Tales from the Icelandic Coast

So I've been to Iceland.

Okay, so I've been to the Iceland airport. Twice! But unfortunately, even by my own rules, that doesn't count.

Luckily for this blog, however, my dear friend Sierra traveled to Iceland earlier this year on her honeymoon and has a few anecdotes and photos to share from her adventures in Iceland!

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Honeymooning in Fire & Ice

I’m Sierra Brown. I am a Charlottesvillian, a wife, an adventurer, and I am a WAHOO. I have three major passions (in no particular order): travel, outdoor adventures, and food. So, when it was time to choose a honeymoon destination, my husband and I thought Iceland would surely feed these passions. We were right!

We did the Iceland stopover option with IcelandAir on our way back from England (also wonderful, but in different ways). We took 4 days, but really only had 2 full days to explore. Our trip was at the end of May, which was great because Reykjavik wasn’t too crowded yet and prices for hotels were still reasonable. Also, the sun went down just enough to give us that dusk effect and helped us sleep a little. The downside to going in May was that some tours are not available yet due to snow and ice blocking the way in higher elevations. Nonetheless, we booked some great tours to explore the beautiful landscape and had plenty of daylight to explore the cute town of Reykjavik.

Most folks who travel to Iceland for a short time do the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle tour and catch some hot spring, waterfalls, and glacier highlights. We are not most folks. Our adventures started with a trip in a tricked-out, off-roading, monster van driven by a tiny, beautiful, blonde Icelander. She picked us up from our hotel and drove us and a small group out across moss-covered lava fields down into a lava tube. After a short walk into the cave, she asked us all to turn off our lights then shared some traditional scary stories and lullabies. They love spooky bumps in the night—I guess it comes from all the winter darkness. After that, we crawled through some very low ceilings. My husband stood up on the other side just long enough to catch his toe and topple head-over-heels into a 4-foot-deep hole, breaking his left hand in 2 spots. Although they had a walk-in clinic just up the street from our hotel, we weren’t about to waste a minute in a doctor’s office. So, on to a pub for an expensive recovery beer instead (we got him patched up at home a few days later).

Reynisdrangar beach

Our second day of touring was spent on the Southern Coast of Iceland. Once again, we were picked up, but this time in a GIANT off-roading bus. Our driver drove us down the scenic ring road several hours past the snowcapped Eyjafjallajökull (E15) volcano and water walls that fell from cliffs and disappeared into the wind before hitting the ground. We first stopped to explore the black sand beaches of Reynisdrangar with giant monoliths, sea caves, and basalt towers then on to the town of Vik for lunch. After a hot bowl of lamb stew, we met our guides and geared up for our trek on Sólheimajökull glacier. This was incredible. The ashy soil covered the glacier in spots, which validated the nickname of “Mordor” for the front of the glacier.

On the way back we stopped at two enormous waterfalls: Skógafoss waterfall and Seljalandsfoss waterfall (made famous in a Justin Bieber music video). Seljalandsfoss has a path that goes behind the falls, and you can take in the beautiful landscape through the pouring water. It’s pretty epic!

Selijalandsfoss Waterfall

Skógafoss Waterfall

Ok... Let’s talk about food!

We started our first afternoon with a trip to the 10-11, a small convenient grocery store, for peanut butter, jelly, bread, skyr (thick Icelandic yogurt), chips, and bottled water (the water at our hotel was very sulfurous). Although the store had many more traditional options like dried fish, we stuck with the basics to keep in our room.

After out shopping, we hit up the Public House/Café and tried their “Best of Iceland” tapas sampler.

• Grafinn Lundi – Cured Puffin
• Timianreykt Bleikja - Arctic Charr on a senbei cracker
• Hreindyr - Reindeer w/ Icelandic Blue cheese
• Haegeldadur Lambaskanki – Lamb shank in an Icelandic donut
• Viking Beer sampling

All of which was A-MAZING!

We ate a few more meals in town. I would recommend them all: crepes at Eldur and Is, pizza (bacon, maple syrup, spinach, and apple!) at Eldsmiðjan, coffee at Te & kaffi, and sushi from Sushibarinn delivered to us during trivia!

Although Reykjavik is known for its wild club scene going all night, the restaurant scene closes up early. You had better get your dinner before 9:00 PM because everything closes after that—which seemed extra strange because it was still so light out. However, if you get an early start on dinner, you’ll be more likely to catch the abundant and necessary happy hour specials to cope with the insane alcohol prices. We popped into a few places for drinks: The Lebowski Bar (Big Lebowski themed) and Dillon Whiskey Bar (which sits on top the Chuck Norris Grill). We even managed to WIN a few free drinks in a game of trivia at Kofinn. All the questions were based on American movies—WINNING! They gave us each a Viking lager and a shot of Hot & Sweet, a traditional licorice liquor.


