Iceland the Magical
August 2016
DAY 1:
Airports, Hot Springs, and Caves
The midnight flight from Boston to Keflavik, Iceland was tiring but very smooth. The girls were angels, as they read, colored, and slept the entire time. Jason and I, on the other hand, bent ourselves into all sorts of tetris-esque-shapes in hopes of getting just minutes of shut eye, while simultaneously not daring to disturb our slumbering girls.
Wow Airlines had a few strange rules and fees that I didn't learn about until 3 days before our trip, so naturally I was stressed and determined to avoid hassle. Strangely they didn't seem to enforce any of them! That's right, no extra fees and a wonderful staff. Which BTW is a sight to behold!
Yes, that tall blonde, Icelandic staff with their perfect teeth, bright perfectly pressed, purple-passion uniforms and their slick little Norwegian braids under slim side cap, were absolutely timeless! Even as we disembarked at 4am and walked in a haze with our rag tag wolfling crew, towards immigration and customs, we were struck in awe as another fresh, sleek WOW crew strutted confidantly towards us in perfect tight formation flashing smug smiles at us that said, "Yeah, you know it." They were like this proud gorgeous purple gang right out of the 70's! It was a sobering site to behold! It was like a glimpse in time of what flight attendants and flight crew used to be like, in all their glory, of the days of the "sexy stus" and their cocky captains! Yet here in Iceland, they were as if encapsulated in a perfect time loop. Jason and I both simultaneously in our tired yet giddy fog, rubbed our eyes and smirked like Cheshire cats to one another, raising our eye brows noting this gang striding towards us as if in slow motion through a wind machine... It was glorious!
Keflavik Airport was sleek as well, as if it was forged straight out an Ikea flat box. It's inhabitants however were mostly a mix of scruffy back packers, napping in sleeping bags strewn all over seats and in aisles like rugged confetti. They seemed strange juxtaposed with the well-put-together European and Asian families and tourists. The whole scene was all just waking up to the smells of the trendy juice bar cafe.
(Fun fact: Iceland has less than 350,000 inhabitants and yet, over 2 million tourists per year! People often ask us if language is a barrier in different places we go to. I will tell you that in Iceland, it is not, as most everyone speaks English fluently.)
After a smoothie, we grabbed our car rental and were off by 5am to our first hotel booking, to pass out till our check-out time at noon. Much to my surprise it turned out to be more of an apartment. Again, "Sleek" was the word. Yes, that would be the theme to Iceland. "Sleek, efficient, European, and clean". There is something about those Scandinavian-Nordic countries... European, yet a touch of something else too. Whatever it is, I like it a lot.
One thing I noticed instantly about every place we stayed in was the bedding. I love being surprised by little cultural norms like this, that seem like obsolete details, but yet somehow paint the place what it is. They use these very fluffy cotton duvets on all the beds in Iceland, that are quite small, that you don't think could possibly keep you warm or even cover you completely. Strangely they are extremely warm, cozy and refreshing all at the same time. I take beds very seriously. Even on a "Queen" (which is simply two singles smooshed together in Iceland) you find these 2 single duvets on either side. Those fluffy, fluffy, heavenly, cloud-like duvets... mmmm... We passed out and woke up at noon, just 6 hours later. After a romp at the local playground, while Daddy grabbed a make shift breakfast, we were off to the Blue Lagoon!
The Blue Lagoon
Black, hardened-molten, bubbly-shaped, lava rocks covered half by moss littered the primordial landscape near the lagoon. Jason had been to the Blue Lagoon before, a few years back, on a work trip to Sweeden, where he had a long layover in Iceland, but this was a first for the rest of our crew. I have never felt more like I was on another planet. As we approached this incredible terrain of porous rock just oozing out billowing steam, rising up all around us from the Earth, it was absolutely other-worldly! Pools of magic milky white water snaked up in speckles and streams as we drove towards the entrance where we parked. As we got out and made our way in, walking through a corridor of blackened lava rock, we noticed that the milky waters below were at the same time somehow blue. It's the strangest thing.
Check-in to the Blue Lagoon was of course as efficient and flawlessly orchestrated as a "Swiss watch." In fact, the words "German engineering" and "Swiss watch" were words that kept filling my word-porn brain-sphere the whole time we were in Iceland! We were quickly registered, ushered, and welcomed in. The locker system and bathrooms were stunning, with several attendants assuring protocol at every step, helping any confused tourists. In a blink we were suited up, outside, and in those GLORIOUS Ancient holy waters floating in blissful geothermal magic.
