surprise Archives - Wendy Perrin

Last night my husband, Tim, bundled me and the kids off to the airport for a surprise trip. I was told to pack—hard to do when you don’t know where you’re going—and the only clues Tim gave me to work with were: I needed my passport, swimsuit, Gore-Tex parka, and hiking boots.

This isn’t my first surprise trip. Ten years ago, when the boys were toddlers, Tim whisked me away on a romantic ski trip to Andorra. That was our first vacation alone together after the kids were born, and the element of not knowing our destination added to the thrill, as it did this time.

But, this time, I figured it out as soon as we got to the airport. Can you tell from this clue?

Leaving #NYC. En route to…I bet you can guess from the clue.

A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 12:17am PDT

I’ve been wanting to go to Iceland for years now—to explore the otherworldly volcanic landscape, soak in the renowned geothermal pools, and eat my way through Reykjavik. I’ll be snapping photos the whole time, so follow me on Instagram (I’m @wendyperrin) to see what happens next. We can all be surprised together!

#Rusty #weathered #shed #Keflavik #iceland A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 4:12am PDT

Nice way to recover from an overnight flight. Soothing and reinvigorating, plus you get a shower and silica mud facial. #BlueLagoon #Iceland A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 6:23am PDT

#BlueLagoon #Iceland A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 6:42am PDT

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere. Smoothies and slushies from the Lagoon Bar. (Yes, that’s mineral moisturizing cream still slathered on our faces.) #BlueLagoon #Iceland A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 9:22am PDT

Where #Iceland’s president lives.

A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 11:43am PDT

If you can pronounce it, they oughtta give it to you. #Iceland A photo posted by Wendy Perrin (@wendyperrin) on Jul 13, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT

My most romantic trip ever came as a total surprise. One evening when the kids were toddlers and we were living in midtown Manhattan, the doorbell rang and there stood two unexpected visitors from California: Tim’s sister Linda and brother-in-law Ken. Tim had arranged for them to watch the kids for five nights so he could whisk me away on a surprise Valentine’s Day trip. He handed me an already packed suitcase, and we were off to J.F.K.

Thus began our first trip alone together since the kids were born. I didn’t have a clue where we were headed. In fact, when we landed in Amsterdam for our connecting flight and the Immigration officer asked me what my final destination was, I had to answer, “I have no idea!” His reply: “Are you being kidnapped?” Me: “Sort of.”

Even when I learned that our connecting flight was to Barcelona, I still couldn’t guess our final destination. It couldn’t be Barcelona, since Tim and I had already been there together; I knew he would choose a place where neither of us had ever been, so we could discover it together for the first time.

At the Barcelona airport we picked up a rental car and drove north until I finally figured out where we must be headed: Andorra. Yes, Europe’s sixth smallest nation—the one between Spain and France. Since the month was February, and we were in the Pyrenees, clearly we would be hitting the ski slopes.

Now, when I say that this was my most romantic trip ever, don’t misunderstand: Andorra itself is hardly romantic. It’s not the dreamy, charming European principality you probably envision. It’s got more than its fair share of ugly buildings, traffic (there’s only one road in and out of the country), and discount stores (it’s a tax-haven shopping mecca for European deal seekers). It’s definitely not Spain, and it’s certainly not France, and even after several days there, I’m still not sure what it is. It’s an unusual place. But investigating unusual places is what Tim and I like to do, and we were thrilled to be able to do it the way we used to, B.K. (Before Kids). Plus the sky was blue, the skiing was great, and the Mephisto shoes were 40 percent off.

So you can get a feel for Andorra, here’s my photo album: