An Icelandic Proposal.

With all that occupies us and requires our attention on a day-to-day basis, our blog, for which I had honest intentions has been neglected. But do not despair, little blog, for I have come to revive you with a love story of epic proportions.

And so it begins...

Once upon a time, two overworked lovers decided to take an adventurous holiday to the wild land of fire and ice. They spent months reading the sagas of the Norsemen who settled this land and spent many a night dreaming of the wondrous places they'd seen in photographs. They prepared for their ultimate adventure by buying a tent for shelter and mummy sleeping bags for warmth, because this was no ordinary journey, this was to be the journey where they lived one with the land, where they slept on its spongy moss earth and bathed in its abundant pools of steaming water. They dreamed of total disconnection with civilization and their overly socialized lives in New York City. After all, they are nature lovers at heart and earnestly dream of a life lived in the countryside so they were certain that their fierce loyalty to Shake Shack, Anthropologie (her), and the Theater would merely dissolve in the midst of glacier hiking and whale watching. I mean, who needs a cheeseburger when they are amongst lush fields of wild blueberries? Certainly not these two earth mothers. Certainly. Not.

They boarded a giant plane at dusk, slept like children and were awakened in the morning to the sight of a strange land with a small red house at the edge of the coast. The doors to the airport opened and they walked out to a misty foggy wonderland. Correction: a misty, foggy, FREEZING wonderland, but a wonderland nonetheless. They went round to fetch the Ford Fiesta that would be the vehicle to the adventures that awaited them and they made the arduous 30 minute drive to the Blue Lagoon. They soaked in the milky blue waters of the Blue Lagoon and looked around in awe of the black lava rock surroundings. It was about this time that the girl began thinking that she finally understood the complexities and mystery of her beloved Bjork, Jonsi, and Sigur Ros. How could their music not be strange and surreal coming from this land of contrasts and contortions? She stood under a waterfall that beat that tightness out of her muscles and felt more at ease that she had in months.

They went on to have their minds blown time and time again but to tell you all those stories would require hours. Suffice it to say that they had stars in their eyes despite their discovery that being one with the land is laborious and trying especially in negative temperatures and that well, as lovely as lush blueberry fields are, they are simply no substitute for a cheeseburger.

As the story goes, we are led to Hrafnseyri, a very remote farm on a mountainside in the isolated West Fjords. This site was the home of two men separated by 6 centuries. A Viking chieftan by the name of Hrafn Sveinbjarnason, who was a young scholar in the 12th century and would become known as the Father of the Nation and Jon Sigurdsson, a son of a pastor who singlehandedly changed the destiny of Iceland by bringing Iceland its independence from the Danish crown on June 17, 1811 without a shot being fired or a man being killed. The girl, a history lover who had been enchanted by the sagas of both men, had long awaited their arrival at this most important spot in Iceland's history. They drove up a long dusty road and out of the corner of her eye; she spotted the iconic sod-roofed houses atop a cliff overlooking the Greenland Sea that she had read so much about.

When they reached the site, which now houses a small museum next to the sod-roofed homes of Hrafn and Jon and the church and graveyard where they are buried, the lovers were greeted warmly by an Icelandic fellow named Vladmir. He brought them into the sod-roofed homes and served them a warm rhubarb cake topped with fresh cream and a steaming cup of tea. He told them stories of his early life in the West Fjords, of his studies in Denmark, and of his entertaining travels abroad during the 60's and 70's. He was warm and kind and not long after he'd left them alone, he came back with binoculars and led the girl’s eye to a group of humpback whales in the waters below. She watched them glide along the water and spout water, that from afar looked like a fluffy cloud and she saw their tails move up and out of the water. The whale’s movement in the water and the presence of this extraordinary man with whom the lovers instantly felt connected to, made them feel that all was well in the world, that they were where they were meant to be. As the sun was beginning to set, they knew that the time had come to move along, that there was adventure to be sought. They thanked their host and wished him well, assuring him that they'd meet again and that next time they'd have a drink of ouzo to share with him to bring him back to his time spent in Greece so many years ago. They felt full of life, yet sad to be leaving. As they walked past the church where so much history had been laid to rest, the boy surprised the girl by getting down on one knee and saying, "I want to propose to you right now." She thought that he was overcome by the beautiful afternoon they'd spent together and was not entirely serious, so she laughed nervously, took his photo and walked away. After the boy had a few moments to compose himself, he tried again. In an attempt to assure the girl of his seriousness, he immediately presented a ring, after which he said many heartfelt things that the girl cannot quite remember as she was temporarily shocked. He put the ring on her finger and she immediately fell to her knees as well, burying her face inside the nook of his neck while salty tears fell from her eyes. She couldn't manage to find words; in fact all she could muster was a thumbs up. He held her and she held him and it was a beautiful moment - the most beautiful moment in the girl’s life thus far.

They made their way to the car where they stared at each other giddily for several minutes before the boy said, "Soooo, thumbs up? Does that mean yes?" The girl laughed through her tears of happiness and said YES!!!