Tag: Iceland

Game of Thrones Filming Locations

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Devotees of HBO’s Game of Thrones know that the show is truly an international production. Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Morocco, and Malta, to name a few, have all portrayed locations in Westeros and Essos. Stephanie, Meagan, and their friend Audrey have all added Game of Thrones filming locations to their recent vacations. Now we’re sharing our GOT stories from Morocco, Northern Ireland and Iceland! The locations we visited include Yunkai (Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco), the Kingsroad north of King’s Landing (Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland), Winterfell (Castle Ward, Northern Ireland),  Jon Snow and Ygritte’s  “cave” (Grjótagjá near Lake Myvatn, Iceland), and Beyond the Wall (Skaftafell National Park, Iceland).

Yunkai – Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco

Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco - Game of Thrones Filming Location

Despite this Berber village’s obvious resemblance to Yunkai, Meagan, excited to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, added it to her itinerary based purely on its history and beauty. Once she realized that it had been transformed into the Slaver’s Bay city of Yunkai, her excitement doubled! Continue reading →

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Ultimate Iceland Itinerary: Part 2

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Since arriving home, many people have asked why Iceland? Since it’s been on my radar for a while this question surprised me at first but then I realized it’s not a very common vacation destination for Americans. To answer, I explained how my husband and I have been hankering to go to New Zealand but it can be difficult to take 2-3 weeks off work to travel so far. So we tried to think of a closer destination with equally stunning natural beauty. Iceland met this requirement with its waterfalls, geysir, wildlife viewing opportunities, hikes, geothermal baths, unique landscapes, mountains, beaches and more! May was a great time for us to visit since it’s already summer but before the crowds arrive. In our first four days in Iceland, we focused on Reykjavik, the Golden Circle, Southwest Iceland and Southeast Iceland. The second half of our  ultimate Iceland itinerary took us on the Ring Road to the Eastfjords, Northern Iceland and then a detour to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to complete our 8 day adventure!

The Ultimate Iceland Itinerary- www.afriendafar.com #iceland #itinerary #ringRoad

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Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Ultimate Iceland Itinerary: Part 1

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Iceland completely stole my heart while we were there last month. It really is one of the most naturally stunning places I’ve had the privilege of visiting. Here’s where we went during the first half of our 8-day Iceland itinerary! It’s also a great starting point for a 4-day itinerary if that’s what time you have. If you’re road tripping, don’t forget to download Iceland’s maps on Google maps ahead of time!

The Ultimate 8-Day Iceland Itinerary- www.afriendafar.com #iceland #itinerary #ringroad

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Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

5 Iceland Activities You Can’t Miss

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There’s so much to see and do in unique Iceland that it’s hard to choose between all of the options! Tours offered are numerous and it can be overwhelming to figure out which are the best ones. Here are the top five Iceland activities that you can’t miss on your Iceland adventure!

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Geothermal bath

Going for a relaxing soak in a geothermal bath is a must do activity in Iceland! Of course the Blue Lagoon is the most famous one with its spa-like facilities and its easy access to the airport and Reykjavík. We went our first day in Iceland and it was the perfect way to start our travels and cure jet lag. Buy your timed tickets in advance, with prices starting at $55USD for standard tickets. It’s worth it to pay a bit more for towels unless you pack your own plus a drink from the bar is included in the comfort and above pricing. The minerals that make the water the beautiful shade of blue also make your skin feel so soft after bathing for a while.

myvatn

In Northern Iceland, Myvatn Nature Baths is another geothermal bath option. The setting of the lagoon is beautiful with the mountains in the background and it tends to be less visited than the Blue Lagoon. The ticket prices for adults are a little over $30 with an additional fee for a towel.

Glacier Hike

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We love hiking and did tons of it while in Iceland but the most unique hike was our first ever glacier hike! We went on the three and a half hour glacier walk for $88USD per person from Skaftafell with Glacier Guides and had a blast. We were with a small group and the tour guide was a lot of fun. In addition to enjoying the natural beauty of the glacier with sunshine and blue skies a plenty we learned a lot too! Beyond the mechanics of using our crampons, we heard all about crevasses, moulins, dirt cones, and glacier mice. One of my favorite moments was when we were all completely silent and listened to the sound of running water from glacier runoff. We also got to drink fresh glacial water!

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Farm Stay

One of the more memorable places we overnighted was on a working Icelandic farm through an Airbnb stay. While we stayed in many lovely guesthouses, this one gave us a taste of what life is like for the many farming families in the country. After dinner with the family, we accompanied them on their evening rounds to check on the newborn lambs and their mothers as well as the cows. Lamb season is Iceland is in May so it was the perfect time for our visit! And of course they had Icelandic ponies on the farm too! In addition to many options on Airbnb, there’s a whole website devoted to Icelandic Farm Holidays.

