Hótel Hallormsstaður | Lake Lagarfljót, Iceland

I loved the Iceland self-drive tour I booked through Tour.is, it wasn't perfect, but nothing really ever is. The itinerary was on point and so were the separate tours I booked. The only thing that was iffy, were the accommodations. When you choose the guesthouse option, there's a 50/50 chance it will be good or bad. Half the time our accommodations were amazing and the other half they were quite grim. In the case of Hótel Hallormsstaður near Lake Lagarfljot, we really lucked out. We were originally booked for Guesthouse Grau hunduriin, which is managed by the hotel, but there weren't enough people checked in so they upgraded us to the hotel. Thank goodness, because the reviews for the guesthouse sounded like a nightmare. The hotel was perfect and it was so close to the lake. We spent a good portion of the following morning walking along the waters edge and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I do wish that we had more time there, but as usual we had to stay on course and the day was packed with driving and beautiful sights! 

The Hills Are Alive | Iceland

 Markus and I had been driving for a while on our third day and stopped for lunch only two hours before. I checked the itinerary and saw that we didn't have anywhere to be for a while. We saw a sign that pointed upward toward a mountain. Even though Markus and I rented a little car, we decided to take a chance and see what was up there. The mountain roads are very small and it's difficult for two cars to maneuver. As we were driving up, an SUV didn't move and pushed us to the side of the road. We ended up stuck in some gravel and couldn't get out. 

When all hope seemed lost, another car drove up behind us and a couple jumped out. They didn't really say much, just walked next to Mark and started to push our car. With their help, the little car made it back onto the road. We thanked them profusely and they got back in their car and left. We were tempted to turn back around, but decided to keep going. After the road debacle, we had to see what was at the top of this mountain. Thank goodness we stuck it out and kept going. At the end of the road, there was an incredibly beautiful valley and a shallow stream. We didn't see any other places like this the rest of our trip. It felt like we stepped out of Iceland and into the Swiss Alps, or something similar. It's amazing that at the end of a crappy situation we were rewarded with such a stunning place.

Lunch Stop | Iceland

On the third day of our road trip, Markus and I were driving along Route 1 and we realized that it was close to lunch time. We quickly saw that we were approaching an off-road exit. The next town wouldn't be for another hour and we decided that it would be best to stop. Honestly, I can't remember the name of the town or what we ate. I think it might've been some sort of cauliflower soup and a fish sandwich. What I really remember was the little mountain next to the restaurant and the beautiful views. That's one thing that I absolutely loved about Iceland, not matter where you went the views and landscapes were stunningly beautiful.

Noelle's Day Off | Chicago, Illinois

I was born in the 80s and like most kids, I was raised by the TV and loved movies, especially those directed by John Hughes. I devoured all of his films and they always resonated with me. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is in my top three John Hughes movies. In all actually, I just wanted to be as cool as Ferris. After I watched it for the first time, all I've ever wanted to do was follow in his footsteps and do the same things. When Markus and I moved to Chicago, I thought that my dream was finally going to come true. A couple years passed and I thought it was just going to be one of those things I said I would do, but never did. So cut to last November, Markus and I finally fulfilled my dream. I even convinced him to dress in the spirit of Ferris and Sloane.

Unfortunately, we didn't do everything featured in the film. It's highly unrealistic to be able to do all those things in one day. Also, the locations are spread out through Chicagoland. I cut it down to four things that were close and the most iconic. First, we stopped at the same parking garage they dropped off Cameron's car. We were able to park our car there for the whole day. Afterward, we walked over to Sears Tower. I know it's now called Willis Tower, but it will always be Sears Tower to me! This was the only place that someone recognized us dressed like Ferris and Sloane. I was surprised that no one else noticed, but I guess we did look Asian hipsters.

After we finished peering over the ledge at the Skydeck, we made a quick stop at the Flamingo Sculpture on Dearborn. It's the scene where Cameron and Sloane are looking for Ferris. Our last and final stop was at the Art Institute of Chicago, where I would finally see my favorite painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. After we spent a couple hours in the museum, I was exhausted, but in a good way. I was so happy that I finally had my own day off and explore cool places in the city. The whole experience was everything I hoped it would be and more!

Alcatraz Island | San Francisco, California

If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of Unsolved Mysteries and shows like it. I especially like shows where dudes go to haunted places and taunt ghosts. They always feel a chill, but never see a ghost. I can't stand horror movies, but when it comes to the real stuff, I'm all in. My high school best friend Heather is also a fan of these kinds of shows. Her husband, who is also named Mark, booked a tour of Alcatraz Island for Valentine's Day one year. I spazzed over her pics and she promised that we would go one day. Cut to April of 2015, when she heard that we were coming to San Francisco, she immediately booked a tour for us. She's incredible and so thoughtful!

Alcatraz always seemed like one of those places that might be overrated or a tourist trap, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was my first prison tour, so it was really interesting see what it's like. It was really depressing at times and also thought provoking. I loved the inside look into the famous escape by Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers. I still remember the episode of Unsolved Mysteries about it and wondered if the three survived or not. I guess we'll never know! Either way, it was a fantastic afternoon touring a famous landmark and getting an inside scoop on the infamous island.