Just when you thought it was over

Despite moving to Tel Aviv and "settling down" in one place, I still have a few trips left in me.

So when my dear friends Q and C decided to get married I took a few extra days before the wedding and spent them in Copenhagen, before going to celebrate their nuptials, Scandi-style.

I arrived in Copenhagen and was promptly picked up by L, my friend J's boyfriend, who took us to Torvehallerne, an open-air market similar to Sarona in Tel Aviv, or Borough Market in London. We drank wine, had fish skin tacos made by a former chef at Noma, and then went on to forage for dinner ingredients.

Here's some food porn for you:

You're welcome.

After dropping off way to much in the way of fish salads, meat, and cheese, L took me to his friend's boat. That's right, within two hours of arriving in Copenhagen, I was given a city tour by speed boat.

Poor me.
We took the boat across town to pick up J from near the airport. Passersby stood there awestruck, as J handed her bags to us before jumping into the boat. In their defense, she looked like a total badass rockstar. I imagine their inner monologues to go something like this:
Dane 1: (in Danish accent) Hey, who is that? Is she famous? Where's my phone? I should take a pic.
Dane 2: (also in Danish accent) What is that crazy girl doing with a suitcase by the dock. I hope she doesn't fall in. Oh who are those people picking her up...mmm they're cute...I hope she falls in.

or something like that...

My days in Denmark went by quickly, as J and I ate (mostly shrimp and herring) and drank (mostly beer and aquavit) our way through town. We discovered that Copenhagen has the greatest bike share program in the world. The electric bikes come with a built-in touch screen device so you can navigate to any location, and know where the nearest docking station is. The bikes were basically smarter than me. And if I sound like an ad for the Copenhagen tourism board, that's because I am...or should be. It's a fantastically beautiful city. And yes, spending time there with friends who are locals probably biases me...but I will definitely go back. Especially to Tivoli...I can't help loving a city with rollercoasters smack in the middle of town.

And here's the perfect segue to Stockholm (and yes, I did go back to Grona Lund and ride the coasters again.)

Friday morning J and I flew to Stockholm for a whirlwind wedding weekend. When your oldest friend marries an incredible woman and then a gospel choir sings All You Need is Love, a girl tends to get weepy...and while standing by the groom at the alter all I could do to stop myself from crying my eyes out was look up at the domed ceiling, which was inscribed in something Swedish, only worked for so long. Because later, between shots of schnapps on a beautiful island near Stockholm, and moving speeches, I was a blubbery mess. Luckily, I wasn't the only one.

C&Q are probably the nicest, most generous people I know.
They're so nice, they didn't want gifts. And what do you get for people who literally want nothing?
When I was in the Philippines, it occurred to me that I was in the unique position to give them something special. I decided that for the rest of the trip, I would interview people I found kind or interesting and create a video for them. I shot mountains, sunsets, children laughing, boat rides, bike rides, surfers, monks, potheads, villagers, and urbanites, all asking them two things:
1. what makes you happy?
2. what makes for a happy relationship?

What I got was a strange mix (some of which I didn't bother including) of answers ranging from cooking, sports, listening, to fucking and weed. I still think i can edit the thing better, but time was against me, and as Q hugged me (while we were both crying uncontrollably) I realized sharing wisdom and beauty is so much better than anything I could buy and making my friend happy (and weepy) was the best gift. Forgive me for the cheesiness. emotions.
Must not cry....

Anyway, I will be back soon with Tel Aviv tales.
in the meantime...here are some Stockholm highlights:

The end of year 34, and the beginning of year 35.

It's the end of my 34th year, and also nearly the end of my travels...for now. I spent the last week in Iceland. And if any of you were following my Instagram pics, you'll know how that place is pure magic. Every picture revealed something incredible. I understand why it inspired writers, and and travelers alike. Between the insane moss covered lava fields underfoot with hot water cutting through the terrain and the aurora borealis dancing above, I cannot convey how amazed I was by Iceland. 

I went because my friend asked me to join her. I had no expectations and honestly wasn't super excited about a cold weather destination, as up until now, I'd been chasing summer. I have to say, i will reconsider my anti-cold weather vacation stance. The Scandis say there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. And once I figured out the right layered approach, me and my travels mates (three incredible women who let me convince them to make this an extreme sports vacation) enjoyed the fresh air and even managed to hike up a mountain and strip down to bikinis and swim in a hot spring.

After all these months of travel, it's funny how easy it all becomes. I landed in a freezing down pour, managed to lose my suitcase (very briefly), and managed to get a head cold. And yet, I got my bearings in Reykjavik, met some locals, had breakfast waiting for my travel mates all within a few hours. 

After all these months of travel, I've learned not to over plan. I broadly knew what Iceland was known for, and as a group we went to a tourist info office and asked what was available and recommended. I refuse to do bus tours, and since we had a car, we had some amazing options. In the end, we decided to climb a glacier, go ice climbing, horseback ride through a lava field, ride snow mobiles, and bliss out at the blue lagoon for two days, and leave our last day open. 

With that game plan, we embarked on some truly incredible adventures. And yes, it was a bit more touristy than the rest of my travels, but I'd be an idiot to climb a glacier unaided or rent snow mobiles in a remote area without a guide. I love extreme summer sports, and i was out of my element with winter activities...so this was the way to go. And what a way to go. I can honestly say, I loved every minute of that trip. Our group dynamic was perfect. I only knew one other person in the group, we had done a road trip together a few years ago, so I knew if she liked the other women, we'd be fine. But i have to say, I could not have anticipated how much fun, how easy and enjoyable this group would be. When you're in close quarters with 3 other people, whether it's a long car ride, or just living in an apartment together, moments of awkwardness or tension are usually inevitable. But we never had that. It was always fun. Every meal we tried new foods (including, fermented shark, puffin, whale, and lamb pate) and talked for hours. And really, isn't that one of the best things?

