The World Incorporated Travel Blog

Author: Amanda C.

  • 2015: The Year of Celebrations & New Beginnings

    2015: The Year of Celebrations & New Beginnings

    This post is my way to figuratively place my highlights of the year in a pretty box, tie it to a balloon with 2015 written across, and let it sail into the stars. The box will have two tags on it. One will say, “The Year of Celebrations.” The other, “The Year of New Beginnings.”

    Though I’m not typically a year-end round-up poster, 2015 was too exhausting (in the best way) and too bright to let slip into 2016 without some acknowledgement. It deserves a nod of thanks, a firm handshake, and a genuine smile.

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  • A Christmas-Themed Weekend in Toronto

    A Christmas-Themed Weekend in Toronto

    If you’ve been a longtime reader of UnrestingSea, you’ve probably read Toronto by Suggestion, when my friend Lara and I stayed in a hostel and rode bikes around the city in the summer. I’ve been eager to return since.

    I recently road tripped back, husband in tow, for a Christmas-themed trip to Toronto. This trip was quite different from the last, but just as fun. Toronto knows how to celebrate the holidays. There are plenty of Christmas things to do in Toronto that are fun, romantic, and affordable. Here are some ideas that you could do for a weekend trip to Toronto – Christmas themed!

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  • A Holidate at the Toronto Christmas Market

    A Holidate at the Toronto Christmas Market

    It’s uncharacteristically mild for December.

    This is a good thing, because the crowds are growing and the queue to enter is lengthening. Judging by the masses of friends, families, photographers, and couples, we’re in for a holiday treat.

    We’re waiting to experience one of Toronto’s top attractions for the holiday: the Toronto Christmas Market.

    Christmas markets aren’t new. They’ve remained in our history for centuries, originating in Germany/Austria around the early 1400s. For a tradition so rooted in our human history, this is only our first time visiting one. It’s a holidate for me and my newlywed husband, Eric.

    The historic Distillery District is the perfect backdrop for the Toronto Christmas Market. It’s an industrial mill repurposed as a pedestrian-only block, now home to art galleries, boutiques, and unique restaurants. Founded in the 1800s, the buildings in the Distillery District add to the nostalgia of the atmosphere.

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  • The Cursed Rocks of Iceland

    The Cursed Rocks of Iceland

    If you’re here to find out if you can take rocks from Iceland or take sand from Iceland or if it is illegal to take rocks/sand from Iceland, please scroll down to the end of this post where I answer these questions. Originally this was a story post, but because so many people have asked me if it is permissible to take rocks from Iceland as souvenirs, I’ve contacted the Environment Agency of Iceland for answers. That is provided at the end of this post, after my personal experience of taking rocks from Iceland.

    Are the rocks of Iceland cursed?

    There’s a reason they say:

    Take only memories, leave only footsteps.

    Because travelers should not disturb nature. Because travelers should not leave their garbage. Because travelers should respect the places they visit and remember them forever. Because travelers do not want to get cursed by taking something that doesn’t belong to them.

    Let me first preface by stating: We are NOT a superstitious couple. Nope, not superstitious. We walk under ladders, cuddle black cats, and request rooms on floor 13. And superstition did not follow us on our honeymoon in Iceland…

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  • Glorious Gluttony: Fermented Shark (hakarl) of Iceland

    The wind and rain inhibited our sightseeing plans for Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The visibility was so poor, we drove around the iconic Kirkjufell and could only see a faint outline of the monolithic mountain.

    Exploring new restaurants and trying local cuisine is an excellent alternative when weather throws travel plans awry. Nothing says “emotional eating” like feeding our despair with food. So we treated ourselves to a romantic seafood dinner at Bjarnarhöfn — the Icelandic Shark Museum famous for the production of a very special Icelandic delicacy – hákarl.

    It’s fermented shark. Yes, that famous fermented shark of Iceland.

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  • 7 Reasons You NEED to Visit Iceland NOW

    7 Reasons You NEED to Visit Iceland NOW

    A tiny country hovering close to the Arctic Circle has captured the international travel spotlight: Iceland. And for good reason. Have you seen how many times Iceland is listed as one of the most mesmerizing places on the planet? Iceland boasts unspoiled nature, promises adventure, and proclaims majesty. It’s a place that not many visit, but when people do, they’re enraptured.

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  • A Honeymoon in Iceland

    A Honeymoon in Iceland

    We promised forever to each other, packed our new wedding-shower luggage and honeymooned in Iceland.

    The word “honeymoon” seems synonymous with the image of azure seas, white sand, swaying palms, and all-inclusive resorts with fancy meals and bottomless frozen cocktails. Not for me and Eric.

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  • My Honeymoon is Cooler than Yours

    My Honeymoon is Cooler than Yours

    No really, it is. Literally cooler.

    When I tell people where I’m honeymooning, I get two reactions:

    1. Wow, seriously?! That’s so cool!
    2. Wow, really?! That’s…. different.

    Typically followed up by the question, “How did you pick that place for your honeymoon?” or “Why?!”

    If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know where we’re going (I tweet about it quite frequently). I like playing guessing games, so I’m going to share some clues to reveal the coolest honeymoon destination ever:

    • Frolic on black sand beaches
    • Whale watching
    • Volcanic island nation
    • A very challenging language (which I’m trying to learn)
    • Beautiful nature and hiking opportunities
    • Really quaint towns
    • One of the most peaceful countries in the world
    • Elves, puffins and hot dogs…

    Any ideas?

    .

    .

    .

    We are honeymooning in…..

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  • We Are Never Going to Mexico

    We Are Never Going to Mexico

    “We are never going to Mexico.”

    That’s what Eric proclaimed with conviction. For every reason I mustered to counter that Mexico would be great, he’d retaliate 2 for why it wouldn’t. I completely respect his opinions and beliefs about certain places, but it only fuels my desire to make it a “next destination” to challenge his assumptions. It’s not so much a prove-you-wrong situation, but moreso a let’s expand that cultural palette, break down stereotypes, and reach our own conclusions based on our experience.

    So we went to Mexico.

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  • Marriage & The Monogram

    Marriage & The Monogram

    About an hour before Eric dropped down on one knee and proposed, I had a timely encounter with the will call worker at the Whitehaven Beach boat ferry from Hamilton Island.

    Advising that my tickets were listed under the name “Carnagie,” he cheerily leafed through the folders repeating the name.

    “Carnagie! That’s a really great last name.” I agreed, expressing my love for it as he shared a few more compliments and the expected steel tycoon reference.

    Now that my wedding is next month (what?!), the realities of the future of my last name became all too real:

    I just purchased my first monogramed gift for myself. Ah, marriage & the monogram.

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