The image of Momo, in those waters, with her bright blue swim cap and orange, European-style arm floaties she was given upon entrance, will be joyfully burned into my retina forever!
All our aches and pains from our flight, were now a mere memory as we soaked in that hot lusciousness. Healing. Restorative. Replenishing. Were words new with meaning. We stayed for 2 hours enjoying the free mud masks, the massage the various man-made waterfalls provided, and the black "lava scrub" that the adorable attendants were handing out in the water with us. After a few drinks from the swim up bar served to us by pretty blondes in fluffy hats and boots, and a few more laps around the lagoon, we made our way back to the dressing rooms to wash up and fetch all our belongings.
En Route to... VIK!
Vik was the next destination on our adventure. We had booked an Air-BnB for the next 3 nights there. Vik is a TINY coastal town on the Southern-most tip of Iceland and boy are we glad we decided to stay there for 3 nights -as it is close to so many magical and diverse spots! Our drive towards our Air-BnB there quickly turned from other-worldy-steam-pouring-out-of-lava-rock type landscape, to the GREENEST grassiest rolling fields chuck-full of the fluffiest white sheep you've ever seen. Zoe kept wanting to run up and snuggle them all! Houses were sparse and nearly-wild horses ran for acres. Much like Hawaii, the extreme landscape kept changing every few miles. On our way from the Blue Lagoon, in a town called Þorlákshafnarvegur (pronunciation??) just 2 hours west of Vik we stopped by some caves.
Raufarhólshellir CAVES
Jason remembered that these caves were on our route when he was scouting out some cool things to do in Iceland on google maps. Being that they would only add 4 minutes to our 2 hour drive we decided to take chance! There, on the side of the road where our GPS told us they might be, where barely any signs indicated their existence, were these magnificent miracles! We were so happy we had purchased the Car rental Mi-fi.
FYI the entire "Ring Road" around Iceland is hooked up for Wifi, so don't waste your money on the cheap GPS devices the car rental place offer, just pay for the car Mifi instead and you can use your smart phone to get you around wherever you go.
I assumed the caves would be a small roadside attraction, but they were absolutely spectacular! They were like something out of a storybook with trolls and sprites living in them! We tentatively made our way down into them and discovered that they were actually very well lit. 3 giant natural skylights from above ground allowed light to spill down into them, exposing every detail of the cave for the first 400 feet of the 4,000 ft path! We of course were no spelunkers and had no such gear to go further! But those 400 ft were majestic, and words really and utterly fail to describe them.
A few more fun facts about Iceland. They have no armed forces and they SERIOUSLY have a fairy counsel that must be consulted before any construction takes place. This country reveres the vibrant life and ecology so much to the point that most inhabitants whole-heartedly believe in nature spirits, faeries, elves, and gnomes whom are protectors of the land. These are otherwise known as Huldufolk, or "hidden people." Which is why all around the caves, and throughout Iceland are these mysterious mounds of stones. These are like temples or shrines to the elves and faeries.
Being believers, myself and the kids, we stopped and added a stone to the mound and whispered a little something to them with reverence. I absolutely saw spectral light in those caves. It was quivering, red and bright, and in seconds it was gone.
Realizing how late it was getting, and not quite adjusted to the whole Midnight sun thing, nor the time difference, we said our goodbyes to this magical place and drove and drove the rest of the way to Vik where our fluffy duvets would surely be waiting.
Ah, Iceland in August, at its greenest and most lush! The words, "I don't understand" and "this isn't real," kept pouring out of me as we drove through that glorious landscape. It was non-sensical. My brain was not comprehending. I am still in utter disbelief. Waterfalls pouring out of the side of Glacier formed plateaus, each with 3 rainbows casting circles around them!
GLACIERS! Mountains! Volcanoes! Ocean Views! Jagged Cliffs! Strange and IMPOSSIBLE staggering rock formations! Sheep joyfully bounding every where! Where the Hell were we?! Was this a dream?! I was fully expecting a unicorn to come bounding out from behind a waterfall. It certainly would not have been far fetched and out of place in this magical landscape! Was this some kind of a Tolkien fantasy we had stumbled into!? I was not understanding how all this was possible to EXIST in this world, in that relatively short drive to Vik.