Every aspect of our trip was amazing. The blue lagoon felt like living on the surface of the moon, the milky blue water was incredible, and at night the sky put on a show for us. Everything we did was new to me. Turns out, I LOVE snow mobiling. Fjord ponies are adorable, and I want to decorate my house all in Scandinavian style. You have to go to Iceland. That is all.

A while ago, I started a list of the things that will always make me happy (I will publish that soon) the first thing on the list: good food with good people. Every meal for a week was like that. I feel so lucky. In fact, this trip with the icing on top of an incredible few months. Since it's my birthday, and I'm in a reflective sort of a mood, please indulge me: I'm realizing more and more just how lucky I am. How honored I am to have known and met such amazing people throughout the years. Quitting my job, leaving the life I had cultivated for 12 years was challenging and at times a bit scary, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm lucky I could afford to do it, and lucky that my family and friends were so supportive. I'm so excited for my new life in Tel Aviv, but I think just moving there would not have been enough if I hadn't seen so much of the world first. It's quite a change for me to just freelance full time, to not have a full time job financial guarantee, but it's exciting. I've had the privilege to live however I see fit for nearly one year. I've been able to see things I could hardly imagine. And I was able to spend quality time with friends I rarely see. I have no regrets. I am in awe.

And all the rest

Yes. It's been a while. But in fairness, I've been busy. January and February came in and out in a blur. I found a rhythm in Tel Aviv. One of working, seeing friends, and yes, falling for someone. Without turning this blog into some teenage diary confessional, I'll just say, I met someone amazing and he tipped the scales...so I'm relocating....to Tel Aviv. I've often considered moving to Tel Aviv, making Aliyah to Israel, etc but something always held me back. The logistics of it, the self-doubt, the intimidation factor of moving across the world. But if there's one thing I've learned about myself this year, it's that when I make a decision about my life, I throw myself into it, headlong and fearlessly. I know what feels right- and this feels right. The danger with me is going halfway. 
Strangely I'm not really nervous. I'm excited. I'm now mostly dealing with the bevy of paperwork that immigrating entails. It's hard to think that I will live so far from my immediate family, strange that Brooklyn won't be home anymore, and wild that I'm also going to be a full time freelancer. That's right folks, no more office job for me. I figure if I'm making a change why not go all the way. Tel Aviv resident and freelance writing and design. Oh, so if you need any design work, feel free to contact me :)
I still have a few trips before I relocate. So stay tuned!

Better late than...

I know, i know. It's been a while. I left London December 1 after a truly lovely and memorable thanksgiving amongst Americans, Swedes, Germans, Brits, Austrians, Danes and a Nigerian. I'm so glad i decided to make the trip back.

I'm also glad i came bak to Tel Aviv, well Jaffa to be specific. The last time I was in town, I fell in love with Jaffa. There was something so magical about being in a part of Tel Aviv that felt seemingly untouched by time...probably because every building there is at least 200 years old and nothing is allowed to be destroyed only renovated. it's like Jerusalem, without all the religious fervor...and also chucks of the old part of town is owned by the Greek Orthodox Church...which is crazy...anyway.

A talked to a friend, and he managed to find me an apartment in Jaffa. So after landing, I took the train into central Tel Aviv, with the intention of simply taking a taxi to my new apartment- a feat that proved itself to be less than simple. So there I was suitcase in hand, asking a cab diver to take me to where I needed to go. He told me to wait a minute while he grabbed more passengers and he would "negotiate a good price for me." All this was said in Hebrew, and the driver walked away as another driver asked me where i wanted to go. The suddenly the first driver asked the second why he was talking to me. and an all out brawl ensued. Two grown men were literally fighting over who would take me. I quickly jumped into another taxi, told him where i wanted to go, and i demanded that he run the meter. In a heavy American accent he told me "ein beiaya" (no problem).

So off we went to my new home for the month. My new roommate greeted me and immediately asked if i wanted to go out as her friend was throwing a party. I instantly new we'd get along. I told her I did, but sadly I couldn't since a friend of mine was waiting for me a bar. So i dropped off my bags, took a shower and headed out. Did I mention I love this city?

My friend greeted me with wine and an invitation to go on an adventure with him and some friends the following day. And really this is why I haven't written. My adventures here have been so ridiculous I haven't had the time or perspective to write about them. Our adventure on the subsequent day- a helicopter ride to Chateau Golan, a vineyard in the Golan Heights, was nothing short of spectacular. and i have the pictures to prove it.

Proof:

Yeah you read that right, I took a helicopter over half of the country to sip on some wine while being given a private tour of what many consider to be the best vineyard in the region. 

Whaaaaaat!?!? how the hell do you top that? It was nothing short of epic. Really, I've had had so much fun here. I've met new people, enjoyed the company of old friends and family. And isn't that what it's all about?

What I've loved about Jaffa are the little things- the local cafes where all the dogs know all the waiters. How the architecture hasn't changed in hundreds of years, so every building must constantly maintain an old world that fights the glass boxes of nearby Tel Aviv. There's an actual feeling of community: One where restaurant owners sit with their customers, and everyone knows everyone. Within a few weeks, I was even part of the club, meeting and chatting with locals over americanos in beautiful outdoor cafes. I love the fish shops where gruff old men scale fish next to their sons and grandsons. Where people argue passionately over who makes the best hummus. i love how the evening Muslim call to prayer echoes like dueling playlists from minaret to minaret. 

I bike by the beach as often as I can, and i still cannot get over the sunsets over the Mediterranean.

My mom said I sound like a fancy lady on a pension. Coffee shops in the morning. Lunching with friends during the day, and parties at night. 

But how long can that last?