, including the horses. There’s about 80-90,000 horses here and they are all true bred. The horses can leave the country, but once gone, they cannot be brought back because they have strict regulations on keeping them pure.

After gazing at the horses from atop the mountain, Andreina, Jenny, and I ran back down to get some food before departing. I had a skyr yogurt and bought a little shot of brennivin, which is the Icelandic traditional schnapps, and also known as “black death.” I was thankful that I got the skyr, which I used to chase it with, because it was insanely strong. With only a tiny little sip, you can feel it warming up your entire body all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes. I wouldn’t have it again, but it’s definitely something you must try in Iceland.

Our next and final stop was Þingvellir National Park (pronounced thingvedlir), which is what originally peaked my curiosity of Iceland when I took a geology class. It is the only place on earth where you can literally see the tectonic plates. It’s the dividing point of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are diverging at an average of 2cm per year. They are quite spread apart now with a lake in between them, but it is cool to be in the middle, in what is now called “New Iceland.”

Þingvellir was Iceland’s first national park in 1930 and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a lake in the middle surrounded by young lava, of about 9-10,000 years old. In this lake, there are 4 different species of trout that only live here and cannot be found anywhere else. It still remains a question to scientists who frequently come to study it. The lake has become the dividing point for the continents, because on one side, you can stand on Eurasia, then walk across the bridge, and you’re in North America… pretty phenomenal.

The fascination doesn’t end with the geology of Þingvellir, but also the history. It is the location where Iceland’s first national parliament was established in year 930. Iceland used to be separated by many regions that were controlled by various pagan chieftains. In 930, they all came together as one nation and they chose this spot for a few reasons. The mountains surrounding are not too high, therefore, everyone could easily travel there by horse. It was also the biggest lake in Iceland and all the rivers flowed towards it. The lake was a source of food and firewood, making this a suitable location for all to come together. Þingvellir is a place of monumental decisions, and so it is also here where the Icelandic people converted to Catholicism to keep Norway happy. Our guide told us that most people did not want to convert so the Icelandic way was to secretly stay pagan, and tell everyone else what they wanted to hear, and hence, they were Catholic. That concluded our tour of the Golden Circle and we headed back to Reykjavik. We called it a night after so little sleep in 3 days.

Coming next… The Blue Lagoon and The South Shore!!

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

A day in Reykjavik, Iceland

It was Thursday morning, 7am, when I woke up from what would be my last full night’s rest in a long time. I showered, and made one final check that everything was packed and ready for Iceland then went to breakfast with my family to say our goodbyes.

 

 

After our last hugs, I left for the airport and took an hour flight to Charlotte, then another hour flight to Washington D.C., and finally, boarded the plane to Iceland.

 

Upon boarding the plane, I was given a bottle of Icelandic glacial water, and a comfy seat with a warm blanket and a pillow with an Icelandic lullaby written on it.

 

 

It was a comfy flight, but I couldn’t sleep due to excitement, and so, once over Greenland, I looked out the window and saw these green lights that I had never seen before in a completely dark sky. I kept looking and after awhile they became more clear, until they were clear enough that I realized they were the Northern Lights. I was amazed as they became more vivid and stared for about an hour. I tried to catch a photo, but due to the dirty airplane windows and it being night time, nothing came out.

We finally arrived in Keflavik airport at about 5:45am, and customs in Iceland, for me, was the easiest I had ever been through. No paperwork, no questions, nothing. The guy just looked at me and stamped my passport… however, I’ve heard varying stories about customs here so maybe my guy just didn’t care. Afterwards, we converted our money to the Icelandic Krona which in comparison to the U.S. dollar is currently ISK121.35=USD$1. They also didn’t charge any fees to convert it, however, everything in Iceland is outrageously priced.

We took the Reykjavik Express to our hostel, which is called Reykjavik Backpackers and is in the center of town. They wouldn’t let us check in until 2pm so we dropped off our bags and looked for a coffee shop, but nothing opened until 10am. We finally found one a few doors down and had some amazing coffee and chocolate croissants.

After breakfast, we went on a walk and started exploring. First, we walked downhill to the coast and walked around for a bit while taking pictures.

Then, we walked to Hallgrimur church which is the centerpiece of Reykjavik and is a huge cement church that took 41 years to finish. The architecture is incredible from every angle. On the inside, there is a massive organ unlike any I’ve ever seen before.

 

 

Then we walked back down the colorful streets of Reykjavik to the Hofoi House, which is a quaint little white house where Gorbachev and Reagan met and shook hands on an agreement to end the Cold War in 1986.

