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Browsing Tag: solo travel

Blue is the Color! Iceland’s Monumental Glaciers

Filling the valley between the mountains with blue-white light. Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland is the largest glacier in Europe, covering eight percent of Iceland’s landmass. This glacier looms in the distance. It appears to breathe, a living organism. I can imagine it shape-shifting under its own weight, a moving sea of many century’s old ice. What is a Glacier? And Why is the Ice So Blue? A glacier is a …

Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland: My Three Most Beautiful Picks

The country has over three thousand NAMED waterfalls and countless unnamed. They thunder over rocky mega-crevasses left by million year old volcanic eruptions. Deafening. Hypnotic. Intimidating. These are Iceland’s “Foss” or falls which, along with their fjords and the glaciers, define the country’s landscape. Here are three of my favorites: Seljalandsfoss This 1.2-mile out-and-back trail near Þórsmerkurvegur is an easy, but slippery hike once you’ve climbed down into the area …

The Amazing Story of the Remarkable “Herring Girls” of Siglufjörður

How do you like your herring? Brined, pickled, smoked? Me? I prefer mine brought to my table marinating in cream in some swanky, upper East Side restaurant. Today, these tasty little fish are processed and packed by machines, but up until fifty years ago, this arduous work was done by the hands of women…from young teens to seniors. On the docks of Siglufjörður, Iceland. From 1903 until 1969, women from …

Iceland’s Once in a Lifetime Blue Lagoon Experience

Iceland’s thermal pools and hot springs are soul nourishing, skin rejuvenating and simply beautiful. There are many to explore in Iceland… Sky Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Myvatn Nature Baths. Start with Blue Lagoon. After landing at Keflavik Airport, hop on a shuttle straight into the heart of Reykjavík (there are a handful of shuttle companies that depart from the arrivals area on a regular basis) and go for a stroll. It’s …

Beautiful, Macabre and Delicious Otranto on The Italian Stiletto

The southeasternmost point the Italian Stiletto, Otranto has been a target for invaders and crusaders both. Otranto is a great day trip from anywhere in the Puglia region with charming shops, fascinating history and (very important!) many reasonable restaurant choices facing the crystal, azure waters of the Adriatic just south of Brindisi. Otranto is as wonderfully appreciated by its amazing cathedral with its medieval mosaic floor as by its azure …

Visit Italy: See These Spectacular Ruins of Ancient Greece

Along the heel of Italy’s famous boot, in the region of Apulia you will find Paestum. A major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia in the Province of Salerno. Very different from Pompeii, Paestum’s ruins are smaller, older, more Greek and – crucially – a lot less overrun. Take time for reflection as you walk among the giant Doric columns of this once …