I’m afraid that even with all my ramblings, I haven’t fully captured the complete awesomeness, quirkiness, and wild nature of this country, the landscape, the people, or their capital. You’ll just have to experience it yourself. Get going!

All photos are by Sierra Brown and are used with permission for this article. Images can not be used without expression permission of the owner.

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Europe 101: Saving Money (And Time) While Sightseeing

Once you've developed a budget-friendly itinerary for your Europe trip, you're ready to acquire the tips and tricks to be thrifty while on the streets of Europe!

With popular sites come populous queues, which will waste a lot of your vacation time. Time is money! You can reserve tour times for many places or skip lines by purchasing passes ahead of time.

This is me, skipping the long line at the Colosseum
with my Roma Pass in hand!

In Rome we utilized the Roma Pass for free admission to three sites, including line skipping at places such as the Colosseum; three days of unlimited public transportation; and discounted admission to other sites during the three day activation period of the pass. The lines at the Colosseum were, well, colossal (har, har, har), and we saved so much time bypassing the queue with our Roma Pass!

The Roma Pass also saved us time at the Vatican Museum where we were able to bypass the line for buying tickets and march straight to security. However, there is no way to skip the security lines at the Vatican to enter St. Peter's Basilica, so you'll just have to budget a lot of time for that one!

Conversely, we lost a lot of time in Paris by not reserving a viewing time in advance for the Eiffel Tower. Two months before our May 2015 trip, I looked online to see if reservations were possible. They were... but they were already completely booked for May. So as soon as you book your plane tickets, book your tickets for various attractions!

Please don't travel all the way to Europe just to seek out the nearest McDonald's or KFC for a cheap meal! When in Rome, eat as the Romans do. Grab a slice of pizza. When in Greece, have a delicious döner kebab lunch, and in Germany, enjoy a bratwurst meal. Eat cheaply for breakfast and lunch so you can enjoy a good dinner and your wallet will thank you!

Before you even leave for your trip, determine how many and how much you plan to spend on souvenirs. It's easy to be suckered into buying a lot of cheap trinkets once you arrive, but even cheap trinkets will add up if you keep buying indiscriminately! We purchase magnets at each location we visit, but beyond that we keep a strict budget on how much we spend on keepsakes.

Many sites offer audio guides to enhance the spartan English signs of exhibits. Save yourself money by finding and downloading free podcasts onto your smartphone. Rick Steves offers many free podcasts, and we have utilized many of them on our travels.

What are you waiting for? Start planning your trip to Europe now!

Europe 101: Tips, Tricks & Being Thrifty

It's no secret that travel from the United States to Europe can be expensive. Stupid expensive. While there are some things you can do to help mitigate some costs, others - such as airfare - can't be avoided. However, there are a few tips and tricks that can make your dollars go further when planning a trip to Europe!

While the idea of a grand European tour sounds exciting, hopping from one country to another will put a hard hit on your wallet. Transit and lodging costs are the biggest expenses for any trip, so if you can limit your transit, you can limit your bills. In other words, touring Rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice (Italy) is most likely* going to be a less expensive trip than visiting London, Paris, Berlin, and Athens. So when developing your itinerary, pick a region or country and concentrate on seeing all the highlights rather than trying to see all of Europe in ten days. Always tell yourself that there will be another trip or you'll drive yourself crazy thinking about all the other places you didn't see!

Due to our family connections, all roads lead to Germany for us. So we concentrate on one city or one region for our sightseeing portion of vacation before heading to Bavaria for our family time. 

*If your travel dates are flexible and you check airfare prices constantly, you may find good deals to make country hopping affordable!

If your budget is particularly tight, visit Europe in the off season to save money on airfare and lodging. Not fully convinced? Look at the price difference quoted on Kayak.com shown to the left for flights from Richmond, VA, to Paris, France, in April versus July.

Traveling in the shoulder month of April instead of the high season of July represents a $327 cost savings on airfare - no small change when it comes to flights! You may not be able to go swimming in the Aegean in April and may still need to bundle up when touring castles in northern Europe, but traveling in the off season will also afford one other plus: smaller crowds at the popular sites.

When we visited Neuschwanstein Castle in July 2010, it was swarming with tourists compared to my father-in-law's October 2015 visit.