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Whale Watching

If you plan to visit Iceland during their summer from April to  September, definitely go whale watching! You can go from the capital Reykjavík or the whale captial Husavik in the North. I did research about going on the carbon neutral Whales, Puffins and Sails tour with North Sailing but we decided to go from the Snæfellsnes Peninsula instead since we wanted to see orcas. Láki Tours offers a fantastic three hour, $75USD summer whale watching tour and we were lucky to see a pod of 15 killer whales! They are so beautiful and majestic to see in the wild and it was an experience we won’t soon forget. Other sighting possible include sperm, minke, and humpback whales as well as white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises!

Photo credit: Visit West Iceland STYKKISHÓLMUR SWIMMING POOL http://www.west.is/en/inspiration/services/stykkisholmur-swimming-pool

Swimming Pool

I read in several articles while planning our trip and heard on the xxwilltravel podcast episode about Iceland ahead of time that going to a town swimming pool is a great way to experience Iceland the way locals do.  Plus it’s a lot cheaper than the geothermal spa or nature bath for a soak in the hot tub, swim in the warm pool or go down the slide. Watching this fun Inspired by Iceland video learn about hot tub etiquette before you go!

Which activity in Iceland would be first on your list? Let us hear from you in the comments below! If you’ve been to Iceland, feel free to share your favorite activities too!

Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Why You Should Visit the Eastfjords in Iceland

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While not the least visited region of Iceland since that distinction belongs to the West Fjords, East Iceland is also a less visited region of the country. Iceland is easily one of the most naturally stunning places I’ve been to and adding a stop in the Eastfjords to our Ring Road itinerary enhanced that beauty. Imagine snow-capped mountains, glistening fjords, colorful towns, the chance to see reindeer and puffins, and hiking opportunities a plenty. Not to mention one of my favorite places we stayed our entire trip: relaxing, peaceful and dreamy Skálanes! Read on to see why Eastjords is a must visit place in Iceland.

Skalanes

Seyðisfjörður in the eastfjords

East fjords town

Seyðisfjörður (say-this-fjur-ther) is such a picturesque town! It is set right on a fjord with snow-capped mountains in the background. It’s architecture is unique in Iceland since it contains colorful 19th-century Norwegian kit timber buildings. The adorable blue church was one of my favorites and I kept picking out which house I wanted to live in. The town is full of artists, musicians and the crafty so there’s plenty to see while walking around! The cozy bistro Skaftfell is perfect for taking a break and getting a feel for the vibe of the town. You can take a ferry here that goes to Denmark via the Faroe Islands. Now that’s on my list of things to do…

Skálanes

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O Skálanes! This “mountain lodge” is set on a private wildlife refuge 19km east of Seyðisfjörður and accommodation is in the former farmhouse set perfectly beside the fjord with stunning views of it and the mountains from your window if you’re lucky. The road to the guesthouse is gravel and accessible for 2WD vehicles until the last bit. Then there’s a place to park cars and then you can hike in the last 4km which is an adventurous and view filled experience. 4WD pickup is also available and can be arranged through the lodge.

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The farmhouse is a cozy, charming place to stay with delicious food served, excellent hosts, two dogs to cuddle and lounge with, and an opportunity for community with fellow travelers in cozy shared sitting areas. There’s also plenty of outdoor seating for enjoying a book, conversation, the birds or just the view. The bedroom was simple but the bed was comfortable and the shared bathroom, common throughout Iceland, was tidy. There’s even a turf-roofed sauna! Talk about relaxation.

Wildlife

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The highlight of our stay at Skálanes was walking up to the birding cliff and seeing puffins! While it’s not a nesting colony, puffins come here to fish so we saw about 7 of them and got to observe them fishing. Also while we were driving the Ring Road through the Eastfjords, there were reindeer signs every so often! We saw two separate herds on the side of the road while driving. You can’t beat seeing two new kinds of wildlife in one region. Thanks, Eastfjords!

Have you been to the Eastfjords in Iceland? Does this post inspire you to add it to your list? We love hearing from you in the comments below?

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Our #Take12Trips Challenge

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Wow we can’t believe we’re already a quarter of the way through 2016! We thought it would be fun to provide an update on our 12 trips in 12 months effort so far and our plans going forward. We’d also love to hear from those of you joining us in the challenge on where you’ve been and where you’re planning to go.

If you missed our original #Take12Trips post, be sure to check it out. Our New Year’s Resolution is to travel more often and travel differently, and it’s working!

How We’re Going to Travel More in 2016

January

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Stephanie started off the year in Florida visiting the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park. Later in January she also took an overnight trip to the Chattanooga area with a fantastic stay at the Chanticleer Inn.

The Beechwood Inn - www. AFriendAfar.com

Meagan’s January trip took her to the beautiful and delicious Beechwood Inn in Clayton, Georgia.

February

Meagan and Steph biking

We took a fun girls trip to coastal Georgia! First we went to St. Marys where we stayed at the lovely Spencer House Inn. Then we hopped over to Cumberland Island for a night at the stunning Greyfield Inn.

