Welcome to “Moonlit Wings Reflect the Stars” Blog By Michael H.

“If you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little farther.”  If you know the movie that famous quote is from, then I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and hopefully one that inspires you, guides you, and immerses you into  experiences you won’t soon forget!  Welcome to my new travel blog!  #Moonlitwingsreflectthestars

With my obsession for travel and my undergraduate degree in English (writing track) and minor in Journalism, this blog probably has been a long time coming.  I’ve kept a journal sporadically for approx 18 years, and in my early 20s, I even wrote every day for a single year.  As my English professor at Rockhurst University always preached “Turn off that TV and immerse yourself into a sea of reading.”  The best writers, write about their experiences.  Through their intimate emotional connection, sight/sound/feel/taste/touch they can relay those emotions to the reader the best.  That is what I hope to do here through my experiences and hope you will join me on my adventures!

I choose the title “Moonlit Wings Reflect The Stars” as the title of my blog for the central reason that “Africa” is my favorite song of all-time by Toto.  There is a lyric that states “The moonlit wings reflect that stars that guide me towards salvation.”  I get chills everytime I hear it.  He’s waiting for his soul mate to join him coming on a 12:30 flight, and he describes her plane and the navigation of the stars above.  With this lyric, I find the readers journeying on that 12:30 flight and I’m waiting for YOU to join ME.  So, there you go….jump on that plane and meet me at my next destination….

Iceland is my great adventure of 2018.  Granted, I will venture to other superb cities prior to that (Sacramento, Milwaukee and Florida), but Iceland is the crown jewel of 2018 and the “land of fire and ice” that will require weeks and months of planning.  Iceland is Kansas City’s first Transatlantic flight and I want to support it.  I don’t want to simply visit Iceland, but immerse in the culture, with the local people and delve into the history of a land that claims to dip one toe in North America and one toe in Europe.  This is why the directors of Game of Thrones chose Iceland to film some of their grandest scenes in the north in Westeros and north of the wall from George RR Martin’s novels “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

The most sparsely populated country in Europe lies just below the Arctic Circle, adjacent from their neighbors, Greenland.  They maintain a population of approx 350,000 in which 2/3 of them live in the capital city of Reykjavik, located in the southwestern part of the country.  The island nation is split between two tectonic plates (North American and Eurasian), ripping it apart from the middle.  This causes the immense activity of volcanoes and geysers that contribute to all that is fire, while the glaciers contribute to the ice.  11 percent of Iceland is covered in glaciers.

The researching, I believe, is a journey within itself.  Customizing trips as I want, without the use of any travel agent, is the only way I go.  I get the most fun out of this as it’s very similar to a huge word problem in making all the pieces fit.  I start by purchasing Rick Steve’s books whenever I travel internationally.  I used his Italy book back in 2011 when my brother’s and I went to Rome, Vasto, Florence, Venice and the Cinque Terre (Vernazza).  It was my gospel and included everything from best valued lodging, restaurants, walkable destinations and best paths, inside tips on avoiding long lines, really immersing with the locals and prioritize the sights based on the length of stay.  He even mentions bed and breakfast owners names so you feel like you know them upon arrival.  I can’t recommend his books highly enough.

My goal for now is to take you along my journey from beginning to end.  To demonstrate my process for selecting what I chose to select, why I did it, how I did it and hopefully inspire others to venture out of their comfort zone and embrace the world in which we live.  But, if you go with me, it becomes OUR journey because, as a reader, you feel the same emotions alongside the writer.  I firmly believe traveling is our greatest teacher and those lucky enough to take advantage of it with our current technology are going to have a greater appreciation for our world, and personally in the end, be happier.  Travel fills you with a gratitude and a bit of humility that there is more to what you currently know and that only experiences of different cultures can teach you.

In my next blog, I will start breaking down the research I’ve completed thus far, including flight I have chosen, that airline I have chosen, why Iceland was important to me and why I get more excited with each passing day with the more I research.  Let’s go explore….