While it may be convenient to fly out of the closest airport to home, consider driving further for better prices. We live within an hour of the Richmond International Airport in central Virginia, but we almost always drive the two hours north to Dulles International Airport outside Washington D.C. for our flights. Using the same travel dates as above, flights out of Dulles are $882 in April and $955 in July. That's a sizable difference! That cost savings is well worth the extra drive, and even the airport parking fees don't eat up that difference. Additionally, consider what airport you'll be arriving at. For example, on our visits to Bavaria, we compare the prices for landing in Munich versus Frankfurt to determine the better deal.

Many people are familiar with London's Heathrow Airport, but did you know there are a total of 5 airports in London? Many of Europe's discount airlines (Ryanair, Easyjet, etc) operate out of these lesser known hubs.

Don't be afraid to shop around on third party websites for airfares and lodging. I regularly use Kayak, Skyscanner, Orbitz, and Priceline in addition to checking the individual websites of specific airlines. For lodging, consider services such as Airbnb, which not only may save you money but provide a more intimate experience as opposed to staying at a hotel. But when using hotels, oftentimes you can receive a better rate by reaching out directly to the hotel, thereby saving the hotel from the fees owed to the third party booking site. And finally, be sure to clear the cookies from your internet browser when shopping around. When sites see that you're consistently looking for information on specific travel dates or locations, they may budge their prices higher, figuring that you're already sold on the site/location and would be willing (or forced) to pay the higher price.

Unless you're planning to spend a week lounging on the French Riviera as opposed to hardcore sightseeing, keep in mind that you won't spend much time in your hotel room beyond sleeping and bathing. As such, there's no need to stay in a four or five star hotel (unless you're loaded, in which case it's doubtful you're reading a blog about being a thrifty gypsy!). Read reviews or take personal recommendations for a clean but cheap hotel in a safe location of the city you're visiting. Avoid the main drag and very popular tourist areas as hotels will be at a premium. Instead find a location a little more off the beaten track with good connections to metro stops or a doable walk from the sites you're interested in seeing.

For a few more specifics on how I find the "perfect" hotel for us, read more here.

While you may think it's counterproductive to your budget to take a longer trip, consider this: is it worth spending nearly a thousand dollars per ticket (or more) for just a week long trip? At least two full days will be spent in transit, leaving only five at your destination(s). In my opinion that doesn't justify the cost of getting yourself there into the first place. When it comes to Europe, I recommend a minimum of 10 days unless you're visiting the United Kingdom or if you've snagged an incredibly good deal on airfare.

With these tips in mind, planning a budget-friendly trip to Europe is more than possible! Stay tuned for a follow-up post on how to save money once your feet are on the ground in Europe!

Do you have any other tips or tricks you use when planning an European vacation?

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Commence Operation #EurSoGypsy

Our long-awaited vacation is here!  It will be relatively quiet on the blog front these next few weeks as Danny and I take some time to explore more of Europe.  While I may post a few pictures here or there on the blog, I will be keeping a more constant presence on our social media accounts, particularly Instagram (I'm a 'gramming fiend, don't you know!) and Twitter.  I might show some love on the good ol' Facebook, too.

So if you want to keep up with our Aegean adventures, Parisian promenades, or Bavarian banquetings (see what I did there?), then put your procrastinating posterior in gear and follow me already!

P.S.  If you want a postcard, you better send your address to thriftygypsytravels@gmail.com before it's too late!

P.P.S.  Our Bavarian hometown, Dinkelsbühl, is pictured above.  Ain't she purty?!

Linking up for the #SundayTraveler!

Postcards From Europe

I love postcards.

As much as e-mail, text messages, and social media has helped make my long-distance friends and family "closer" than ever before, there's still nothing quite like old-fashioned mail. No matter how many cool fonts exist today, nothing beats the font of a handwritten card. It's one of a kind!

Source.

So as our #EurSoGypsy countdown reaches single digits, I've been inspired by Christy from What Up, Swags?! to send a few postcards from various points (as yet undetermined) while on our imminent Europe trip. Want to get in on the action? E-mail your address to thriftygypsytravels@gmail.com! If too many people respond, I won't be able to guarantee a postcard, but I'll do my best.

As normally happens for a part-time traveler running a travel blog, posts will become more and more infrequent as we get ready for take-off and while we're on the road, although I do have a few posts already scheduled. If you want to keep up with all the sights, sounds, and tastes (the best part!) of our trip, you should follow us on Instagram and Twitter!

In the meanwhile, I want to hear what travel plans you're most looking forward to! And don't forget to send me your address if you want a sweet postcard from Greece, Germany, or Paris!

Is it time for take-off yet?!

And the Winner Is... (2015 Travel Plans & Giveaway Winner!)

