I have left my heart in so many places

When I was in college I knew I wanted to live abroad for a year. With the help and support of my parents in August 2012 I left for Switzerland to get my masters. I left behind my family and friends and my little bubble of comfort. I knew absolutely no one and only had my memories of my semester abroad to get me around the city. I ended up meeting some of my closest friends, and having one of the  most amazing years. I fell in love with Lugano and Switzerland all over again. After I graduated I extended my stay for the summer in order to work as an intern for a start-up. Among many other activities, I traveled the world with my school, I skied the Swiss Alps with Shannon, went boating on Lake Lugano, hiked more Swiss mountains and Swiss tripped with Jeannie.

In October 2013, I once again packed my life into suitcases and headed back across the pond for a job. Destination: Paris! Although I was going over knowing a few people, I didn't know the city or the language. Between French classes and work, I experienced a different kind of Paris. I learned the culture, the language and way of life. Through it all, I met life long friends who helped make the year as incredible as it was.

This past summer, I closed my suitcases up for the last time and headed back across the Atlantic. When I left for Switzerland in 2012 I thought I would be back the following May, I never thought that I would stay for 2 years. I also had no idea how much I would learn, how many amazing friends I would meet and how much I would change and accomplish. I fell in love with two amazing and beautiful cities and although I may not know exactly when I will return, I know in my heart I will. The past two years have helped shape me into the person I am today, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Iceland

On my way back from Paris to New York I stopped over in Iceland for 3 full days. I have always wanted to go to Iceland due to its unique geography and this was the perfect opportunity to check it out! I arrived in the early afternoon on Thursday and had the rest of the day to do a walking tour of Reykjavík. The city is quite small and I was able to see the entire city within a few hours. I started with the Hallgrimskirkja Church, the 6th tallest building in Iceland which was modeled after the basalt lava flows seen throughout Iceland's landscape. I went to the top of the church tower for great views of the city. The Sun Voyager statue is located on the coast of the Atlantic and resembles a viking boat but is actually a dream boat that is an ode to the sun. Lastly, I visited the old harbor, which I would visit often over the next few days due to the pretty ocean views. 

Friday morning I headed out on my first day tour, the Golden Circle, the most popular tour in Iceland. We hit many of the major spots including Gullfoss, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland (the name translates into Golden Waterfall) and Geysir and Strokkur. They are two famous geysers and "geysir" is where the name "geyser" comes from. However, although the original no longer goes off, its neighbor, Strokkur, goes off every 5-10 minutes. 

Lastly, we stopped at Thingvellir, my favorite stop. Thingvellir marks the Mid-Atlantic ridge and is where the American and the Eurasian tectonic plates diverge! It also where Icelandic parliament was held starting in 980 up through the 1700s and is a place of historical significance to the Icelanders. We were able to walk between the tectonic plates on the newly formed earth crust! It is the only place in the world where the plates are above land. I had been looking forward to this stop all day and it did not disappoint.

Saturday morning I took a Puffin cruise as I have always loved puffins since I was a kid. My grandmother had given me a wooden push toy when I was a toddler that was a puffin and they have held a special place in my heart ever since. Therefore, one of my main tasks in Iceland was to go see them! I took an hour boa tride and we went out to an Island where we could see them on the rocks and flying around. They are so tiny and quick! It was absolutely great to finally see them in person! 

In the afternoon I headed to the Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal spa. On the way to the surface, the water picks up silica and minerals and by the time it hits the surface it is around 100°F. The water has three active ingredients, silica, algae and the minerals. The blue color is caused by the silica and the way it reflects the light but over the summer it may be a little greenish due to the algae.

On my last day I went inside the Thrihnukagigur (Three Peaks Crater) volcano, the only volcano in the world that you can access. We hiked around 3km over lava fields to get to the base camp and then hiked to the top of the crater. To descend into the volcano we were lowered down in a window cleaner device that bumped off the sides of the volcano walls. We were brought down 120 meters and given time to explore the inside. It was a once in a lifetime experience and simply amazing.

This trip was an absolutely amazing experience and something I will never forget. It has always been a dream to go to Iceland and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to experience it.