Systems of Wonder
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Thanksgiving in Silfra
December 24, 2021
I’m driving faster than I should through slushy snow. My confidence driving in winter weather has grown, but more importantly, we’re running late. I’m deeply...
dawn, icy waterfalls, and soup buffets
December 18, 2021
Sunrise usually breaks my heart. “Heartbreak begins the moment we are asked to let go but cannot,” says David Whyte, and at home I’m never ready to let go of...
a Saturday of fire & ice
November 21, 2021
I’m going to skip some stuff and come back to it later, because I need to tell you about my day of fire and ice. — Saturday morning. After nearly a month of...
the light!
November 16, 2021
The light, the light, oh the light! Sunday noon, I’m driving out of Reykjavik towards Thingvellir, gorging myself on the views. The light is butter and the...
an unexpected wonderland, and an accidental tourist
November 12, 2021
It’s a complete accident that I’ve ended up in a cabin overlooking the single most popular tourist route in Iceland. I did almost no research before coming...
a waterfall, a crater, and a Mood
November 9, 2021
On the cabin’s surprisingly well curated bookshelf is an anthology, Wanderlust, with a thrilling introduction by Pico Iyer. He quotes Camus that “what gives...
a celebratory museum, and all the cozy is on the inside
November 6, 2021
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is down a long staircase in a building behind the H&M in Reykjavik. The most surprising thing is how homey the cafe is,...
a dead battery, the strange is now familiar, & a real coffee
November 5, 2021
It’s pitch black outside, and the car won’t start. I’ve just thrown half my stuff into my big duffel, having forgotten that a weekend trip nested in a one-...
sulfur & memory
November 4, 2021
Iceland is reminding me strongly, unexpectedly, of Perú. The smell of the hot water is a powerful sense memory: a particular volcanic sulfur aroma that I...
travel modes & Travel Dino
November 3, 2021
Travel is a pain in the ass. It's worth it; I'm sitting at the table watching fields of geothermal steam rise in the distance, against one, two, three, four,...
a sandwich, some sheep, and the glories of northern light
November 2, 2021
There is a particular smell that tells me I'm walking into a really good European grocery store. It's produce and packaging and something else I can't define...
a cozy cabin, and that's not a cloud
November 1, 2021
When you wake up in Iceland in November and it’s full sunlight outside… you’ve overslept. It’s Saturday morning, 10:55am. Checkout is at 11am. I call the...
exploring Reykjavik, too much fish stew, Beethoven at the Harpa
October 31, 2021
Friday morning I wake up at 5am. This is a far cry from my target wake-up time of 9:30am, but I’ve slept like the dead for ten hours and going back to sleep...
a long flight, a barrel roll, more book stores
October 30, 2021
It’s early afternoon, and I’ve given up on exploring because I’m so tired that I basically want to either go to sleep or die. It’ll be over an hour before my...