My Love For This Campsite Only Grew In The Morning.
I've said it once & I'll say it again, I'm a bigggg fan of our campsite. There 360 mountain views, the quiet neighbors, the happy seagulls, the clean bathroom, I could go on and on. Plus its more northwest than just north, so it makes me hopeful and excited for the journey ahead. No one was really ever in the kitchen last night or this morning, so we always had a quiet and calm spot to charge and cook.
The shower, again, was completely inclosed and free, which is a BIG DEAL if you're camping Iceland in the summer. We both slept until about 9—it was nice to not worry about alarms and just relax at a spot we liked. I did some journaling and Axelle read her book, but she had to have started reading at about 8 because she was the one who tapped me awake asking for reference on a sentence she was trying to read...
After coffee we packed up and went to the grocery store to stock up on some lunch and dinner foods before setting towards our adventures for the day. We tried to take some foggy morning photos and videos at one of the fjord outlooks but as usual--it ended up being a bunch of shenanigans with very little serious artistic work. As we went along the fjord road, Nathan and I only managed to want to punch Axelle once when we drove down a hill to a farmer's house where she thought looked like a "fun place to read for a little bit." Good Grief. I put her back on probation again.
We found a few beautiful lookout spots as we got closer to the western fjords, got into a standoff with an Icelandic driver in a one-way tunnel (which we were cursed at in Icelandic and Axelle screamed back in French, however we were in the right, so I stand with Axelle on this one), and almost drove through a barbed wire fence.
Once we found our way, we hiked to a local waterfall and hot spring, and soaked for about half an hour with two Slovenian guys. We didn't pack bathing suits so our underwear did the trick, but as there were some people before us tackling it in the nude, I considered it to be the least of our worries. We each took turns jumping into the cold river outside of the thermal pool. The switch between almost unbearable hot water to the glacial cold was beyond nice and left my muscles feeling soothed and soft. Near the end, Axelle slipped on a rock and fell smackkkk on her bum into the cold water—I laughed so hard I had to sit back down. It was the funniest sound: her bum hitting the rock and her mind reacting to the cold and smack all at the same time. In this moment, I love the French.
She immediately got a bruise that she repeatedly checked throughout the rest of the day—we have to keep reminding her that it’s not ok to just pull down your pants and whip out your bum in 45* weather at tourist spots. We left when a big family showed up with a photographer in tow, for what looked like a brand shoot--definitely not something we planned to be a part of today.
As we pushed onward when we got dry and warm, we found a spot to eat lunch at the black beach (a littleeee underwhelming if I’m being entirely honest), and went to a cool rock thing afterward. It is a Microsoft nature screensaver I'm almost 99% positive. We debated climbing down to get closer to it, but decided against it as it was cold, windy, and we wanted to go find camp.
Pretty immediate update as I write this journal as I go: we will not be staying at my first pick of a campsite. It’s a pretty cloudy and rainy day, and even though there were like 3 cars, it only had a toilet and sink in this little hut. We will 100% need a kitchen to cook in, as well as a shower, so we’re pressing on 25 minutes down the road. Maybe I’ll download a movie or something, but also I kind of just want to do nothing and figure out how to get out of the US as soon as possible when I get back. I've begun putting out feelers for another job in Iceland, and hope to lock something down as I get closer and closer to my return home.
25 more minutes into the future: We got to the campsite, and it was sooooo crowded, but a very cool shape. The spots to park form rings around the dining house, and each ring is separated by thick hedges so it feels a little more private. It’s all families with their official campers though, so not really too many travelers like us. The energy is exciting and secure, and it feels restful to have the car unpacked and to sit in the loud dining hall once more--listening to everyones plans around us whether we understood them or not. We ate some really bad instant Mac and cheese (last time I’m ever making that mistake) that we got at the grocery store this morning and then snuggled into the back of the trunk to watch Call of The Wild together before bed. It felt like such a siblings moment that I almost forgot we all won't even be on the same continent as each other in a week. :(
Enjoy the highlights that wouldn't fit in the text :)
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