The day I flew in was the same day my family and I left on the road trip. I ended up getting sick with a high fever and was completely out for a few days.
Anyways, the overall road trip was incredible and just what I needed. We spent time together and sang along to Lithuanian songs. As expected, we came across the North Country Trail. I stepped foot on it and thought how cool it was that only a few people have accomplished such a trek.
When we came back to Chicago, I got my rope dresses sorted out for the fashion show I got invited to in Reykjavík, Iceland. I would be showcasing them at the Whale Museum along with a few other designers. This plan had been set in motion for a few months now so I was stoked!
I planned to arrive approximately 10 days earlier so I could hitchhike around the island and check out some scenic spots. It would be much more style to hike it rather than road-trip however time was not on my side and neither was the weather.
The last day before my departure I got to spend the entire day with my family, their friends and even Kevin. My father made lamb and shishkabobs while my mother grated a carrot salad. It was the perfect going away get together.
Kevin offered to drive me to the airport as he wanted to spend some extra time with me and vice versa.
My mom walked us to the car and said, “Thank you for taking her. Goda is uh something else, but I love her as she is.”
“Awe, I love you, too, mom!” I said as I went in for a hug.
During the drive and as usual, Kevin and I philosophized about ourselves and the world—one and the same in the end.
“Did you know normal people don’t contemplate the world in the way you and I do?”
He laughed at me.
“Seriously,” I said, “people are just out here living, not wondering about what the meaning to life is or what the deeper meaning to themselves is.”
He got me to the airport 3 hours early so I wouldn’t panic about missing my flight. The trip started off great. The airline customer service agent who was checking me in was cute and flirtatious. He asked how I pronounced my name and found it beautiful when I said it.
“Do you have any carry-ons today?”
“Yeah, but I doubt it’s going to fit,” I said, after having watched the previous guy barely make it through with one half the size.
He saw my difficulty throwing it onto the scale as it was filled entirely with ropes.
“Why don’t I check that in for you for free?” he said.
“Really?!” I asked.
“Yeah,” he smiled back.
I noticed this special treatment never happened if I had a guy with me.
I got my usual pat down when I went through security, then boarded my flight shortly after. I scored on my seat as the other two were open as well. I slept the whole ride there.
Then, Karalana and her husband, Arnar, picked me up from the airport, having had made a sign that read: Goda Latvys Welcome to Erlendur Fashion Week Iceland
I hugged and thanked them. As we started the drive, I told Karalana how hard it was for me to understand the spelling of the words here.
She goes, “Don’t worry about the language. Just find an English word and use one that sounds like the word you’re trying to pronounce. For me, my Icelandic is English. For instance, ‘good day’ here is ‘góðan dag,’ which when you say it real fast sounds like ‘go and die.’ Another word is ‘frábært’ which sounds like ‘frog bite.’”
“Great advice,” I said.
They drove me through fields of lava that I found quite similar to the Big I. There were steam pockets and the area in general was quite barren due to a past lava flow.
“So, how did you two meet?” I asked.
“I was trying to sell her insurance,” he said.
“Yeah and then I asked him to show me his chest,” she said.
Arnar laughed. “She’s not kidding, she really did.”
Karalana flirted, “I wanted to see what I might be working with and I liked what I saw.”
The buildings on the island were small and tucked closer to the ground, I’m assuming for wind protection and exposure in the elements.
“I like how colorful the houses are here,” I said.
“Yeah we love colors,” he said, “we usually paint the rooftop different colors.”
We made it back to their place then she asked what my favorite thing to wear was and I said hiker clothing.
She blinked. “This is a fashion show.”
I didn’t have anything else other than the comfy tie-dye sweater dress I wore to the airport. Nowadays, I prefer comfort over style.
I asked if I could take a nap before we went to explore the area.
“Of course,” she said, then apologized for being so insensitive. I viewed her as anything other than that. She just offered me a free place to sleep in one of the most expensive countries I’ve visited.
I offered to take her out for dinner as a thank you for the ride and she said, “Foolishness! Do you know how much things cost here?!”
After my nap, she made me lunch then we went out to the city center to visit the church.
“It is a landmark in Iceland,” she said, “if you didn’t go here, you could pretty much say you weren’t in Iceland in the first place.”
Then, we visited the rainbow street and I asked if there was any significance to it.
“It is to celebrate gay pride. Iceland is pretty much the gay capital of the world. Even the priests and pastors are gay.”
I kept my comments to myself.
We strolled around then visited some stores to warm up. I was surprised to hear that most locals leave in the summer and stay in the winter because of tourism. I would think people would head where it’s warmer in the winter.
We went inside an info center and ended up finding a good spot to put up a poster to advertise for the fashion show. The girl whom we asked permission to do it was curious if we needed any extra models.
Karalana said, “Stand up and do a twirl for us!”
And so she did.
“She’s perfect,” I said.
She came over in the evening and tried on dresses that happened to be the exact fit and look I needed!
Afterwards, Arnar made us dinner—local ham with sweet potatoes and corn. He watched a sports game in the background super loud, just like my dad, getting super into it and apologizing when he chose to sit on the couch rather than at the table.
“No need to apologize,” I said. “Reminds me of home.”
Before I went to bed, he helped me get a better idea of where to start hitchhiking along with a more detailed plan of my route. I splayed the map open on a table and he sat down next to me, circling scenic spots that he felt I would enjoy.
