Beautiful South Africa

Finally... Africa! We arrived in Capetown after a long circuitous journey that involved enough time to passingly observe that Qatar is a really dusty place.

Capetown, S. Africa is a place that I always dreamed of visiting, and it proved to not disappoint. The dramatic backdrop of table mountain and the eclectic mix of buildings was fascinating. Although after some considerable time in big cities, both Micah and I were itching to get a smaller, quiet beach town.

And beaches we did see. We took a bus along the absolutely gorgeous garden route and spent day after day at the beach. Although I did nothing but dip my toes into the water (it's winter!), it was a really amazing place to see.

Feast or Famine

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

-Ernest Hemingway

About six months ago, I admitted to Micah over dinner that "I hate Paris." Hate might be too strong of a word, but I definitely would never describe it as a 'movable feast.' My dislike was sparked by an unfortunate incident in the Parisian subway many moons ago.

After my freshman year of college, my dear friend Julie and I decided we would backpack through Europe. We didn't exactly know the ins and outs of traveling through Europe, but were brave enough to give it a go. I would like to say that we were dramatically robbed in the Parisian subway when we lost a small fortune, but instead we naively handed over a large sum to a man who we assumed in good faith was buying us a three day subway pass.

Shockingly he pocketed the money, and we got a very expensive one way ride back to the lonely Aloha Hostel. Mourning the loss of several hundred dollars, we decided to forgo more jamon y fromage and high tail it out of there to the greener pastures of Budapest, Hungary.

Micah convinced me to give it another go with tales of good food and wine. We decided to make both Amsterdam and Paris a stop on the way to Tanzania. Luckily, the second time around was much nicer. Having some one to hold hands with while strolling through Paris definitely helped. So did drinking good wine under the Eiffel Tower, and the numerous delicious lemon sorbets and crepes! I have to say now that I have had a change of heart.

Directionally Challenged: Africa via Iceland?

When Micah and I decided to embark on our African adventure a world of possibilities opened up in the route that we would take there. A favorite winter time pass time soon became looking up the various airline fares to destinations that would eventually deposit us on the great continent of Africa. We didn't pay too much attention to distances or to the fact that we didn't have an infinite amount of time. Wanderlust took over, and we embarked on a journey that took us as far north as Reykjavik to the tip of South Africa-- not exactly the most logical way to Tanzania!I had an inkling to go to Iceland ever since I read a NY times article about the Icelandic belief in Huldufólk, or Hidden People. I loved the idea of grown men not exactly denying the existence of elves, gnomes and fairies. Iceland soon became a place that I knew that I must one day go.

We were lucky to get a 'free' layover in Iceland for almost a week, and the opportunity to go on one of the most memorable backpacking trips I've ever been on. The out of this world landscapes of Iceland were literally eye popping. I was amazed at beautiful rhyolite mountains that rolled off into the horizon in every color of the rainbow, the way that the ground steamed and bubbled, and the velvety green of the valleys was really too beautiful for words. So without further ado the land of the gnomes...