Airbnb

Throughout our travels we have been using a great website, airbnb.com for our accommodation. When we have spoken about this site with others many people have been unaware of it, so we wanted to share a little of our experiences using the site.

In Reyjkavik, Iceland we stayed in an amazing apartment, in New York, USA we stayed in a central Manhattan studio and in Valencia, Spain we stayed with a lovely couple who were great hosts.

So what is airbnb? Well, it's kinda like couch surfing but you pay, and you don't have to have a couch, you can hire a bed, a room, a floor, or a whole entire apartment, studio, unit, house, and even an igloo. There is a huge range of accommodation types in a range of prices to suit what you need.



We have used it to hire a entire apartments and have also stayed with hosts. All in all, we have had great experiences with airbnb. All our host have been lovely people and the accommodation has always been better than expected.

If you are planning on traveling sometime soon you should definatly check to see if there are any airbnb hosts where you are going.
- m&k

*this is not a paid for promotion. we just think the site is great and wanted to share*

America in Film

I recently got a bunch of film developed from 4 different cameras. I have been waiting patiently knowing there was shots from the start of our trip 4 months ago. Since I wasn't sure how else to share the photos, over the coming days I will share countries in film. So come with me now on a journey through time and space.
This is America (Michigan and New York). When we got to Michigan I, or rather my Pentax was having trouble with jamming shutters. I think is was too cold for the old girl. Since then I learnt to give her a nice heating massage before pulling it out in cold weather. Stay tuned for tomorrows set from Iceland.
Enjoy
-morgan

q&a.

Our lovely friend Ammi send us an email the other day with some great questions about our trip so far. Questions so good we thought we should share the answers here.

What's the best and worst meal you've experienced thus far?
M: Worst= Not because of taste, but because of the after effect, the worst I have eaten was a horse steak I cooked in Paris. It tasted very nice and Kim and my grandma enjoyed. However the next two days was spent on the toilet.

Best= My grandma in Paris is an amazing cook. Her quail with grapes, chestnuts and bacon is the best. But I think The Oyster Bar in New Yorks Grand Central Station was my favourite meal. Clam chowder with a big pint of Brooklyn Winter Ale. We sat at the lunch counter (a individual galley style kitchen with benches all around it.) The place was packed with people and the atmosphere was amazing. This was one of many things Brian Ferry recommended us to visit. Well worth it.

K: A McGriddle was the worst, off the breakfast menu at McDonalds in East Harlem, New York. It was recommended by a lovely friend Derek, and consists of two pancakes with maple syrup throughout it acting like a bun for a Bacon and Egg Roll. It could have been because I was feeling a little off already, but I couldn't finish it. It was horrible.

Since it is the middle of winter, Morgans uncle pulled our a couple of the preserves that had in their store room. We had a Duck Confit, green beans, and Cepe mushrooms, and finished off with an amazing platter of cheese and fresh baguette. It was and incredible meal and I cannot describe the taste of the duck other than sensational.

Any new revelations about French people?
M: Sometimes French people are very honest, and sometimes a little too honest.

K: French people love to have a little of every food group in every meal. This is a big generalisation, but a meal will consist of some protein, salad or some kind of vegetable, and will finish with some kind of dairy like cheese or yoghurt. Lunch meal will most often always finish with an espresso (any maybe even a little square of chocolate). Its pretty great eating in France.

What's the one item you didn't bring that you wish you had?
M: A bag of nice fresh coffee.

K: A tub of Vegimite. It's silly, but I do miss it.

Funniest memory so far/ or best experience?
M: The funniest moment was in Iceland in a flea market. Sarah and I were looking at a ring, the lady said in her Icelandic accent "It's Diesel" (she meant the brand). Sarah replies "Sorry, I don't speak Icelandic".
The best experience was Iceland as a whole. Blue Lagoon, frozen waterfalls, amazing creative people and tasty food.

K: One of the strangest and funniest moments was when we were in Iceland we went on the Golden Circle Tour. Our tour guide was this hilarious strange Icelandic man. There were many strange things, like when he stopped the tour van to pick up a free newspaper for himself, or when he stopped the van, reversed 100 meters down the road, and then got out to pick up a random object on the road and threw it in the boot. We still don't know what it was. Or the time, after getting everyone back on the bus he tried to drive one wheel of the van up onto a rock, failing and then telling us the tour has been postponed 15 minutes. Apparently he was trying to check to see if the exhaust pipe was still on. I think the one that takes the cake though is on the long drive home he talked for an hour about the "hidden people" (elves and trolls) and about how they came about. Good times.

What is the one item you brought along that you couldn't live without?
M: I bought a Red L L Bean wool flannel in Michigan at a thrift store and it has gotten me through many cold days.
K: My iPad. Its been incredible to use instagram, emails, skype, read magazines and play games to learn french words. So grateful for that.

If you have any other questions you would like to ask, comment below.
m&k

If this city never sleeps...

Well we are in Iceland now and have access to constant internet. So I thought I would update a little with a few of our New York photos. Fear not, in the next couple of days I will be posting plenty of Reykjavík photos.

New York is an amazing city and I think you would need to live there over a year to experience it in full. We had 4 days and 4 nights. We stayed in a dodgy little one room apartment in East Harlem. At first for our Australian minds we thought it to be dangerous, but it was such a cool experience.

