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The Adventures of a Twin Mom

Motherhood and Travel Blog

July 11, 2015

Our Amazing Race, Day 1: Iceland

I really need to do a better job at keeping this updated! I’ve mentioned before that my husband and I have a passion for traveling, in just a few years we’ve been to 30+ countries. A few weeks ago we got back from a big trip; we call it “Our Amazing Race.” We visited 11 countries in 16 days! We had a blast and feel so blessed that we got to see all these places! I am going to be doing several blog posts to talk about all of the countries we visited.

The countries we visited in order were:
1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Sweden
4. Russia
5. Estonia
6. Germany
7. Poland
8. Spain
9. Morocco
10. Portugal
11. Netherlands

Our Favorite Four (we can’t choose one): Spain, Russia, Morocco, and the Netherlands

Our Least Favorite Four: Iceland, Estonia, Poland, and Portugal. Note: I don’t dislike these countries; these were just our least favorite places (from what we saw).

A TON of work went into planning this trip. We planned it all by ourselves: transportation (10 flights, 1 rental car, 1 cruise, 3 train rides, tons of metros and buses, a cruise, 2 ferries, and a couple taxis), hotels, excursions, and daily itineraries.

Today I’m going to share about our first stop, Iceland. We spent 24 hours in Iceland which was plenty of time for us. I’m the first to admit that I’m not a huge nature person. If you like nature, you might enjoy Iceland more than me. We rented a car and drove for hours to visit different places in the country.

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Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon, a beautiful hot spring. National Geographic named it one of the wonders of the world. It was breathtaking.

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We had major jet lag and sitting in a relaxing hot spring probably did not help with this. We just wanted to take a nap!

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While driving through Iceland, we kept making comments about how weird the landscape was. It really looks like Mars!

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Then we went to the Bridge between Two Continents. This is exactly what it’s called, a bridge between two continents (North America and Europe).

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We put a lock on the bridge with our names on it

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Then we went to a sulfur geyser. This was cool to see but oh boy, did it smell! It smelled like rotten eggs!

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Then we went to the biggest city in Iceland, Reykjavik. It was pretty cute!

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Everyone in Iceland was very nice and friendly. Every place we went it just seemed to have the small town vibe. Out of all the places we’ve been in the world, I’ve never felt safer than I did here.

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Our last stop was in Keflavik, a small fishing town. We stayed the night here and then caught a flight early the next morning. One thing to note, Iceland is very basic. All the hotels I looked at were basic and simple, every single one. We stayed at a “5 star” hotel (the nicest one I could find) and there was nothing fancy about it.

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Bye Iceland.  Now on to Copenhagen, Denmark.

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January 2, 2015

Learn to Love Cruising

Hey there!

I decided to write my first blog post about something I have a BIG passion for… traveling. I was lucky to grow up with a family who went on vacation every summer and usually took another one or two trips a year, I saw a lot as a child. Thanks Mom and Dad!  BUT my real passion for traveling started in college when I studied abroad in Europe. I loved seeing all the different cultures, I was completely mesmerized.  Here we are 5 years later and my passion hasn’t changed and luckily I married a guy who shares the same passion. We make a great team because he throws crazy ideas at me and I make them happen. He’s the spontaneous one with ideas and I’m the planner in the relationship.

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Enough about that… Now let’s talk about our most recent trip. This post is going to be about cruise suggestions and tips… The next post will be about the islands we visited.
We are normally not huge cruise fans! Judd and I have been on 3 cruises together in less than 2 years (soon to be 4) although I’ve been on others without him.   We often choose cruises as our vacation or as part of our vacations (1 week cruise followed by 1 week of running around Europe) because you get to see so much in a short amount of time.  We are not the type of cruisers who LOVE cruising and don’t care about the ports.  We choose cruises for the ports. The best part of cruising is you get to travel while you sleep and you don’t have to pack and unpack after visiting a new location! I love waking up in a new city/country. However, we REALLY REALLY REALLY hate dealing with all of the people. I mean this. We like keeping to ourselves and being left alone. We discussed this before and decided to change things up on our last cruise to see if it made a difference to our experience. I’m so glad we did because it made a HUGE difference!

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Tips we learned:
1. Splurge for the balcony room, it’s worth it! We spent so much time on the balcony. It was amazing to open the curtains first thing in the morning and see the beautiful views at the new city/country.  Pick a room on the left side of the ship!  We just accidentally chose this, it almost always has the better views.

