We said goodbye to Iti today…by literally dropping her off on the side of the road to hitchhike home.
It was per her request, but that was an entirely new type of goodbye that I know now I’m not cut out for in the least. Well maybe if it was someone I was indifferent about it would be fine, but it was Iti. We all have a certain type of energy we’re bringing on the trip, and Iti’s was joy. Not kid on Christmas joy, but first morning at a cabin in autumn, hot ginger tea and small campfires with endless trails and the promise of snow. The stronger joy that makes you think life is really all worth it. AND WE LEFT HER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. What if a MAN STEALS HER. Or what if it rains nonstop on her. Or what if she gets HIT BY A CAR. Or what if she gets kidnapped and we never see her again?!?!? Truthfully Iti is probably the most capable of all of us in successfully hitchhiking having done it multiple times before (as well as getting to where she wants to go, because I feel like Axelle would survive hitchhiking but only because she would drive her ride just crazy enough to not want to keep her illegally), and also being trained in the Estonian army. Not sure if I've put this in the journal yet, but Iti is a total badass. She trekked the Estonian woods in the military with 60+ men as the only woman, in the dead of winter, hiking through waist deep snow with a huge backpack, and still beat half the men at everything. Iti could take down a wolf with her bare hands I am convinced. But still—If my mother saw me now I’d be skinned alive. Rest In Peace, I'd be buried 10 feet underground on impact. I have no idea why that goodbye was one of my hardest for a friend, but I’ve cried less leaving longer term friends. Truthfully I’ve cried less breaking up with someone—I guess I really need to journal that one out though as that might say more about my relationships than my friendship here, oopsiessss. Between the sheer terror that she would not survive the day and missing one more friend closer to my time coming to an end, that goodbye stung worse than diving into a highland waterfall. I can’t say it honestly about many people, but I fiercely hope this adventure won’t be close to our last.
At this point you might be asking WHY Iti was hitchhiking? Iti was supposed to take the bus, but we found out as we were waiting at the bus stop that today, the buses would :) not :) be running. All I know is one moment we were brainstorming solutions, and the next I was about to breathe into a paper bag. Not really, but between me taking it too seriously (looking back now as I write this sitting in our new campsite up north) and Axelle not taking anything seriously--vibes were so dramatic we could've won an Oscar. So we tossed Iti her things through the open window and sped away (not really but could you imagine oh GOD. I'm not sure if that would have been worse for Iti or for me in that moment). As for now, I'll just let myself feel extremely guilty for friend-abandonment for the rest of the day I suppose. Shame on me x3. No cheers for Martin today.
Well on our way and Novo Amor + Hozier blaring in my ears, we ended up having quite an exciting time site seeing. The south coast definitely holds a special place in my heart, and the more east you go, the better I think it gets. We were all a bit quieter as we went, and it felt sort of like when a main character leaves a TV show or something, and we were on the next season. Different, and will take a minute to feel normal again, but we're having laughs and smiles where we can.
Speaking of--The first waterfall on our hit list was a small (and swimmable for a better day than this) one complete with a tiny hike and sheep! You could even climb behind the small falls and pose--I also imagine it to be fun to jump off into the water basin from on a sunny day as it was definitely deep enough. We all quietly explored on our own before heading towards some coastline views. I'm not sure how I missed these the first time, but I think Marina and I were a bit focused on just getting north that we powered past most of these spots. Ya live & ya learn. Again, the perspective shift and character development is top notch here am I right?
At the coastline viewpoints we took photos and videos, and tried our best to stay separate from the family groups also down this far on the road by hiking along sketchier rocks and lingering in more remote points. The rugged coastline was almost comforting considering how
rugged we were feeling inside, and the moody weather felt familiar and cozy. Once we started to get hungry, Axelle found the cutest farmhouse cafe where a sweet Italian man prepared one of the best meals of the trip for us. It felt nice to eat food other than sandwiches and pasta, and the fish stew and homemade bread were both exactly what we needed. Also REAL coffee?! Bless.