 

We continued on to visit a few other churches and walk through a beautiful park a little outside the main center of Reykjavik. A man of about 70 saw us and asked if he could help with anything, and we talked with him about living in Iceland for awhile, then he gave us directions to Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, notably known for having the best hot dog in Europe, as well as its customers, such as Bill Clinton and the lead singer of Metallica.

After playing on random yarn-bombed playgrounds and getting incredibly lost for quite some time, we finally found the famous Baejarins Beztu Pylsur and waited in line to try their iconic hot dog. It cost ISK 380 which is about USD $3. For someone who is disgusted by hot dogs, I loved every bite of this one. It comes with a sweet tasting mustard, and crunchy onions and it’s absolutely perfect. I found myself recommending it to everyone I met, as well as craving it later.

After our hot dogs, we started walking back to our hostel, drained of life, because we hadn’t slept in about 32 hours at this point. We sat and drank coffee while waiting for 2pm so we could check in. Finally, we checked in, freshened up and went back out and explored some thrift stores, which actually weren’t that thrifty. I couldn’t go on anymore because I was so tired, so I went back to the bar at our hostel and told the bartender to make me something with a strong enough kick to wake me up since coffee was no longer effective. He made me some really delicious red drink that I don’t remember the name of at all. I sat and enjoyed my drink while Sam left to do his thing for awhile.

Two guys from Fiji and Australia had just arrived and sat down behind me. They invited me to sit with them and asked me about what there is to do in Iceland. Being as in love with Iceland as I am, I gave them an entire list of things to do until a girl showed up telling me I was her roommate and wanting to know if I’d do a pub crawl with her. I told her I couldn’t do that, but we could do dinner beforehand. We made reservations for the nice restaurant below the hostel, and enjoyed happy hour Icelandic beers while waiting for our table. I had an organic pilsner that was really delicious, even for someone who doesn’t like beer. Finally, we received our table and ordered the four course special. There were 5 of us: my roommate, Michelle from Virginia, who I had just met, the guys from Fiji and Australia, and another roommate, Jay, from the UK. We started with a scallop and shrimp dish that was incredible, then two different types of Icelandic style tacos, and finally, an amazing chocolate cake with a caramel coating. As delicious as it sounds, it wasn’t much food and we left still feeling a little hungry.

The five of us went upstairs and hung out until Sam joined us. Then we all went outside and the streets were flooded with people. I had forgotten it was Friday night. We met a guy outside named Simo, who was from Newcastle, Australia and he had just been deported from London Heathrow back to Iceland because it was his last location. He had no money, and most of his things had been stolen in Greece. He was actually really funny, and we made jokes about his deportation and how he was the only person we ever met who had actually been deported. He was on a goal to spend the last of what was on his credit card on booze that night until he caught his flight the next morning back to Australia that his friend has to buy for him.

After seeing how lively the streets were, we decided to go out. We walked into a place called Moon Bar and were shocked to find a choir of guys from Sweden with pints in their hands and singing. The only other people there were the girls filming them. After that, we walked for awhile and finally chose a place that seemed really fun and awesome from the outside but walked in to find a bunch of Icelandic college kids dancing to awful top 40s music. It seemed like a bad fraternity party with cool lights.

Finally, we decided to give up on the night and walk back to the hostel, but stopped for lamb kebabs. This was my first kebab experience and it was perfect. I was with Jay, who has them all the time in the UK, but she said this one was much better, so now I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed once I try one in the UK.

After our much enjoyed kebabs, we finally called it a night. As soon as I crawled into my bunk, I pulled the covers over my head and fell asleep more peacefully than ever.

Check back later for day 2 around the Golden Circle!! It will involve a lot of Icelandic history and pictures of waterfalls, geysers, and continental divides.

Also, all of these pictures are taken with my iPhone… the “real” pictures will be coming soon, but they are much more time consuming so this provides a little glimpse 🙂

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

A magical day

This is the first summer in years that I’ve spent entirely in Georgia and it has been raining everyday for the past two or three weeks, making it impossible to do anything outdoors.

However, yesterday, Olivia and I didn’t care… we needed to get out of the city and do something different. It was raining as usual, but we decided we were going to drive up to the foothills of the mountains in North Georgia, and cross our fingers that the skies would clear. As it turns out, mother nature was on our side. As soon as we arrived at Pooles Mill Park in Cumming, Georgia, the rain disappeared, and we were the only people at this usually crowded river.