I still don't understand as I sit and type in our little Sleek Vik Air bnb, sprung straight out of an Ikea catalog. It's more of a tiny home actually, with a rustic ladder going up to a sleek little loft for the kids. It's elven, yet modern. I just can't explain this place. I am absolutely humbled, filled with infinite gratitude to get to have this adventure, and oh so eager for what tomorrow will bring.
Day 2
Beaches, Moss, and Glaciers
The morning started with a brief, early morning family yoga practice and a walk across the adorable provincial street to the tiny grocery story for some breakfast fixins. We would be staying in Vik for a few days so we scraped together enough food for a couple lunches and a dinner. I'm not gunna lie to you, food is EXPENSIVE in Iceland. Surprisingly lobster and lamb are not! But think about it, most everything else has to be imported for how small of an island it is. It felt deliciously satisfying, as it always does to grocery shop in a foreign country amongst the localers... It always feels more real and like you are less of a tourist and more of an inhabitant. It's one of my favorite things to do abroad actually, and a wonderful way to really get the sense of a place. All the interesting and strange food items to look at... Iceland didn't disappoint with it's pickled shark meat, elaborate pastries, and dried assortment of fishes, and there is always an item or two that you just have no idea what is. I just loved eavesdropping on the sounds and cadence of different language exchanges.
Fun fact about Iceland... It is SO safe in Iceland... How safe is it?... That it is custom for parents to leave their babies asleep in their prams, outside of stores while they shop!
Black Sand BEach
After breakfast we had big plans! So we cleaned up, hopped in our rental car, and made our way to the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach which was practically in our back yard just up and around a very steep and beautifully winding hill. HOLY Moly. What can I say. Just take a look.
Of course the MOST adorable thing we saw, were the "Puffins!" The small penguin-like bids that are semi-annual inhabitants of the staggering rock formations upon Black Sand Beach.
The sand was warm and I didn't hesitate to sprawl out on it. It felt very peaceful there and I could have stayed there all day if it were up to me. There is just something about the seaside that puts me in my truest of elements. Too soon we hopped back in our rental car and gassed up in Vik on our way towards the Glacier Lagoon on the Southeast most corner of Iceland.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge)
Fun Fact:: There are very few gas stations in Iceland! :)
At the gas station we picked up an adorable hitchhiker named Callista who had just graduated Grad school from the UK, who we learned had a turtle at home named "Volder-Tort!" We told her of our rabbit at home named "Bunny Sanders!" So it seemed to be a perfect match.
Eldhraun Moss-covered Lava Field
You read that right, "Eldehraun" kind of like some Mystic place from the Lord of the Rings where fairy kings and queens still rule the fairy folk. We drove for about an hour when we came across it. We should have known, because leading up to it we kept seeing fairy mounds and piles of nature-spirit stone stupas too numerous for any human to have possibly constructed, yet too elaborate for them to be an unintentional phenomena. What was this place? Only the SOFTEST fluffiest, most GINORMOUS FIELD of Moss we have ever seen in our entire lives! Pictures can not really convey this stuff. It grew like mad on the volcanic bulbous rock that littered the landscape, feeding off of the nutritious ash, no doubt that acted like steroids for it! It called us like the sea calls me. There were no signs about it so we made the rookie tourist mistake of walking on it. Well to be fair, it was more like hugging it and we did take our shoes and socks off... It was "JUST so FLLLLUFFFYYYYY!!!!" As the kids squealed in delight. We snuggled with it and whispered wishes to it and sent it our love.
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
When we arrived at the Glacier Lagoon we ate our pre-made sandwiches as well as a purchased bowl of some lamb stew that made our mouths water for more. We bought it from a small roadside stand that was housed at the lagoon before walking down to the glaciers. We opted out of going on the boat tour, as it seemed they only went around in circles and it seemed quite silly to suit up in life vests, wet-suits, and ponchos just to touch an iceberg. Especially since they were floating abundantly all around and even to the shores.