Axelle found this amazing waterfall before we hit the north-bound side of the eastern road, and it was a view you would imagine seeing on social media. The water, the cliffs, the air--it all felt surreal. Axelle went (of course) further out on the rocks than both Nathan AND the official signage advised, but if anyone has 9 lives, it's her. Better to let her do her thing and laugh about it later--I really do have much to learn from Axelle. Her spirit is so childlike and playful, and I need to get back to that within myself. The way she sees the world feels like pulling up to your best friends house for a sleepover as a child--I absolutely adore seeing Iceland through her, and I desperately hope to get to see many more places by her side as well.
Fast forward like 7 hours later and Axelle has officially stressed every ounce of sanity out of Nathan and I. She found a “waterfall” for us to drive to on our way, so of course we said yes, but she failed to mention it was along a 25mile F-Road in the rain. After the 5th 28* descent I think we were about ready to sacrifice her to the Norse gods in hopes for safe passage out and far away. I contemplated my methods of doing so. We got to the end and if this doesn't prove that I should really always trust Axelle I don't know what does. It wasn't a huge cascade of falls, but it was the picture of dark academia fairy tale. I felt like I had been dipped into a few centuries earlier and dropped alongside wilder people and untamed times.
The mist and fog shrouded every view, so to me it felt like we were deep, down inside a burrow of moss and rock, and Axelle's sliding down the mud cliff made me laugh just about as hard as I was able today. Her method of trying to slide down after climbing up started both very confusing and amusing, and Nathan and I spent the better part of 5 minutes wheezing at her attempts to make "steps," except the rocks she kept trying to place would all not stick and tumble down the hill. I can't even describe it in justice, it was so pitiful but so hilarious.
Axelle’s next waterfall was much more car and foot friendly after she was taken off temporary probation for the last one. I knew when I saw several elderly couples completing their hike to view it that I'd be justttttt fine. The car had definitely looked better, but at least we can say we have *tinted windows for privacy at night* now. Once we walked along the pathway to the falls it opened up to a beautiful, tall, cliffside waterfall definitely worth the stop. Axelle was very thirsty after scolding us for not trusting her, and introduced me to drinking water out of streams? I knew the water in Iceland is one of the safest in the world, but I didn't really put two and two together that I could consume it DIRECTLY from the source. Today is definitely a day of firsts in regards to things-I-would-never-EVER-do-in-the-US
-even-if-I-were-a-ghost. Leave it to the Europeans to help me trust the world a little more than I do. That makes so much sense writing it out now, and I think will make sense to a very niche audience.
Even though the north isn't my favorite, I'd be lying if I said the drive today wasn't incredible. Ascending into the highlands along cliffsides and through narrowly cut passages into mountains really does hit different. As we arrive to the high-north, and our cell service went out, we found our campground settled on an open mountaintop. I could have stayed happily for days. It was a fancier campsite than we had been staying at, but it had a cafe that was warm and served amazing food, and the pale yellow sun-dipped sky felt like hugging my mom after a long trip.
I got some turmeric soup to warm me up physically and emotionally, and Axelle and I split a fruit desert thing that we saw a child order (which conceded Nathan a tad) before hopping to go shower together. As you probably guessed, when there's a money charge to shower, Axelle and I suddenly are **one person**. I don't mind, and plus it shows you how little time you actually need to shower. I also think it helps me stay on task, because if she wasn't there I'd probably just stand under the hot water and not get anything done. I know Iti would have loved this campsite best probably--it had wooden cabins with off-grid cooking setups in them throughout the site, small bridges across bumps in the ground, and the hot cocoa at the cafe was divine. Worth every penny to me.
At bed time Axelle and I laughed at the bruises still all over our bodies from our last week of work (truly a profession that beats you up a bit), and tucked in early to watch Oceans 8 before trying for some sleep. It's my first night with her in the trunk, and she's definitely a LOT warmer than Iti I'm sorry to say (haha). It's better that way though, as Iti (of course) took her duvet with her, so Axelle's extra body heat is much needed. I'm not really tired as I write this, but should try to sleep, as we have a full day of the North tomorrow.
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