June 11, 2015

Sightseeing in Paris

June 11, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

While in Paris, we had a pretty big list of places we wanted to see. Sarah and Scott had done some excellent research on what to see, so we just tagged along :) Thankfully, Justine and Andrew knew exactly how to get from sight to sight, so we didn't get lost. Not sure if you know this or not, but Paris is HUGE. Like, absolutely massive. Mind-boggling giant. And there are people everywhere. So many people. I guess that's to be expected for a city founded in the 3rd century B.C. that is over 40 square miles and has a population of 2.2 million (not counting the thousands of tourists).

June 08, 2015

Underground Paris: The Catacombs

June 08, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

I'm a sucker for history and hidden things in a city. We like to see the big sights, but we also take great joy in exploring the lesser known parts of cities when we travel. One of the things I really wanted to do with our time in Paris was make a visit to the catacombs. While not secret by any means, climbing underground for a few hours, exploring tunnels bored hundreds of years ago and now filled with bones, definitely has the air of feeling secret, hidden, and definitely eerie (what can be more hidden than something underground with limited access?!). The catacombs were the first stop of many on our days of sightseeing in Paris.

June 02, 2015

Champagne Tasting in the French Countryside

June 02, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

For the last long weekend in May, Aaron and I headed to Paris, France to meet up with some friends from the States who were there on vacation. There were two other couples - Justine and Andrew had been to Paris a number of times before, but it was the first time for Sarah and Scott (and us too!). I have to say, I didn't do a ton of planning for this trip other than organizing train tickets and a place to sleep, I let the seasoned Paris travelers manage most of it :) It was actually quite relaxing and I understand now why Aaron usually doesn't do much with the planning. Extra bonus was that we got to check yet another item off our Bucket List - taste Champagne in Champagne!

May 29, 2015

Dive Log: Grünersee (Bucket List Item)

May 29, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

The REAL reason we went to Austria in May was to dive the famous Grünersee. After seeing it in countless magazines and on too many ''Top 10 Dives to Do Before You Die'' lists, we knew we HAD to add it to our bucket list and make it happen. I mean, it's pretty awesome to say that you've dove in the Alps too. Most people go to ski, but we're crazy and go to dive.

May 27, 2015

Dive Log: Grüblsee in Styria, Austria

May 27, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

We took advantage of another long weekend in May (there are quite a few of them this month!) and headed to Austria for some diving and to check another item off of our bucket list. We booked two day tours with a dive shop out of Vienna, Neptun Diving. On Saturday, we dove at Grüblsee near Vorndernberg, Austria. And what a dive it was! The small lake, more of a pond really, is located at about 800 meters (2600 feet) in elevation, with a small dive shop and school next to it. It is officially the highest dive school in all of Europe! Surrounded on three sides by mountains and looking over a nearby ski area, the scenery is pretty awesome. We were blessed with beautiful weather too - not too hot for dry suit diving, but not too cold so that you couldn't warm up between dives.

May 22, 2015

Visiting Reykjavik

May 22, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

In between diving, we had a little bit of time to explore Reykjavik. Despite it's position in the North Atlantic, it's long winters, and blustery weather, Reykjavik is quite a colorful city. We were no where close to exhausting Reykjavik, but did find a couple of gems that we wanted to share with others. We've also included some travel information in case you're planning your own trip to Iceland!

May 19, 2015

Horse Back Riding and Blue Lagoon

May 19, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

We had one day in Iceland where we couldn't dive before we flew back to Germany. While I would have dove Silfra all over again, Iceland has a lot of other things to do and explore. From my research, I learned that Iceland has some pretty unique horses and that there is this huge outdoor heated 'pond' called the Blue Lagoon. Being lovers of new experiences and spas, we just knew we had to try them both! Kaelene over at Unlocking Kiki clued me in to a company not far from Reykjavik that had just the thing: a combination tour of horse back riding in the morning and a trip to the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon to relax (and warm up).