Thursday, September 20, 2018

Paris: Day One

I decided at the last minute not to get a hotel in Reykjavik.  I did not want to worry about getting transportation at 3am for my 6am flight.  I figured the only way to calm my nerves was to hang out at the airport with the rest of the youngsters.  I read beforehand that you could check in at midnight, and that’s what I did.  I found a spot and put my head down until it was time to head to my gate.  I was exhausted but I knew I could knock out peacefully on my 3 hour flight to Paris.  Once we landed I went to catch the RER B train to the city.  Can you believe what happened next?  The train stopped running after two stops out of the airport.  I was confused since my French is still horrible, but people on the train explained to the other passengers what was going on.  Some people got off and got ubers.  I was still skeptical that our train would eventually start moving.  I decided to wait it out.  I think if we had moved further along, I would have considered other options, but I did not want to blow my budget already on a pricey cab ride.  I waited for 30 minutes.  Luckily they did make another announcement, but it was not good news.  They still did not have clearance to move forward and were not sure when they were allowed to.  More people got off, but I stayed on and knocked out for a bit.  I felt they would move one way or another since it is a popular train line but this was altering my plans for the day. 
I had waited for a full hour before the conductor announced we were ready to go.  I booked the same hotel as I had back in December, (by Gare du Nord).  Once I checked in my room I quickly showered and got ready for my day. 
I ended up getting to Musée Rodin around 3pm.  Pretty late in the day considering most museums close around 5:45pm.  I figured I would take my time there since I probably would not be able to knock out another museum.  There was a pretty big crowd already ahead of me.  It made me nervous that I wouldn’t be able to see much, but luckily it was moving along.  Part of the exhibitions were also in the garden.  There were times I felt a bit jammed inside, but outside was a different story.  Everyone had more room to enjoy the statues.  I completely fell in love with Rodin’s work and admired the Gates of Hell up close.  Since it was very hot that day, I decided to sit down for a bit at the café.  Unfortunately, I had time for one glass of rosé before the museum closed.  I managed to see as much as I could.  So much for that train mishap earlier.
My friend in Paris contacted me to meet up around 6:30pm.  I started heading towards his direction and even picked up a bottle of white wine for us.  I think I would like to do a French wine tasting in the near future since I’ve done a couple in Italy.  It would give me a chance to compare the two...
















Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Reykjavik: Part Two

Since the flight is barely 6 hours long, I was going to land in Iceland around 11:30am.  Technically it would be around 5am Chicago time, but the switching of the hours can really mess you up.  I found the restroom, and washed up and did my makeup.  I also had my mini breakfast there at the airport before I headed out.
I found the bus service to the city.  I booked through Airbus, and was surprised that a roundtrip ticket would cost about $55.  I felt good about the price.  
Unfortunately, even though it leaves every hour, the bus sits until it’s fully filled before heading out.  Just a reminder that it’s not on a set schedule for departing.
I knocked out again on the bus while waiting for the rest of the passengers to board.  It helped me out in the long run because I knew I caught up on my sleep.  Off we went!
You could store your luggage at the bus terminal while you walk around (about $12).  Right away we saw the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral in the horizon!  Everyone practically ran off the bus.  Lol.
Navigating through foot was not difficult at all.  I found the church on my own since it’s HUGE and got a chance to go inside.  As modern as it was I found it to be very peaceful.



I completely fell in love with the beautiful colored buildings.  Some of them were displayed with murals.  Reykjavik has small hills.  That’s when I noticed the body of water at the horizon down at the bottom.  I knew from my maps that I was going towards the harbor.  Sure enough, I ran into the Sun Voyager sculpture.  It was pretty impressive.  Tourists could not stop taking pictures.  I managed to snap away myself.  I could see down the road Harpa Concert Hall.  I knew I had to continue.


Walking throughout Reykjavik was easy.  Everything “seemed” close by, but once you covered some distance, you realized how much ground work you did.  The weather was in my favor.  In the mid-50s but there was a breeze.  I wore a hooded sweatshirt with a thinned out down filled jacket, but there were times were I had the zipper undone.  Sometimes I even took it off if the sun was hitting me.  It was pleasant walking weather.
I reached Harpa Concert Hall and went inside.  The architecture was amazing!  I walked upstairs to get a closer look. 




I spent a good amount of time inside before I headed back out.  Since I did not want to blow my budget in Reykjavik, I knew I wanted to try their infamous hot dogs.  Apparently it’s a big deal over there, and I was up for cheap eats.  I found Pylsuhusid and devoured my hot dog.  Despite it looking a little different than what I’m used to, it was pretty good.

I continued walking around town and made my way to a couple of souvenir shops.  There were plenty of volcanic rocks,Viking mini ships, and troll teddy bears to amuse myself while I looked around.  I scored an awesome Bjork t-shirt.  I can’t wait to wear once I get back.
The last bus of the evening heading out of the bus terminal was at 9pm.  I was growing tired and decided to make my way back there to grab my luggage.  I wanted to climb up the hill to head to The Dome but was afraid I would miss the deadline, so I skipped it.  I thoroughly enjoyed my one day in Reykjavik.  It was a pleasant surprise.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Reykjavik: Part One