One funny thing that didn't hit me until we were driving back is that the seals there were WILD. WILD SEALS swimming within 10 feet of us in the lagoon! Iceland is after all so close to the Arctic Circle! You see, I am so accustomed to seeing seals in captivity, that my brain shut down at the sight of them. Programmed, I thought in irritation something along the lines of, "Sigh, poor seals forced to perform tricks for tourists..." Not realizing at the time that no, those were actually WILD SEALS!!! My mind literally avoided even wanting to be near where they were because animals at tourist destinations always saddens me so! I thought this was quite comical and when I told Jason on the ride back he thought it hilarious as I turned to him with sudden surprise, mouth agape, eyes widened and said, "OH. They were WILD SEALS!"
Halfway back to our Air BnB we couldn't help but pull off the side of the road to take a peek at one of the MANY unmarked waterfalls! We were literally making jokes at this point that every home near Vik had a private 100 foot+ waterfall in its back yard! Every waterfall in Iceland ends with the word "Foss", so we joked that the many unnamed ones- too small too count were simply "Back-Yard-A-Fosses!" In the US they would have a name, elaborate rules and fences around each one!
Back in Vik, we finished the evening off with a little glass of red wine and some more grass-fed free-roaming Icelandic Lamb along with a view of the ocean at this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant behind Vik's only gas station near our AirBnb.
The children are slumbering from a day full of wonder and play. It's midnight in 10 minutes and I hear tonight the Northern Lights are predicted to be seen! Goodnight.
Day 3
Waterfalls, Hobbit Homes, and Volcanoes
Well, we didn't catch any Northern Lights last night, but today's a new day and we are off for some more adventures!
We all tried really hard to pronounce the name of the Volcano whose Visitor Center we were visiting first thing that day, but failed terribly! The name was in fact so long, we could barely fit it in the picture! Located not far from Vik it took us only about 45 minutes to get there.
Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
Fun Facts: We learned at the Visitor Center that Iceland is powered by nearly 100% renewable energy! This is accomplished with their vast geothermal and hydro power capacity.
Between the waterfalls and the volcanic activity, Iceland has POWER. It is alive and breathing, literally. One of the reasons the drinking water running from the tap is ICE cold and some of the purest water in the world, is because it is GLACIER-fed, by those pristine ancient formations. The hot water on the other hand, smells like sulfur because it comes straight from the boiling ground!
The last time this volcano erupted was in 2010, affecting many of the small local farmers. We also learned that Iceland has 130 volcanoes altogether, 30 of which are active! This is due to the fact that Iceland is on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on top of two tectonic plates. Pretty crazy, but I suppose like an intense relationship you just can't get enough of, fire and drama makes for very interesting and fertile landscapes!
Skogafoss Waterfall
The Legendary Skogafoss
Next on our agenda was the reason we bought cheap plastic waterproof pants! Nothing but Waterfalls! The kind that if you stand anywhere near, soak you from head to foot! The weather in August is about as warm as Iceland gets, at about 40-50's degrees Fahrenheit! The first stop was the legendary Skogafoss Waterfall!
Skogafoss's literal translation is "Forest Falls." It is about 82 feet wide and about 200 feet high. One can climb the hundreds of steps up the side of the waterfall to the top to enjoy a SPECTACULAR view of the sea! There is also a trail that goes even further up and over the the ridge to the other side of the plateau. To be honest, just hiking up those steps and back were ENOUGH for us! After such a challenging hike with two young ones we were happy to pass out on the plush grass at it's base and roll around on the grass there for a rest and a snuggle! We were giddy and silly and exhausted after such and EXHILERATING encounter with this majestic power house!
Rutshellir Cave
On Our way to yet another mystical waterfall, we stopped by the mysterious Rutshellir Cave in the South of Iceland. There are many legends about this Hobbit-house-like cave, but none seem to agree upon the reason for it's existence... The Nazi's believed it was a "Heathen Temple!" Heahens and riff-raff? Sounds like my kind of crowd!
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandfoss was my favorite of the waterfalls we visited in Iceland. With a mystic, moss covered cave to it's back allowing us to walk behind it as it sprayed us with it's quenching blessings. Surely it was the most enchanting!
It's amazing to me how none of these "attractions" were roped off, regulated, nor did any of them have any entrance fees. There were only suggested donation boxes on the loose wooden fence posts in the parking lots... and sometimes a free visitor center. There certainly didn't seem to be the kind of policing and patrolling you have in the US. It seemed that Iceland just simply trusted it's visitors to act appropriately and respectfully. And from what I saw, it seemed to work quite well.
