Tag Archives: beautiful

Check out my Iceland adventure

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My blog has been stagnant for a week because I’ve been in Iceland. I got back Monday, but yesterday was my birthday, so I just focused on me.

Iceland was awesome and so beautiful! This is just one example:

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Back in September, my sister called me and said there was  a great Groupon to Iceland for about $800 with airfare and hotel from NYC. The trip included daily breakfast.

I was sold. Seeing the Northern Lights has always been on my bucket list, so I bought the Groupon on the spot and on Feb, 25, my sister and I were Iceland bound.

It;s only a five hour flight from JFK and six hours coming back.

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to power the island.

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to survive

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to survive

It has about 320,000 residents in the whole country, with the majority in Reykjavik.

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I came to see the Northern Lights, but I was also excited to see the Blue Lagoon. I have to say, I think the Blue Lagoon ended up being my highlight. It was spectacular. We spent two hours in the geothermal water. There’s a bar there and they limit everyone to three drinks, which was a good thing because no one was drunk and obnoxious.

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After soaking in the water for two hours, we ate lunch at LAVA, a restaurant that overlooks the lagoon. We had a three course meal and it was lovely.

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On our third day, we took a  Golden Circle tour, which took us to the tallest waterfall in Europe. DSC_0165 (2)

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And on our last night, I finally saw the Northern Lights. Dennis Sawchuk, a man I met on our tour, took these photos of the Northern Lights.  I wasn’t able to capture them. I will update this post later. Right now I have a toddler climbing all over me trying to get attention

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Day Trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

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If you haven’t been to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, you really should go. Last week was my husband’s birthday, so I surprised him with a trip there. I’ve been to 45 states, so I feel comfortable saying this is one of the most beautiful museums in America. There are iconic paintings like Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter and modern artists, too. But the architecture will wow you as much as the paintings inside the building. There are walking and biking trails around the museum, and the restaurant, Eleven, was good. Here are some pictures from our lovely afternoon …

Isn’t this one wild? I took it as we drove away/ It was a gorgeous day.

One thing I love about this place is the use of natural light and nature. This is one of the hallways at the museum. It’s actually a series of buildings, some connected by bridges. Arkansas is a stunning state and this place showcases that beauty.

We have typical Ozarks weather that day. One moment it was gorgeous, the next it was cloudy, and then it was pretty again. I love the gray tones and shadows in this photo. I didn’t tone anything. All of these were shot on my iPhone. Gotta love modern technology.

The entrance to the museum. I love this silver tree. See, gorgeous weather one minute.

The restaurant has amazing natural light and good food. The menu is limited, but we both had an Ozark Harvest Salad and it was excellent. I am going to try to recreate the dressing.

Painting by Thomas Hart Benton. I love his stuff.

So many people take pictures of the building. It’s awe inspiring.

As my husband would say “Trippy cloud formation.”

That’s all I had time to download. It was a wonderful day. And the museum is FREE, so you can take the entire family and enjoy a free day of entertainment. I am proud to have this in the Ozarks.