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2. Get room service in the morning! I am not a morning person and I do not like breakfast. There is nothing worse than fighting to get a place in a buffet line for average/bland breakfast food. (Adults acting like they’ve never seen a buffet before are quite annoying). We would order room service the night before and tell them what time we wanted breakfast delivered. They would bring exactly what we wanted. We’d give them a tip and then we’d eat breakfast on our balcony in our PAJAMAS. It was perfect and so relaxing!

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3. The excursions/what you do make your trip! I heard so many people say they didn’t like a port. I asked what they did and they said walked around the shops on the port or the closest beach. You cannot experience the island this way! Those are tourist traps. For each location I looked on TripAdvisor (my favorite website ever) and researched every possible thing there was to do on the island. I looked at reviews and then picked what I thought we would like the best and/or what would give us a good feel about the island.

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4. Buy pop/water/snacks! You can bring 12 bottles or cans of pop onto most cruise ships. However, what they don’t tell you is this is every time you come on. We boarded the cruise at 2:00 and the ship didn’t leave until 8:00, so, we found a Walgreens a block away and made 2 trips back and forth to the room! We had enough water and pop to last us the entire week. Have the room steward clean out the fridge so you can put all of your items in it.
5. Random things to pack that can be life savers: magnets (to hold shower curtain in place as the boat moves), hand soap for your bathroom (we hate the bars of soap they provide), hand sanitizer (everyone is touching the same things at the buffet), alarm clock, and a watch (tell what the time is at ports).

6. If your cruise has this option, choose My Time Dining!  Some of the cruise lines we’ve been on such as Costa doesn’t offer this.  But this allows you to choose what time to go eat.  This is perfect in case you had a really busy day and want to nap before dinner or if you are hungry really early.  Just go to the dining room when you’re ready to eat. DSC01443
7. This next tip sounds like common sense but it’s important to remember. The cruises are trying to make money in any possible way they can. There will be a lot of things on the itinerary such as free Detox clinic or massage lessons… don’t go, they are just trying to get you to buy a product or service.
8. Most cruise lines play movies on the main deck at night.  GO! Something about watching movies outside under the stars in the middle of the ocean is amazing.

9. The ice cream and yogurt machines are open 24/7 and they are delicious!  We always joke that we paid thousands of dollars to go on vacation for unlimited ice cream.

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I also found this list that’s very handy: http://www.dcfagowees.com/usefulinfo/Cruise_tips.pdf Thanks to the D.C. Fagowee Ski and Social Club for this packet! I’m not even sure how I ended up finding this but it’s very helpful!

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Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any suggestions on traveling! 🙂

Part II coming soon!

Love,

Bri

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Hi! I'm Brianna! I'm a wife, mom of twin toddlers, a blogger, and a world traveler. Welcome to a small piece of our perfect chaos!

