I am slowly getting over jet lag and am unpacking, working through emails, as I flip laundry too!

I had the pleasure of ticking off a few items from my personal bucket list this month! My husband and I visited Iceland for the first time in hopes of witnessing the Aurora Borealis first hand. Although the lights didn’t shine for us during this trip, we had some memorable moments that left us in awe and even emotional at times. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite moments in the hopes that it inspires you to make a personal bucket list and enjoy a new experience too. (This is going to be a long post!!)

Iceland

First off, here are some photos of Reykjavik, Iceland. A city that is surrounded by mountains and weather that changes dramatically every 5 minutes or so…. I’m not exaggerating!

After spending a few days in Reykjavik getting over jet lag and having our scheduled road trip cancelled due to gale force winds, we were finally on our way to the south western part of Iceland where we witnessed landscapes that were stunning, felt as though they were from a different planet, and even maybe from prehistoric times!

My husband and I even hiked a glacier on this trip and this is where I felt quite emotional over a few things. One, the fact that we hiked an enormous glacier. Two, simply because of the sheer size and beauty surrounding us. Three, the immense gratitude I felt in that moment for nature and experiences such as travel to beautiful countries like Iceland.

If you are planning to visit Iceland, I highly recommend you pack for all types of weather! This landscape is rugged and so is the weather. Don’t forget a swim suit too as the hot springs are amazing to experience.

Although the northern lights didn’t dance for us while we were there, we saw a local phenomena! The sun!! Like I said, the weather in Iceland changes every 5 minutes!

Copenhagen, Denmark

After a week together exploring Iceland, it was time to part ways as I was headed to Copenhagen on my own for a few days. A trip that I was to enjoy a few years ago with a friend but got cancelled, so I decided it was time to visit on my own. I enjoyed a few days to myself where I explored museums, galleries and even met a new friend!

I went from being in nature, to being inspired by a beautiful city, where everyone walks or cycles as I meandered through streets filled with beautiful architecture and charm.

I visited Castles like Rosenborg Castle, and enjoyed exploring new art, sculptures and even fell in love with the Danish Museum of Design.

Of course I had to take some photos of vintage illustrations from the castle too!

The design museum was top of my list for must-see and the National Gallery didn’t disappoint either.

The installations at the design museum were very thoughtful and innovative, showing how using unexpected materials to make everyday items from natural resources were at the forefront of design. After experiencing such immense beauty and nature in Iceland and seeing first had the melting glaciers, my eyes have really opened to what’s happening to our earth and the effects of climate change.

Exploring made me hungry and finding new spots to rest and fuel up was a fun way to find hidden gems! Being a fan of yummy and new foods, I think my favorite thing to eat on this trip was all the Smorrebrod!! Open face sandwiches topped with fresh and smoked fish, egg, herbs, meat, cheese… you name it!

Oh, and lots of coffee to keep me going as I walked all over the city!

The most memorable part of exploring Copenhagen for me was walking into this magical flower shop where a world invented by a master artist Tage Andersen is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I didn’t want to leave this magical place. If you are ever in Copenhagen, you MUST visit. Flowers, sculptures, music… I was in awe and froze upon entering as I was completely speechless. Such beauty and artistry!

After a few days in Copenhagen, I took a train and ventured over to Sweden for a day where I visited Malmo! I would have loved to spend a few days here and unfortunately, I was met with a rain storm and had to cut my day short as they were cancelling ferry’s and trains due to the high winds. I guess that’s the challenge with travel in February! I’ll be back Sweden!

Malmo, Sweden

My last day in Copenhagen, was actually spend just outside of the city! A train ride away to meet a new friend! After reaching out to them on Instagram, Conny of Chalk Copenhagen invited me to visit her workshop to see how she makes her beautiful artist chalks first hand! As someone who is attempting to make my own watercolors from ground rocks that I collect during my travels, I was thrilled to be able to meet this maker in person!

Koge, Denmark

We spent the day talking about art, rocks, pigments, family, business… my heart and artistic spirit was filled with inspiration!

I’m planning on recording a YouTube video to share with you what I was inspired by and what I brought home to explore in my personal art practice! Make sure you subscribe to my channel to get notified when I publish it and thank you for enjoying some highlights from my recent trip. It was incredible and now I must fill my sketchbooks with all the ideas for new art!