on to the lake. kenya. part 4.

i've got to admit that after three days in a land rover, i was done with bumpy car rides.

because the mara is bumpy, rocky and really rough on the ride.

with only one ride left, our fabulous guide, samson, drove us, make that raced* us back to the airstrip to catch our flight.

samson. no delilah to speak of, but we really enjoyed him as a guide.

*this is what happens when the guide receives a phone call that says the plane has already landed and is waiting for you!

we flew all around the mara, stopping three more times to pick up others all over the area, before flying back to nairobi.

this certainly provided more dirt airstrip landings than any one person needs in a lifetime.

from here we headed to lake naivasha and our cute, dog-filled airbnb.

the bathroom was separate from the bedroom.
only worrisome when you're warned that sometimes animals just come on by for a visit...

caitlin was in her happy place.
there were at least six dogs total just running about. 

in naivasha, we stayed on a sanctuary farm. this place is home to many of the same animals we had seen on safari, minus some of the most dangerous.

so we went horseback riding around the farm, passing zebras and antelope and giraffes.

it's a childhood throwback for me.
i rode horses for eight years growing up. did you know?

it was caitlin's first time.

we took a boat ride and saw bloats of hippos.

(did you know that a group of hippos is called a bloat? #funfactsfromcarrie)

this guy (and many others) fishing off a pile of driftwood.

as seen from afar.

hippo life. scenic views.

cue hitchcock.

notice how so much of the trees are white.

yep, that's bird shit. everywhere.

on our second day, we went to hell's gate national park. we hired a guide who biked with us through the park and then took us on a hike through the canyon.

we had no idea just how difficult physically this day would be.

the roads in the park are not paved. and not flat. and not shady.

and, well, sometimes there were animals in the way.

the "hike" turned into a huge, deep canyon that required sliding down sides of rocks, using ropes to climb up, and walking on tiny ledges.

basically, it was terrifying.

definitely put my foot in the water at one point.

the emergency exit seemed a bit ironic.
because getting up that slope seemed impossible, especially in an emergency.

and if i had known what was coming, i might have said 'no way'.

up the side of the cliff.
notice the guide is carrying my bag. 

back in the early 2000s even lara croft spent time in this canyon. so if it's good enough for tomb raider...

we did survive, thankfully, and then had to ride our way back through the hot and dusty park.

some very 'gram'mable shots did occur.

i've never wanted a shower more than after this day.

we were warned beforehand.

 after a very exhausting day, this was so necessary!

views from the porch.

we always love a good time lapse!

onwards to anchorage.

after a few days in seattle, i took off for anchorage. i would have about 24 hours there before my family was to arrive.

a small trail in town with some salmon viewing spots

salmon!

hotels are basically unaffordable in anchorage in the summer, so i stayed at this more reasonable hostel. it was less than $100 a night and that made it a win!

beautiful flowers around anchorage

the resulting travel tip here-- don't wait to book a lace to stay in alaska in the summer.

the following day, i had breakfast at this highly rated restaurant (it was delicious) and then rented a bike to ride one of the local trails.

kodiak benedict: poached eggs, alaska king crab cakes,
toasted english muffin, housemade hollandaise, green onion  

the trail was 11 miles in each direction, and i thought, i can do that! remember, i had just managed a huge british bike ride a few months prior.

and i did.

it was quite beautiful.

but they neglected to share that this trail was not flat.

dear god, it was full of hills.

but for one reason or another, i went the whole way along the trail.

probably because i have a unique interest in finishing things.

after a few hours of wandering anchorage and meeting up with my family, i discovered the after effects of 22 plus miles of bike riding.

pain.

cramps.

and a desire to chop my legs off completely.

it was not my best moment.

after several ibuprofen, i found myself lying face down on the bathroom floor- because the ice cold tiles felt amazing and provided a small amount of relief.

i wish i had a picture of this for you.

but maybe it's best that i don't.

thankfully, the next day, my legs returned to a condition in which i could once again appreciate them.

#lessonlearned

we had a little bit of time that next day to see a little more of anchorage and then it was off to the cruise port! my sister even got to see a moose up close!

seward here we come!

uk, ok.

several years back i met my friend marc in ireland at a conference. ever since we've tried to catch up with each other at least once a year. we've met in amsterdam and paris. he's come to milan...and this year caitlin and i went to nottingham to visit him and his partner adam.

it was awesome to travel somewhere and have to think about nothing! marc and adam planned everything and we just went along for the ride, literally...a zillion miles to be exact, but we'll get to that.

we wandered around wollaton hall...home of 'wayne manor' in the 2011 batman movie the dark knight rises.

it was so pretty.

this guy was a surprise!

#friends

we had 'american' burgers. marc needed us to give them our seal of approval.

verdict: yummmmm!

in fairness, this is barely even a burger. 

we biked 20+ miles in the peak district national park. and then walked another handful.

marc and i seem to bike a lot while traveling...tulips, Versailles...

all this exercise paid off because we went straight to bakewell, home of the famous bakewell tart. i had actually heard of this...just had no idea what it was.

reminded me a bit of paula deen's gooey butter cake

came across several groups of dancers that were entertaining. why were they there? we have no idea.

since we needed more sugar, the next morning we headed to 'doughnotts' and they were amazing. and over the top. and crazy. but so worth it.

there's no such thing as too many pictures of donuts, right?

we settled on some 'simpler' choices. comparatively speaking, one might even say boring. but i'm okay with that.

what a great weekend in the uk! thanks to marc and adam for hosting us and taking such good care of us all weekend! can't wait for our next adventure! 

third time's a charm. perfection in paris.

i love returning to cities i've visited before.

there's something about having a little prior knowledge that allows you to really start to enjoy a city, and not just feel like a completely lost tourist.

a few weeks ago, i was lucky enough to make my third trip to the city of lights.

#paris

i was traveling with a friend who had never been before, so we started our long weekend with a bike tour throughout the city. we really enjoyed our tour guide and the tour itself. the group was small and we were able to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. we even rode our bikes along the seine for a stretch and that was awesome!

we wandered a couple neighborhoods that i have a particular affinity for, the 3rd and the 6th. 

we ate falafel from the place to eat falafel in paris. 

it was huge.
and awesome!

we sat and watched the people. and their pets.

on our last day, i went to pere lachaise cemetery. there's always such great photographs to be taken in cemeteries. there are a handful of celebrity graves in this gigantic cemetery, so i used rick steves' paris guidebook and followed his walking tour. this kept my time in the cemetery under two hours. 

Oscar Wilde's tomb

composer Frederic Chopin is buried here

Jim Morrison's grave site, which is
unfortunately completely fenced off to keep everyone from
climbing all over the graves

i cruised by the eiffel tower with hopes of catching some fall colors in the leaves, but it was just a bit too early. 

i bought overpriced, but amazing, macarons. 

traveler's tips:

we stayed here at a crazily discounted price. it's nice to have a sister in the hotel industry. 

one memorable meal happened here in addition to the above mentioned falafel

paris...always perfection. do you have favorite things to do or places to eat? i'm always looking for recommendations! i'd love to hear from you!