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Happy National Infertility Awareness Week! #niaw M Happy National Infertility Awareness Week! #niaw My entire life I dreamed of becoming a mother. We thought for sure it would be easy for us to get pregnant because we were very young and healthy...however, it ended up being a long and painful journey. Years and years of negative pregnancy tests, 5 IUIs, hundreds of 💉 , $50,000+ spent out of pocket, 3 rounds of IVF, and 3 miscarriages after my twins birth. Thankfully, our final round of IVF worked and we we’re blessed with our two miracles! My ending was a happy one but many couples don’t end up with a baby in the end...IVF isn’t a guarantee, many can’t afford treatments, and adoption isn’t for everyone. If you’re going through infertility, please know that you’re not alone! I’m always here to talk to and I’m cheering you on.  The fertility community will always be a part of me! 🧡
#infertilityuncovered #weare1in8 #and1in4 #niaw2021
Their first season of tee-ball is coming to an end Their first season of tee-ball is coming to an end. ⚾️ I’ll never forget Camden blowing me 😘 every time he made it to a base and Ella always skipping first base and going straight to second. Oh, and we can’t forget their ridiculously large uniforms that they can probably wear for the next decade. 😉
Mudroom is done! ✅😍 I love it! I have to take Mudroom is done! ✅😍 I love it! I have to take a second to brag about my husband...he built this over a weekend with no plans! He went over and beyond what I envisioned. 😍 This was actually a laundry room when we bought the house, we moved that upstairs for convenience. ⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
#mudroommakeover #homedecoridea #mudroombench #decor #homestyle #discovercharleston #interiordesign #design #charleston #charlestonstyle #mudroomideas #mudroomdesign #homedecorlovers #homedecor #mudroomlockers #homedecorating #mudroominspiration #mudroom #madeincharleston #southernblogger
AD: You never know where the food is going to end AD: You never know where the food is going to end up in the house when these two unload your groceries (or Ella squeezes the lemons all over the floor, swipe) but I still do appreciate the help! 😉 They are all about helping me pick out our weekly meals and snacks from @foodlion They tend to put extras in the cart every time we go but I don’t mind because the prices are always affordable and they have such a great selection of fresh items. Food Lion’s Fresh Guarantee means no worrying and double my money back if my produce isn’t 100% fresh. #FoodLion #ShopFoodLion https://lnk2.io/wfMfwQz
Happy Spring and soon to be Easter! 🐰🐣💗 Happy Spring and soon to be Easter! 🐰🐣💗
We’re so excited and we just can’t hide it! G We’re so excited and we just can’t hide it! G I V E A W A Y is now CLOSED!! Congratulations to @strengthofthevine! 🎉I’m partnering with @bcproducts to give one person the same beautiful patio set (7-Piece Modular Wicker Sectional Conversation Set w/ 2 Pillows, Cover) that we have AND an extra set of covers!  #ad This stylish set recently completed our sunroom!  I love how durable it is and that it fits our entire family, pets included. We spend so much time out here as a family now! To enter:
☘️ Follow @bcproducts and me
☘️Tag others for extra entries 
☘️For an extra entry save @bcproducts most recent post

This will end one week from today, 3/17/21 at 3pm. You must by 18 years or older to enter and living in the continental US.⁣⁣ Good luck! #myBCP ⁣
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#momgiveaway #giveawaygifts #giveawaytime #giveawayusa #giveawaywinners #win #instagramgiveaway #hugegiveaway #usagiveaway #patioset #homedecor #sunroom
“On the count of 3 everyone howl!” 🐺 I’m “On the count of 3 everyone howl!” 🐺 I’m sharing all about our recent trip to @greatwolflodge on today’s blog post. 🙂 We had a fabulous time and felt very safe. 😷 #GreatWolfLodge #Hosted #PawPledge
G I V E A W A Y Closed! Congratulations to @corrin G I V E A W A Y Closed! Congratulations to @corrinamurray!I’ve partnered with a few friends to give someone a trip to the city I love and call home...Charleston! Win:
🌴2 Night Stay in Downtown Charleston @staycvp valued at $1100
🌴Full-Service Vacation Planning @oncallconciergechs valued at $1195
🌴Dining - $100 @amenstreet and $100 @starsrestaurant 
🌴Private Tour of Your Choice @holycitytours 

To enter:
🎉 Like this post
🎉 Follow these accounts:
@oncallconciergechs
@thecoastaloak
@amenstreet
@starsrestaurant
@holycitytours 
@adventuresofatwinmom
@byhilaryrose
@staycvp

🥂 TAG one friend who you’d love to share the weekend with (each extra friend tagged is one additional entry and must be one account tag per person)
🥂 SHARE this post to your story and tag @oncallconciergechs for one extra entry. 

Giveaway ends Wednesday March 10th at 11:59pm EST. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram. Participants must be 21 years or older. Winner will be chosen at random and will be announced Thursday March 11th.
Do you have a favorite age? I loved 6-10 months an Do you have a favorite age? I loved 6-10 months and now 4! 4 is by far the easiest for us and it’s honestly pretty magical! Newborn twins and twin toddlers was a wild ride!! I’m forever thankful to be their mommy!!