Before diving into the refreshingly cold water on that hot and humid day, we hiked the trails a bit and came across huge patches of chanterelle mushrooms. I serve at a local farm to table restaurant and Olivia happens to be a foraging guru so we knew that these mushrooms were delicious and desirable. We followed our intuition and found more and more chanterelles, eventually filling Olivia’s backpack up.

At that point, we were burning up and decided to take a dip in the water, climbing and sliding down mini waterfalls like children. After playing on Earth’s natural playground, we paid a visit to my father and his fiancé, who just happen to have a treasure trove of chanterelle mushrooms in secret spots of their land. We couldn’t resist the urge to pick more and later realized that we had 10 pounds of chanterelles that we didn’t know what to do with.

That’s when we decided that we would turn our fun day in the sun into a profitable venture. With a little bit of research, we found out that chanterelles were currently selling at $12 a pound. We went back to Olivia’s house, cleaned the mushrooms, and packaged them and decided that the next morning, we would sell them.

After three phone calls, we found a local restaurant willing to buy nine pounds for $100. As soon as I hung up the phone, we both jumped up and down with excitement from our first sale. That was $50 to each of us by simply making use of what the earth has already provided us and having fun all the while. I’m writing this because people are always telling me that they want to travel but can’t come up with the money for it. I am not wealthy by any means, but I have never let money stop me from accomplishing my dreams. Yesterday was a perfect example of finding innovative ways to make some fast and easy money. A “get rich quick” scheme if you will (but without the scheming of course!) So I encourage you to become creative and find ways to make use of what Earth has provided for us. $50 here and $50 there adds up quick… believe  me.

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani

What does “mishpucha” mean to you?

Mishpucha is the first Hebrew word that I learned during my trip to Israel four months ago, it means “family.” Depending on where you’re from, what you believe, or what you love, family can take on a different meaning. Where I’m from, family includes the people that have the same blood line. This would include your grandparents, parents, siblings, children, etc. However, in Israel, family, or mishpucha, has a much wider connotation. There, it means that everyone who is Jewish is family, so if you are Jewish and have come to Israel from far away, then don’t worry, because you’re coming home to family. It’s a beautiful thing.

Beautiful Israel

Personally, I am not religious. My parents divorced when I was four and I split my time between them, attending synagogue when I was with my mother, and church when I was with my father. Obviously, I was a bit confused when I was constantly being taught opposing views every other week. As I grew older, I shunned religion entirely not wanting to do with any of it.

However, in Judaism, if your mother is Jewish, then you automatically are too. Maybe you don’t practice the religion, but being Jewish isn’t necessarily about a religion, it’s about culture and history… it’s about mishpucha.

In January, I went to Israel with a birthright group called Awesome Israel. When I went into it, I was a little bit nervous because I thought everyone would be extremely religious and I wouldn’t fit in, but after the first few minutes, I realized I was in a group of forty young adults just like me. Whether they were orthodox, conservative, had a bar or bat mitzvah, or never learned Hebrew at all, there was something binding us: we were all Jewish in some way. We were mishpucha.

My birthright Israel mishpucha… though it’s missing our 8 soldiers

I made so many amazing friends while I was there that I still keep in contact with. One, whom I am very close to was an Israeli soldier there. Her grandmother left Germany to live on a Kibbutz in northern Israel. She wanted to come to a place where she could feel at home, and would be surrounded by other people like herself, whom she could call her mishpucha. To this day, she still lives on the Kibbutz and is very happy there. Her granddaughter, my good friend, is not extremely religious herself, but still honors her family’s heritage, religion, and culture, because that is her mishpucha.

My lovely friend, Tal, and I at Masada in Israel

After visiting Israel, I’ve given lots of thought to what mishpucha means, and one thing I truly cherish above most things is my own mishpucha. Mishpucha to me, means the group of people whom I love and understand and we accept one another for what we are regardless of what the rest of the world says or does. My mishpucha includes my parents, grandparents, siblings, and the rest of my immediate blood family, those who share my heritage, and the many determined wanderers like myself, whom I meet that share the same dreams to see the world. I’ve added many mishpucha along my journeys and look forward to many more. The perks I’ve found from my mishpucha, is that I am able to find them everywhere, therefore, I feel at home everywhere I go. 

At home wherever I go

I’d really love to hear about what mishpucha means to you in your corner of the world! 

 

Forever wandering and wondering,

Brianna Leilani