Northern Lights – Just Visiting

It’s been a week since I’ve landed back on US soil. And it’s taken me this long to sit down and start writing about it. Mostly because I don’t know where to start. It’s daunting to summarize what I saw, what I did, and what I’ve learned during those 97 days abroad. So let me begin by breaking it down by numbers (disclaimer: numbers are totally not my strong point).

97 days
14 airports
14,027 miles flown
42 hours on airplanes
26 hours on trains
10 trains
2 buses
1 ferry
2 Airbnb’s (3 if you count the one that I stayed at twice)
2 friend’s houses
8 hotels
8,500+ photos

Places visited:
Reykjavik, Iceland
London, England
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bristol, England
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland again
Belfast, Ireland
Northern Ireland Coast (Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, Giant’s Causeway)
Newbury, England
Paris, France
Barcelona, Spain
Interlaken, Switzerland
Jungfrau, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy
Pompeii, Italy
Amalfi Coast, Italy : Positano, Amalfi
Athens, Greece
Crete, Greece

And yet, here I sit in my New York apartment once again, feeling almost as though I never left. But I know I’ve come back wiser, re-energized, and obviously a wee bit older with a slightly more damaged liver and a new view on living abroad. And on the United States.

To sum it up, that was the quickest 97 days of my life. I didn’t sleep much but I saw more than I ever imagined I could pull off in three months while still working a full-time job and not going into debt. I saw natural phenomenons, snow-covered mountains, and ancient cities that are nearly twelve times older than the United States. I tasted some of the most amazing food I never knew existed, met some incredibly hospitable people while spending time with friends both old and new, and drank enough Guinness to safely assume my body could snap into relapse any day now. I walked across a rope bridge in gale force winds, showed my mom her first international experience, and participated in the chaos that is St Patrick’s Day in Dublin. Of the 14 total weekends I was gone, I spent just four in London and ten traveling around Europe. I quickly adapted to waking up at 3am nearly every Monday morning to catch a flight back to London and straight in to work a full shift. It was a whirlwind of three months, but the best experience of my life.

I’ve learned a lot on this trip. I’ve learned that exploring without a cell phone is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. Turning off the GPS and disconnecting from Twitter and Facebook let me get lost in the city and the moment and enjoy wherever I was with no interruptions.

I’ve also learned that Europe is ridiculously expensive and living there while still getting paid in US dollars is NOT recommended. I spent a shit ton of money, but every penny was absolutely worth it.

I’ve also rekindled my love for New York City, and I’ve got a newfound respect for the United States.

So stay tuned for tons of stories, tips, babblings, and pictures. But in the mean time, here are just a few highlights.

Sunset in Crete — Yes, I took pictures and GoPro’ed the sunset in Crete. Two nights in a row.

This would be so much cooler with about 50 less tourists in the photo.

Feta and honey saganaki and pan-fried cheese in Athens. OH. MY. GOD. AMAZING.

Showing off my awesome sunburn in the hot tub. Oh, and that's just the Parthenon in the background, no big deal. — Showing off my awesome sunburn in the hot tub. Oh, and that’s just the Parthenon in the background, no big deal.

The mind-blowing beauty of the Northern Lights in Iceland.

These were the people who inspired my own jumping spree all over Europe.

I drank so. Much. Guinness. And learned how to pour the perfect pint at the Guinness Academy.

Westminster Abbey on a cold, rainy evening. So like, every evening in London.

What good is a vacation without a few days in a Greek paradise?

When I booked my flight to Reykjavik I had one goal: to see the Northern Lights. But after stalking the solar activity and weather forecast the week prior to jetting off, I wasn’t too convinced we’d get to see them. Our first night in town was cloudy, but we woke up to clear skies on Wednesday. So we called up Volcano tours and arranged for the three of us to set out on a hunt for the Northern Lights just outside of Reykjavik.

We drove about 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik to escape the city lights before pulling into a desolate area on top of a hill that I’m pretty sure I’ve seen in a horror film. There were two abandoned houses and no signs of civilization for miles, but luckily I had enough layers on to survive for at least a week in the wild. Cameras and tripods in tow, we got out, set up our shots, and waited. For about two hours.

Lights of Reykjavik — The lights of Reykjavik while awaiting the Northern Lights

Waiting for the Northern Lights — Waiting…

At one point the tour guide started pointing at this glow in the sky, thinking it may be the start of some solar activity. Negative. So we sipped hot chocolate and waited some more.

Then out of nowhere he started pointing at a glow that was invisible to my naked eye, but sure enough it showed up on camera!

It only took a few minutes for the colors to intensify, and for me to jump up and down screaming like a little girl who just got a pony for Christmas. And for the next two hours the lights continued swaying across the night sky as we snapped photo after photo. Mostly green, but a bit or red and purple worked its way in there too. It was definitely one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed in my life, and the fact that it lasted well into the night was incredible luck on our part.