Back packers, tour buses, and families alike littered the parking lots. Nearby tents and lingering bicyclists made this stop feel more like a community. Small bathrooms and pay-shower stalls were another noted provision as well as a small food stall serving hot chocolate and lamb stew!
After yet another bowl of Icelandic Lamb stew from the pop up stand here, we were off back home to our Air BnB for our final night sleep in Vik. We were tired and slept soundly after a long day of hiking waterfalls!
Day 4
Hot Springs, Tomato Farms, and Geysers
Hungry for more hot springs, first on our list was the Secret Lagoon! Reknown for it's low key vibe and steaming-hot geyser-fed pools, a deep soak in the Secret Lagoon sounded like the perfect thing to start the day! It was just a 2 and a half hour drive Northwest of Vik. We said goodbye to our beloved little, Nordic AirBnb in Vik and made our way up the countryside towards it. We were sad to leave the magical southern coast of Iceland. We quickly found out that while Northwest of there is gorgeous in it's own way it reminded us a lot of Colorado. And as beautiful as Colorado may be, it certainly isn't like being in that mythological landscape of the southern coast!
The Secret Lagoon
Just what the doctor ordered! The Secret Lagoon is located in the tiny town of Fludir. We knew we were in for a treat when we pulled up in our rental car and a friendly dog ran up to greet us along with a few stray cats! If you didn't know the place was there, you would have never known! Thank you again GPS. It's name holds true, as the outside looked like a few abandoned green houses and a very small, tucked away entrance. It was one of those places that acts like a portal that looks small from the outside, but once you are beyond the gate, is actually large and expansive!
Steam was billowing out of boiling holes in the ground all around us! A small geyser that erupts every 5 minutes, sending steam sky high, feeds the pool in which visitors luxuriate and float in on the foam "noodles" provided. Draw bridges and plank wooden walkways wind you around streams of oozing earth! It is not unlike some alien planet of fire and ice fighting one another in some epic celestial, underground battle! The Secret Lagoon is the stuff dreams are made of. Like some gate-keeper portal to another world, it is indeed the oldest of it's kind in Iceland... open to the public since 1891. Kids were free, like most things in Iceland.
It was at the Lagoon that we met a lovely family from Italy. They were from a town close to Naples, where I grew up! Excited to get to speak Italian again, we became fast friends. They informed us of a delicious lunch place just 12 minutes from the lagoon, that was a geothermal tomato farm! If I've learned anything in this world, it's that if true Italians give you food and restaurant recommendations... you take it! Especially in foreign countries!
fridheimar Tomato Farm
I know, I know, tomatoes in Iceland? But hear me out! Rich volcanic soil, geothermal heated green houses, rows and rows of the healthiest tomato plants you've ever seen! All surrounding you in a beyond-charming setting. The menu? Nothing but all-you-can-eat tomato soup! Well, soup and luscious, steaming homemade bread, a full bar, and tomato jam desserts served in adorable flower pots topped with fresh basil!
Soup?! -You may ask, How is soup exciting?? Well dear friend you have never in your life tasted such soup before! Yes, as someone who is not exactly a tomato lover, I will tell you it was one of the best meals of my life! I still have days where I crave that soup... and well nothing compares, because the proof is in the geothermal volcanic magic.
Stokkur GEyser
With bellies full of tomatoes, next on our route was the Geyser that named all geysers! Located in the Village of Stokkur, Iceland, Stokkur Geyser was first noticed in 1789, after an earthquake that had it erupting up to 40 meters high ever since! It is noted as one of the most spectacular geysers on earth! I had never personally seen a geyser erupt! This was certainly a treat for all of us! Watch this fun slow-motion video of it's unique bubble that forms just before the burst!
After a fun romp around the winding trails near the geyser, we decided to head to our Airbnb nearby. We were quite tired and it had become very cold and windy. Overall, we really lucked out with weather and hadn't had many rainy days.
The girls were also eager to get back because the place we were staying at for the night was a farm and they were said to have ponies! The location of our cabin was in the little town of Bláskógabyggð and our experience there was...idyllic.