March

1842 Inn - A Macon Bed & Breakfast

March took Stephanie on a brief trip to Phoenix to catch a spring training game with her husband Ed. Meagan & Ryan did a weekend trip to Macon to stay at the 1842 Inn!

whale watching

We both went to Irvine, California for the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) 2016! Read a little about our experience there on our new friend Lindsay’s blog I’ve Been Bit. The night before we flew back home we went whale watching with Captain Dave’s and saw 5 grey whales. It was pretty exciting!

April

20160402_125319-1.jpgMeagan is more than a little in love with her day job. The Carter Center just held a staff retreat in Plains, Georgia, home of President and Mrs. Carter, and Meagan and her husband went to check out the small town. It’s the perfect example of a tiny southern town. The shops that you see above are all that make up downtown Plains, and that’s incredibly charming. Naturally, there’s a lot of President Carter pride there.

Stephanie is headed to Dubai and Durham, North Carolina for work in April! She’s hoping to have a bit of time to explore both.

May

iceland

[Photo credit: Ulrich Latzenhofer]

In early May, Stephanie is headed to the DC area for work and is also doing a girls weekend with two friends who live in the area to the Eastern shore of Maryland. Mid-month she’s headed to Iceland to do a trip around the Ring Road and is looking forward to seeing the original Geysir, waterfalls, ponies, lagoons and more! Photo credit

Meagan and her husband are heading to Istanbul for the first leg of their trip and will be there on their 5th wedding anniversary. They’ll be spending nights on both the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Kadikoy and the European side in Sultanahmet.

June

kasbah du toubkal

[Photo Credit: Kasbah du Toubkal]

After Istanbul, Turkey, Meagan and Ryan are headed to Marrakech, Morocco! They’ll be spending a few days in the city before heading out to the majestic High Atlas mountain range to stay at the Kasbah du Toubkal in Imlil. Can you believe that view?

Stephanie is dreaming about a domestic National Park visit for June but doesn’t have definite plans yet.

July

Stephanie is in the early stages of planning an epic Sound of Music tour of Austria, visiting WWII sites in Germany and maybe a visit to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Meagan has too many ideas, but none of them are concrete. Does anyone have a ticket to Hamilton that they’d like to share?

August & September

We’re both headed to Ireland with our husbands for the Georgia Tech versus Boston College American football game in Dublin! We can’t wait to explore the city and also see some of the iconic Irish countryside. If you’ve been, please give us your tips below since we’re still planning our trip!

October-December

At this point we just have ideas but nothing firm planned! Stephanie is dreaming about celebrating her three year wedding anniversary at Big Bend National Park in October. She also wants to visit Biltmore Estates in Asheville in December to see it all decorated for Christmas!
Meagan wants to take the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad through the North Georgia Mountains and is also looking at a trip with Georgia Conservancy.

What About You?

Where have you been so far this year? Do you have any exciting trips on your calendar? We’d love to hear all about them in the comments below.

If you have tips for any of our upcoming destinations, we’re all ears!

How to Travel More Often

#12 Trips How to Travel More

Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Shot of the Week

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Iceland

Our friend Timothy and his wife recently honeymooned in Iceland! Here’s what he has to say about the church shown in this beautiful shot: “Dating back to the 17th century, Grafarkirkja is the oldest Christian church in Iceland. The church was deconsecrated not too soon after being built and was used as a tool shed thereafter. However, in 1950 the National Museum of Iceland had the building reconstructed to it original form complete with turf roof.”

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Destinations I’m Dreaming About

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Meagan’s Top 5

My Top 5 list of places to travel to changes all the time. All it takes is an Instagram picture, a friend’s story, or a new restaurant for me to throw all of my former priorities out the window for some place new. I wonder if my locations have a connecting theme, because they sure look different on paper. Maybe it’s that they’re all less-visited in comparison to other tourist destinations. After all, that’s how I ended up studying abroad in Thailand.

  1. Morocco – I travel for the food, to experience a completely different culture, and to learn about history. Shopping and home decor are also passions of mine, so the souks of Morocco have been calling my name for a very long time now. Camels in the Sahara, the High Atlas mountains, and crossing over from Gibraltar are all part of my armchair-traveling day dreams. [Photo: Jose Villa]
  2. Malta – This wasn’t on my list until a friend told me about her honeymoon there. It has every characteristic of my dream vacation: old architecture, fewer tourists, beautiful scenery. [Photo: Thinkstock]
  3. Iceland – Volcanoes, hot springs, and ethereal landscapes – I’ll take all of them. [Photo: Smári Ásmundsson]
  4. Turkey – Oh, Istanbul. Markets and minarets just seem so magical to a city-dweller in the south. Bring on the food, the chaos, and the ability to criss-cross between Asia and Europe all day long. Hot air balloon rides over Cappadocia, anyone? [Photo: Andrew E. Larsen]
  5. Mongolia – Yurts. Also, I can name 2 friends that have been to Mongolia, and I’m incredibly jealous of both of them. My interest in Mongolia is two-fold: the landscape and the remoteness. I dream about taking a train from London to Beijing along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. I’ll be sure to stop here for an extended stay.  [Photo: National Geographic]

Does this happen to you? Where are your Top 5 Destinations?
Tell us about them in the comments below!

Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com