I woke up at three due to clouds fuming up the room, and ended up on a bench on the second floor staring at a wall overthinking, so not ideal. For a brief, very irrational moment I considered booking a flight to Hamburg at 1pm, which made absolutely no sense and yet felt urgent enough to spiral over. By four I was properly awake and watched two straight hours of YouTube, don't ask what. I slept again eventually.

Later I sat on the balcony alone, wrapped up, hugging myself in the mild morning air trying to warm up. Then there was talking. Then there was crying.

We floated the idea of cancelling the car, doing everything differently, then un-did all of it just as quickly. The car could be picked up later. Plans could stay plans. Just later. We had to make peace first.

Breakfast followed which was where we discovered the existence of Islacao (way too late).

We took a taxi to the car rental and ended up with a very small, very cute, very aggressively blue Kia. The island did its thing the moment we started driving, all wide and volcanic and beautiful.

Jameos del Agua was first. A cool cave. Blind crabs in dark water. Everything white and green and black at once. Gardens that feel like a moodboard rather than a place, with palm trees, wood, volcanic stone, tiny white structures. I now know exactly what my house is gonna look like when im a grown up. Mught start a new pinterest board. In the gift shop I bought a postcard. Jannis bought me a necklace, love that for me. It's blue like the car and has volcanic stones.

We raced back to the hotel just in time for lunch and sat at a table in the sun that's somehow always empty? I got iced tea the other discovery I made way too late.

Then off again, this time in the other direction, to the natural pools. Did we think you could bathe in them and were instead greeted by giant waves slapping against even more gigantic rocks? Perhaps.

The waves were ridiculous. Loud, dramatic, stunning. We climbed over rocks, Jannis attempted to bend water, which did not listen. We revived an old drinking game story, a fisherman appeared, a wave crashed.

On the way back we stopped for fuel, caught a beautiful sunset, and returned the car without incident. We went full luxury and took a taxi back to the hotel. Speaking Spanish with taxi drivers continues to save money: This one liked beer and disliked it when Madrid lost. Fair.

With every meter closer to the hotel, the coughing intensified. Straight to bed. Shower. cough

Dinner was Maldivian or Indian or both, lots of salad.

Were besties with the waitresses now: Sergio got us fist bumps. Paula asked why I speak such good Spanish and also noted that Jannis does too.

I was perfectly full, the kind of full that makes you briefly proud of your training week.

There was ABBA again later. Mocktails were ordered with unnecessary complexity. Jannis became concerned about disco ball lasers and tried dodge their attack.

At some point it hit me that we’ve already been here a week, that there’s only one full day left and that I will 100% come back.