We had no idea what we were going to do for four days or where to start. I asked Brian Ferry, one of my favourite photographers who nows live in NY for a few tips. I'm glad I did because the journey it took to get to the places was worth it. We decided to walk most places, which in an city is a good choice. See little streets+get lost+burn calories and eat lots of food+sore feet=good times. On Brians recommendations we went to The Oyster Bar, Motorinos, The High Line and crowd favourite district, Soho. On top of this we did all the touristy things like visit Lady Liberty, go ice skating in Central Park. eat pizza and lots of junk food, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, bring in the new year in Central Park, hail taxis etc etc.













enjoy
-morgan

Guest Post: Diana

Today we arrive in New York, and so we asked our friend Diana from our city lights to share a little about this wonderful city. Diana is a great lady and knows her stuff.
- enjoy m&k
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New York City isn’t just a city; it’s an experience of a lifetime. There is nothing like actually visiting NYC, but the experience can be packaged and sold in a dish (the iconic cuisine- pizza!), for some it’s watching a movie (Hi, Woody Allen), and some, like myself, believe it’s reading. The best American writers come from New York City and now I know why- they have so much to write about! Below are my favorite books about New York or writers from New York.



The Godfather by Mario Puzo. The Mafia isn’t NYC, and NYC doesn’t represent the Mafia, but Puzo’s description of the Carleone family stays with you. After reading it, it’ll be an adventure of NYC you’d hope you’ll never experience  but so glad you read.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read this book at an impressionable age, and it has stayed with me forever. Esther Greenwood is a woman coming of age with and with poor circumstance, leads to a state of broken mentality. It's dark, and reminds me of the vulnerability we all have.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. Ok, so this isn't riveting literature. It's an easy read (I should warn you it ends nothing like the movie adaptation), but working in the top magazine in the world based in New York City makes any fashionista appreciate the book. It's bit grim, but the description of the City is worth the read.

Summer Crossing by Truman Capote. If there was one writer who would represent New York, it would be Capote. No, he wasn't born in NY, but most of his stories were based in NY. This story is a draft version of a young girl in love with life. It's not his best work, but what you're reading isn't just the story, it's absolute Capote in the raw.

Eloise by Kay Thompson- I'm totally jealous of Eloise. She lives in The Plaza hotel, and can have anything she wants, when she wants. She's a socialite without the snobbery. She's adventurous, unpredictable and imaginative, all with a touch of class a kid could exude. Reading her is an adventure at any age and a must read before going to the Plaza.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Another coming of age book based in NY but amidst all the digital reading, I will always own this on my shelf. This generation may have Gossip Girl but we had Holden Caulfied, the first teenager who attended prep school with a string of emotional problems we could all relate to no matter the measurement. Blair has nothing on him!

Honorable mentions: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, A Tree Grown in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, anything by James Henry.


I hope K&M have a blast and are able to return safely with their own adventures to share. Can’t wait! Best of luck to you both on your new journey ♥
Diana

Welcome to America

We have made it to America and are having a lovely time staying with our friend Derek and his family.

It is so beautiful here. Today we went for a drive to a ski slope, and we all saw snow fall for the first time. We built a snowman and made snow angels. It was incredible and pretty cold. I have been wanting to see snow for a while and was one of my goals to do before my next birthday.





Yesterday, Derek and his dad took us to shoot some guns. We had so much fun. We shot at targets and clay pigeons.






Derek's dad is a bit of a hunting pro. He has quite a few deer's in his trophy room.



Well thats it for now. We have one more day in Michigan, and then we fly to New York. If you want to follow us on Instagram we are posting pictures there under the username "morganandkim".
Hope you all had a great Christmas.
-kim

Guest Post: Derek

We are in Michigan, and staying with our good friend Derek. Derek usually lives in Australia, but is back home with his family for the Holidays. We are so excited to start our adventure with him.
- enjoy m&k
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Morgan and Kim asked me to write a post for their blog a couple months ago when they decided to come visit me in Michigan over Christmas. So i thought i would give the low down of some of the activities that will be taking place (weather permitting).

Shooting Skeet. America loves guns, Australia doesn't. I'm not saying that we're going to hit anything but we are definitely going to throw some lead around and probably have bruised shoulders the next day.



Sledding. (Hopefully we get some snow for this) always a good time, we're still snowless at the moment, which means we'll have to trek to a ski hill which will mean taller, scarier, faster hills. I feel like the kid in the middle has the most genuine sled-excitement face.



Build a Snowman. Snow ball fight. Snow Angels. Snowmobiling, We really need some snow.........


The Michigan sun is pretty lazy in winter, it gets up late and goes down early. Most time is spent indoors out of the blustery cold eating delicious food, and enjoying your company. So there will be plenty of time to introduce newcomers to the U.S. to things they have been missing out on.
Derek

See Ya!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Well today is the day that we leave for France via America and Iceland. We have been waiting for this day for a long time and have a little bit of every emotion flowing through our blood. I'd say mostly READY!
We hope you enjoy your Christmas day and dont get caught up in the consumerism side of things but enjoy Hope, Peace, Joy, Family and Jesus (if your so inclined).
We're off to 39 hours transit! woo hoo.



We will try keep you updated as much as internet allows us, but stay tuned we have some international guest bloggers the next couple of weeks.

Much Love
-Morgan and Kim.

big news

Things are going to get a little different around here soon. In 3 months today, (yes, Christmas Day) we will be saying our goodbyes and leaving Australia to begin a new life overseas. We are moving to France. We don't fully know where, and we are very much stepping out into the unknown and as scared as we are, we are very excited for what is ahead. Before ending up in France we will be having a little holiday, beginning in Michigan, then New York, then Iceland.

If you have any travel recommendations for New York or Reykjavík please pass them on. We would love to hear your recommendations.

We are so excited to see where this blog will go as we head on our adventure. We will try and blog just as much, but we have a busy few months ahead of us, as we sort through our belongings, and get rid of much of what we own.

If there is anything you have previously seen in our home and you would like it, let us know, because almost everything has got to go.

thats all for now.
- morgan and kim

ps. did you see our submission to the burning house??