The digs were very much like a cross between a picturesque Norwegian country-side homestead and a Colorado cottage. Complete with bunk-beds for the girls and sulfur-scented steaming hot-tub, no less! It didn't take us long to get cozy at this place after a homemade meal on the stove. The girls went right to sleep, and we stayed up hoping to see some Northern Lights. I wish I could show some pictures for it, but I will tell you that gladly around midnight... it finally happened!
What started off as white misty swirls in the sky quickly turned blue! Then green! It truly was like light dancing in the sky! I understood so much more about aurora native legends where spirits and Gods were said to touch the Earth! What a site to behold. I will never forget it. It felt like God talking straight to you through light. What became clear to me was that it was energetic communication, and my only regret is not dancing and singing soft music back to it. I was so humbled and in awe. There was a sensitivity to it... a responsiveness. It was absolutely beautiful, and so special. We woke the girls to experience it too. None of us will ever forget it.
What an amazing and full day we had. Tomorrow is our final full day in Iceland, I wonder what it will bring.
Day 5
Pingvellir National Park and Reykavik
To be honest I was exhausted! We had big plans to explore every last detail of Pingvellir National Park, but after 4 full days of non-stop adventuring, the pace and time difference were beginning to catch up to us! Wiped, we decided to take it easy and just hike to one of the major attractions within the park. Oxarafoss Waterfall. What makes this giant park most interesting is that it lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian one! So you literally walk between two continents as you make your way to Oxarafoss.
Historically speaking, Pingvellir is fascinating because in just around 900 AD it was the site for the VERY first open air parliament that was established to fight monarchy in Iceland! In hindsight, we can see how amazing this is, as it was about 800 years before such ideas came into play in the rest of the modern world!
reykjavik
Leaving Pingvellir, we were famished! We quickly booked it to Reykavik, Iceland's only major city. It only took us about half an hour to get there. We checked into our Airbnb, threw our stuff down and high tailed it to get an early dinner. On the menu? More local lamb of course! A deliscious lobster bisque- one of Iceland's specialties! And.... fermented shark meat! Yes, you read that right. It stunk like the strongest smelling ammonia ever!! They kept it in a sealed glass jar in which they served it from- it smelled so bad, and you were only to open it directly before inserting it in your mouth! I suppose they didn't want the entire restaurant stinking up! I gagged at the first smell of it, but as I popped it my mouth it tasted mild in comparison to the smell! Not unlike a strong smelly cheese. It came in a few tiny cubes. I only was able to pop about 3 pieces. Jason joined me. The girls did not! :)
After that interesting and adventurous early dinner, we spent our last night in Iceland strolling the streets of Reykjavik. I told the girls they could each take home something small. A wool headband for Zo, and Momo went with a small pair of delicate wool slippers. Some of Iceland's finest homegrown products are made of fleece and wool.
The Vision
There certainly was no lack of Spectacular Graffiti Art in Iceland! One of the most magic and impressive, of which was a full length mural of a Wolf Mama and her two cubs! We walked passed it right as Martina was skipping ahead of us, winding down the streets of Reykjavik in full on Wolf-child mode, complete with tail and furry sweater and hat to match! This was beyond perfect as I had had a vision of creating the music video I made of the whole trip (at the beginning of this story) of our family and the children running around Iceland with their various fun costumes in the spectacular landscape.... Well, they of course both had their Wolf Children shape-shifter threads... and I even had visions of using much of the Wolf Children Sound Track as we flew to Iceland... listening to it! I saw the whole thing laid out before me in my mind's eye.
Seeing this mural suddenly I got it! The intro scene would be the children in a concrete jungle of Babylon, walking rough a city... little dreaming wolf children... unsure of who they were but somehow also knowing... their roots. With so little direction and only remnants of a mythology remaining... lost and burned, but kept alive ONLY by the artists who somehow preserved the sacred wisdom through art and poetry and fairy tales. Channeling the memories and wisdom... creating passage through a portal to the Neverland lost worlds where our dreams indeed live and thrive. Ancient worlds, worlds rich in splendor and beauty, alive alive with reverence and a world where the Earth is protected and loved.... And after the wolf children are teleported through the mural to that dimension and spend glorious days in heaven romping around in that world, we are able to track them and see the most beautiful world our hearts knew was possible! And oh, the wisdom of that voyage... We then see them again at the end stepping back through the mural artist's portal... to the human world once more! ...And so the whole short film came together in an instant of the magic of finding this mural!