As you obviously know, I’ve returned from my vacation about three weeks ago.  I have been busy with work ever since, but I did have some time to reflect on my time away.  I have been reading my new book-of-the-month “Six Months Off- How to plan, negotiate, and take the break you need without burning bridges or going broke”, as well as catching up with my friends and family.  Now it’s time to recap!
I had an absolutely WONDERFUL TIME AWAY!  I cannot downplay this trip this even if I wanted to.  I realized that the last time I flew out was for my best friend’s wedding, and although we made some good memories; there was a really BAD one, too.  I think I figured out why I loved this trip so much.  I fell into solo traveling because of my friend in Italy.  It was by chance that she backed out on my very first trip to Paris, and that’s how it all began for me.  Now that I’ve managed a few trips on my own, I crave my solitude away. 
I had a voucher I needed to use because it still had a balance on it.  This trip cost me a bit more than the last, so I’m back on my tight budget for now until all of my cards are paid off.  But I cannot wait to do this again.  I’m hooked.  As for now, I do not have any ideas on where to go next.  Until then, I will cherish the process of planning trips, because it truly brings me joy and strengthens my perspective in life.
I was pretty lucky on booking a late flight.  Takeoff time was at 11:30pm Chicago time.  I worked a full day and made my way home.  I was very nervous as usual.  It was close to 90 degrees that day.  I had a bite to eat and made my way to the nail salon for a quick mani.  I figured I’ll jump on the blue line early since I didn’t want to ride the train to the airport so late.
I’m glad I did get there early.  I’m always surprised at security check since it’s hard to predict how fast the line will be going.  That night it was a mess!  Two ladies were complaining to the officers that they were going to miss their flights (and they probably did).  Others were upset at how backed up they were.  Waiting around didn’t make my nerves calm down.  You can see the desperation on people’s faces, but security did not care.  I went through with no problems, but did not realize I missed the cutoff time at the currency.  I wanted to change my money but it was too late.  They were closed.

I waited at my usual spot at Hub 51 for my glass of wine.  Two guys were giving each other a hard time.  It seems one of them left the other one back at the hotel, but luckily he got to the airport.  I can see there was tension between the two since the guy didn’t appreciate his friend leaving.  With everyone’s nerves around me on high alert, I ordered another glass of red.
I wanted to knock out on this flight.  As of now, I did not book a hotel stay in Reykjavik (more on that later).  I wanted to sleep but also realized I had to be fully rested if I wanted to make a full day in Iceland.  Once we boarded, I’m proud to say we had a smooth flight.  This time I brought my neck pillow and it helped me a lot.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

North Halsted Market Days 2018

I needed to do so much before my trip, but of course that did not happen.  Not only did I go out the night before, but my friends woke me up early to go for brunch.  I haven’t seen my friends in a while since they are busy due to their schedules and motherhood.  I miss them very much so I agreed to tag along.  The joke has always been that I never eat and just normally pick at my food.  I ordered a light breakfast from a restaurant that we settled in on Roscoe Village.  We happened to show up during Retro on Roscoe fest, so that was fun.  Afterwards we spent some time at Buy Buy Baby since one of our friends is expecting her 2nd child.  I had a great afternoon with The Ladies.
They dropped me off so I could get ready for my hair appointment.  I wanted to get a trim before my trip.  Since my salon is at Boystown, I was going to meet my co-worker there for North Halsted Market Days.  I ran out the door luckily made it on time!  We decided to leave my hair curly since it was very hot that day.  I usually get a blow-out but it would have been pointless.  I met my friend at the fest since he already made his way to the stage where Crystal Waters was going to perform.  I was cutting it close!  I found him right away and we saw her performance.  It was amazing!
We made our way to the other stage and stopped along the way to grab some drinks.  Up next was Ultra Nate and she was electrifying!  I love 90s dance music! 
The big headliner this year was Martha Wash.  It was packed at the stage but luckily we got as close we could.  Everyone was so excited to see her!  She blew the crowd away!
I decided not to do anything afterwards because I was just too tired.  I had some friends out that wanted me to meet up with them but I declined.  I spent the day Sunday doing laundry and getting ready for my trip.  I was super anxious too and didn’t want to miss out any details on packing.  Sometimes you need some time alone to focus.













Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Friday Night at The Aviary

Because of my upcoming trip, I was not sleeping very well.  Regardless of me being exhausted from going out Wednesday night, I met up with the same friends again that Friday.  I skipped out on dinner because I had to run more errands.  I took an uber to Ronero where they were finishing up.  My friend was hosting some guests from out of town and ran into some other friends who were also visiting from out of state.  Small world.  Now that our group got bigger, she made reservations at The Aviary which is part of The Alinea Group.  I have never been but I’m glad I went in the end.  This was truly an experience.  They had some out-of-this-world cocktails that were delish!  Everything was so over the top that we couldn’t help but snap away on our phones.  We ended our night there, but despite me being tired, I’m grateful I didn’t miss out on this opportunity. 








Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Rubber Ducky Drinks at The Bassment

It was a beautiful summer evening here in Chicago.  My friends wanted to meet up for dinner and drinks, but with my upcoming trip, I needed to run some errands first.  I decided to meet up for drinks instead, but the night was starting out pretty late for me.  Like I said, I rarely get a chance to go out during the middle of the week.  And this time, it was a Wednesday night, not our usual Thursdays.  I have to say, this will probably be my last Wednesday night outing.  I was hurting the rest of the week!  I didn’t get a chance to catch up with my sleep and couldn’t wait for the weekend to come. 
Regardless, we met up at The Bassment that night and enjoyed the band very much.  I like speakeasys.  It gave us a chance to see how everyone was doing and listen to some good jams.







Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Surprise Birthday Party Barbecue

My friend decided to throw a birthday party for her boyfriend who was turning 40 this year.  He was really surprised!  Lol.  We all hid behind the garage while they pulled in.  My friend had snuck in her other friend to decorate the backyard while they were out grocery shopping.  We even had pizza delivered in time for the party.  Of course the birthday boy couldn’t help get a barbecue grill  going.  That’s his specialty.  I loved that Sunday.  It was a quick party that came together at the last minute but we all enjoyed ourselves that day.