Top: Source.  Bottom Left: Source.  Bottom Right: Source.

The moussaka is officially out of the bag - we're going to Greece, y'all!

After brainstorming various destination possibilities back in October, we finally made a decision and booked our flights to Athens and Thira island (commonly known as Santorini) for a spring trip.  We'll begin in Athens, explore the Parthenon and a few museums, then jet out to Santorini for caldera sunsets and island living.  As always, we won't be spending nearly as much time there as we'd like, but as our giveaway theme stated, "All Roads Lead to Bavaria", and there our Europe trip will continue with birthday bashes in Stuttgart, a weekend excursion to Paris with our German BFFs, and back to Dinkelsbühl and Bavaria for eight days with family, friends, castles, and plenty of wurst and spaetzle!  My sister-in-law is also flying into Germany for twelve days, marking her first visit in nearly ten years, and I'm excited to create some memories with her in her German hometown!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway contest to guess our travel destination!  Julie of Alone With My Tea and Joanna of Me and My Itchy Feet both correctly guessed that we're wandering our way to Greece.  Way to go, ladies!  I'm excited that two bloggers I've been following so closely over the last few months were the ones to correctly deduce our new destination, and I'm pleased to introduce them to you below:

Joanna & her family in Cinque Terre, Italy (October 2014)

Joanna of Me and My Itchy Feet
Born, raised, and living in Poland, Joanna and her itchy feet have been wandering across the world since 1994 and documenting their experiences (in both English and Polish) on her blog since 2012.  Joanna's easy manner of writing and ability to draw the reader into her family's adventures is particularly engaging.  I'm constantly inspired by her and her husband's desire to "pass the passion" of traveling on to their children - and to readers through her posts!  Check out her recent descriptions about a day in Florence or visiting the leaning tower of Toruń in Poland!

Julie & her husband

Julie of Alone with My Tea - the Giveaway Winner!

"I began alonewithmytea when I had to take a year-long break from Grad school, due to health issues. I spent most of my days home alone, drinking tea, and working on some sort of art or musical project. I realized that being alone with my tea inspired creativity. I spent time reflecting, practicing various art techniques, and just enjoying life. While this blog began as an outlet for exploring and displaying my creative attempts, it has since morphed into a travel and lifestyle blog, especially when my husband and I moved from California to Rio de Janeiro and then to the deep south (Alabama)! Follow along as I document all the adventures we find here and abroad!
XO, Julie -alonewithmytea@gmail.com "

Julie is the winner of our "All Roads Lead to Bavaria" Giveaway and will be receiving a scratch-off map to create a unique picture of the world based on their travels!  Give her blog some page-view lovin' with her posts about random conversations with taxi drivers in Rio, the Cathedral in Petropolis, or 5 Tips for Moving to Brazil.  Congratulations, Julie!

As we rev up our excitement over our Greece trip with documentaries, travel shows, and perusing blogs about other people's experiences, we'll share more details of our travel planning.  Hotels are booked, but we haven't nailed down specifics of our itineraries yet.  Any suggestions?  We're all ears!

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Have you been to Athens or Santorini?

Linking up with A Brit and a Southerner for #WeekendWanderlust!

"All Roads Lead to Bavaria" Giveaway

As mentioned previously, we have purchased airfare for a return trip to Europe this spring!  Excitement doesn't even begin to describe it.  The second half of our trip will be spent in Germany (because for us, all roads lead to Bavaria!), but the first half will be spent in ...

You didn't think I'd give our destination away that easily, did you?

In honor of our fifth return to Europe in as many years, instead of just announcing our new destination, I want you to guess it!  And to give you a little bit of an incentive, I've compiled a give-away gift for one lucky winner!

A Luckies of London Scratch Map of the World! (Approx. $25 value)

Let's face it, as travelers we love to show off all the places we've been, whether in list form, our travel photos on the wall, or souvenir magnets on the fridge.  What's cooler than a map on which you can scratch off all the places you've visited for your own unique picture of the world?!  I'm hoping to throw in a few packs of German chocolate as well if the shipping costs are conducive.

So here's the deal: I'll provide three small clues to our new destination below, and you leave your best guess for our destination in the comment section.  A winner will be randomly drawn from the correct guesses, and if my hints are terrible and no correct guesses are made, a winner will be drawn from all participants!  To increase your chances of winning, follow our Instagram and Twitter accounts and leave your usernames in the comment.  I'll follow you back - it's a win-win situation for you!  The contest will close on Christmas Eve, and I will announce a winner on January 1st!*

Here are your clues...
1:  This country is on our bucket list.
2:  This country is located in Europe.
3:  The amount of international tourists visiting this country per year outnumbers the country's entire population.

