An Accepted Photo Essay Never Published by a Dormant Journal (Reprise)

Iceland 2018

This week, I’m republishing one of my favorite newsletters in honor of Michelle’s birthday. Today, I’m celebrating the marriage of two dear friends in one of my favorite places in the entire world. My heels are ridiculously (perilously) high. Thank you for reading.

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Iceland, August 2018. All photos shot on Nikon 75 with Portra 400 film.

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It is Michelle’s birthday. She lives in London, I live in New York. We meet in Iceland at dawn, not even 6:00 am local time. She circles our rental Kia snapping photos of damage with her iPhone. I enjoy complimentary hot chocolate from Avis Budget. Gold stains the horizon.

We drive to places with names we cannot even begin to pronounce. Snaefellsjoekull. Hjalparfoss. Eyjafjallajökull, which, a man later tells us, they refer to as ‘E15,’ as it starts with an E and 15 letters follow.

She savors a sour gummy worm for the first time in a year, the only treasure she requests I bring her from the US. We drive past many horse farms and wonder if Icelandic people eat horses.

Kia needs to refuel so we pull up to a gas pump in Selfoss, a town we found ourselves in by mistake. Michelle stares at the gas pump and back at Kia. We consult rental guides and user manuals from the glove compartment to determine what fuel is required. We feel confused but choose Diesel anyway.

Michelle pulls over at my request so I can take pictures. It is all unlike anything I have ever before seen.

We chase daylight on a gravelly road. Rocks the size of quarters kick up into Kia’s windshield. We listen to NPR. The landscape is desperate. We do not pass another vehicle for hours.

Our last night, I beg Michelle to join me in the hot tub on the roof of our trendy hostel. We celebrate a week spent just us two and mourn our scheduled departure. Northern Lights dance above us, an ethereal green silk gesticulating to the stars.