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Happy National Infertility Awareness Week! #niaw M Happy National Infertility Awareness Week! #niaw My entire life I dreamed of becoming a mother. We thought for sure it would be easy for us to get pregnant because we were very young and healthy...however, it ended up being a long and painful journey. Years and years of negative pregnancy tests, 5 IUIs, hundreds of 💉 , $50,000+ spent out of pocket, 3 rounds of IVF, and 3 miscarriages after my twins birth. Thankfully, our final round of IVF worked and we we’re blessed with our two miracles! My ending was a happy one but many couples don’t end up with a baby in the end...IVF isn’t a guarantee, many can’t afford treatments, and adoption isn’t for everyone. If you’re going through infertility, please know that you’re not alone! I’m always here to talk to and I’m cheering you on.  The fertility community will always be a part of me! 🧡
#infertilityuncovered #weare1in8 #and1in4 #niaw2021
Their first season of tee-ball is coming to an end Their first season of tee-ball is coming to an end. ⚾️ I’ll never forget Camden blowing me 😘 every time he made it to a base and Ella always skipping first base and going straight to second. Oh, and we can’t forget their ridiculously large uniforms that they can probably wear for the next decade. 😉
Mudroom is done! ✅😍 I love it! I have to take Mudroom is done! ✅😍 I love it! I have to take a second to brag about my husband...he built this over a weekend with no plans! He went over and beyond what I envisioned. 😍 This was actually a laundry room when we bought the house, we moved that upstairs for convenience. ⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
#mudroommakeover #homedecoridea #mudroombench #decor #homestyle #discovercharleston #interiordesign #design #charleston #charlestonstyle #mudroomideas #mudroomdesign #homedecorlovers #homedecor #mudroomlockers #homedecorating #mudroominspiration #mudroom #madeincharleston #southernblogger
AD: You never know where the food is going to end AD: You never know where the food is going to end up in the house when these two unload your groceries (or Ella squeezes the lemons all over the floor, swipe) but I still do appreciate the help! 😉 They are all about helping me pick out our weekly meals and snacks from @foodlion They tend to put extras in the cart every time we go but I don’t mind because the prices are always affordable and they have such a great selection of fresh items. Food Lion’s Fresh Guarantee means no worrying and double my money back if my produce isn’t 100% fresh. #FoodLion #ShopFoodLion https://lnk2.io/wfMfwQz
Happy Spring and soon to be Easter! 🐰🐣💗 Happy Spring and soon to be Easter! 🐰🐣💗
We’re so excited and we just can’t hide it! G We’re so excited and we just can’t hide it! G I V E A W A Y is now CLOSED!! Congratulations to @strengthofthevine! 🎉I’m partnering with @bcproducts to give one person the same beautiful patio set (7-Piece Modular Wicker Sectional Conversation Set w/ 2 Pillows, Cover) that we have AND an extra set of covers!  #ad This stylish set recently completed our sunroom!  I love how durable it is and that it fits our entire family, pets included. We spend so much time out here as a family now! To enter:
☘️ Follow @bcproducts and me
☘️Tag others for extra entries 
☘️For an extra entry save @bcproducts most recent post

This will end one week from today, 3/17/21 at 3pm. You must by 18 years or older to enter and living in the continental US.⁣⁣ Good luck! #myBCP ⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
.⁣
#momgiveaway #giveawaygifts #giveawaytime #giveawayusa #giveawaywinners #win #instagramgiveaway #hugegiveaway #usagiveaway #patioset #homedecor #sunroom
“On the count of 3 everyone howl!” 🐺 I’m “On the count of 3 everyone howl!” 🐺 I’m sharing all about our recent trip to @greatwolflodge on today’s blog post. 🙂 We had a fabulous time and felt very safe. 😷 #GreatWolfLodge #Hosted #PawPledge
G I V E A W A Y Closed! Congratulations to @corrin G I V E A W A Y Closed! Congratulations to @corrinamurray!I’ve partnered with a few friends to give someone a trip to the city I love and call home...Charleston! Win:
🌴2 Night Stay in Downtown Charleston @staycvp valued at $1100
🌴Full-Service Vacation Planning @oncallconciergechs valued at $1195
🌴Dining - $100 @amenstreet and $100 @starsrestaurant 
🌴Private Tour of Your Choice @holycitytours 

To enter:
🎉 Like this post
🎉 Follow these accounts:
@oncallconciergechs
@thecoastaloak
@amenstreet
@starsrestaurant
@holycitytours 
@adventuresofatwinmom
@byhilaryrose
@staycvp

🥂 TAG one friend who you’d love to share the weekend with (each extra friend tagged is one additional entry and must be one account tag per person)
🥂 SHARE this post to your story and tag @oncallconciergechs for one extra entry. 

Giveaway ends Wednesday March 10th at 11:59pm EST. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram. Participants must be 21 years or older. Winner will be chosen at random and will be announced Thursday March 11th.

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