These clues are vague, but a quick search through my blog should afford you at least two decent guesses.  Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing all the guesses - right or wrong!

This spring our road will lead us to Bavaria, but where are we going first?  Leave your guess in a comment below and be sure to follow our social media accounts!

Facebook   ~   Twitter   ~   Instagram   ~   Pinterest   ~   Bloglovin'

*If your comment doesn't provide a link to where you can be contacted but you still wish to participate in the giveaway, either check back here on January 1st to find out if you won or send your contact info to thriftygypsytravels@gmail.com!
 
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Linking up with Bonnie Rose, Courtney, Cynthia, and Yalanda for #TravelTuesday!

Linking up with A Brit and a Southerner  every Friday for the #WeekendWanderlust!  Check out the other great travel bloggers in the link-up!

Strasbourg, Up Close & Personal

For more on Strasbourg, see here!

Half-timbered houses

Gothic carvings

The saints on the Notre Dame of Strasbourg

Rose Window of the Cathedral

Fascinating "bone" structure in the Cathedral

Not so "up close" but my favorite shot of the half-timbered houses!

What's your favorite part about Strasbourg?

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Linking up with other travel bloggers for the #SundayTraveler!

Visiting Strasbourg Cathedral

What's 142 meters high, built from thousands of tonnes of sandstone, and boasted the tallest spire in the world for 227 years (1647-1874)?  If you guessed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg, France, you'd be correct!

Constructed between 1015 and 1439 in the late-Gothic style, the Strasbourg Cathedral towers prominently above its picturesque town and is also visible from the Vosgues mountains over 60 kilometers away.  To say that I felt dwarfed by this massive church would be a vast understatement.

Even at ground level, the Cathedral features all the more prominently since it is surrounded by many buildings with the quintessential half-timbered look, which contrasts nicely against the church's stone facade.  The intricate carving conveys the viewers' eyes up to its spire, a literal response to their figurative reminder to cast your thoughts upward to God.

Inside the Cathedral is a marvelous astronomical clock, one of the largest in the world (18 meters tall) and a mathematical wonder of its time.  Having viewed the Prague astronomical clock in 2012, it was neat to do a mental comparison of the two. 

Unfortunately, we did not have time to climb the spire as per our tradition (we had a World Cup party to attend that evening!), but would encourage you to do so if you can.  I'm sure the views are stunning, even on an overcast day!

Have you visited Strasbourg Cathedral?

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Linking up with A Southern Gypsy for #WeekendWanderlust!

3 Must-Do's in Strasbourg

"I've never even heard of Strasbourg."

This is the most common response when mentioning this French city in a conversation with another American.  Located in the Alsace region, which borders Germany along the Rhine river, Strasbourg is just big enough to be a tourist attraction while small enough to keep the bulk of camera-wielding hordes at bay.  Whether for someone with a dubious impression of the French (based largely on stereotypes and not on firsthand experience) or for someone with a keen love for all things Teutonic, Strasbourg provides the perfect combination of both cultures: German charm and the French joie de vivre, or joy of life.

So what's so special about this city you've never heard of?  Well, here are three things you can do in Strasbourg to discover its beauties and learn its history:

1.  Explore the Notre Dame Cathedral (Strasbourg Cathedral)
Completed in 1439 in the late-Gothic style, the Strasbourg Cathedral remained the highest building in the world for nearly 230 years, finally acceding to St Nikolai Kirche in Hamburg in 1874, but still remains the tenth tallest church.  Marvel over the flying buttresses, the astronomical clock in the interior, and climb the spire for stunning views of the city.

2.  Wander the Grand Île & Munch on Flammkuchen
The historic center of Strasbourg, known as the Grand Île (Grand Island), was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.  Its medieval lanes and half-timbered houses hearken to the town's Germanic roots.  Stop by a shop for some flammkuchen, a thin-crusted pizza topped with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons - an Alsatian specialty! - and crisscross your way over Strasbourg's many bridges for picturesque photo opportunities.

3.  Take the Water Tour
Speaking of bridges (and water!), take a boat tour of Strasbourg.  Audio commentary is available in 12 different languages for adults, and a special guide for children is available in four languages.  You'll get a waterfront view of Strasbourg's iconic buildings, including the Cathedral, palace, and glimpses of the European Parliament.  It's a great way to orient yourself to the layout of the town and map out what attractions you'd like to visit.

Have you heard of Strasbourg?  Visited yet?

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Linking up with Bonnie & other travel bloggers for #TravelTuesday!