Goodbye Iceland

Our flight from Paris to Iceland was delayed by 9 hours (effectively a day).  So when we finally arrived in Keflavik, we were pooped.  Thankfully, our rental car was still available and our Airbnb was only a 35 minute drive from the airport. Our total stay in Iceland was only 36 hours, but we had a blast! Each day we visited a pool within 10 minutes drive of our rental.  Both pools were outdoor, had at least one water slide, and two hot pots (hot tubs).  The pools were so warm that we barely noticed the brisk outside air and ended up all getting a little pink from sun exposure because we stayed for so long.

Outside one of the pools we found a playground with soccer fields, a small zip line, an in-ground trampoline, climbing wall and more! Gordy could barely have been happier.  

And, even better, Gordy made friends with a few Icelandic kids at the second pool.  The three kids became instant buddies and they helped him learn how to dive off the diving block!  When they said goodbye, they made him promise to come back to visit them again someday. 

For food, dining out seemed a bit too costly (not to mention too much effort).  So, we went for a shop at a supermarket, Neto, and found lots of yummy fixings for our stay.

Our one big adventure was going to the Reykjadalur hot springs river for a 3km hike and a lounge/soak in the river.  The hike took about an hour uphill and Gordy was a total champion hiking most of it by himself.  Todd was even happy about the hike because the hot springs were an absolutely fantastic payoff. 

Though the U.S. had just announced it was dropping its negative Covid test requirement for international travelers, the change would not go into effect until 12:01am Sunday.  Since our flight departed a few hours before that, the three of us had to endure nasal probes to the tune of $150!  We think we may have been some of the very last passengers to that delightful process. 

As we headed for the airport to start our journey home, Gordy got sad.  His little lip started quivering and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.  Over and over he kept saying, “goodbye Iceland” in a sad little voice.  He really loved Iceland and was sad to leave so quickly.  Todd and I enjoyed our stay also, so we agreed that we’d all return to the island someday.

Everything seemed to be going so well… until we got to the airport.  Our airline, Iceland Air, had 5 flights all departing within 30 minutes of each other.  And, due to staffing shortages, the check-in and baggage drop area didn’t open until 1-1/2 hours before the first flight left.  Even better, when the checkin did open, there were only two windows open, so the checkin line ended up taking 1-1/2 hours to get through.  Then, I failed the security check 3 times due to a chemical residue that they said was detected all over me (hands, clothes, shoes, and backpack). After multiple physical checks and a check of my carryons, I was cleared to go.  They said that the chemical residue could likely have been from the sulfer at the hot springs that got on my backpack and shoes which then transferred onto my clothing.  

Once we made it through security we had about 20 minutes until our plane departed, which should have been enough time.  Then we hit the immigration line with all the same people who suffered with us in the checkin line.  Thirty minutes later, we were cleared to go to our gate, but were then stopped by officers  who said that Todd had to go with them because he’d been randomly selected for an additional round of screening. Todd went with them into a room and Gordy and I ran to our gate to try to hold the plane.  In the end, the airline held the plane for us and we made it to NYC, but we are all a little traumatized by the stressful experience and we are pretty sure that we will not be flying with Iceland air again.

After lots of traveling, we are all pretty happy with our trip - it was great to see so many great people and places. That being said, we are very much looking forward to getting home to our house and regular life.  Gordy says he missed his friends and his Nana, and I think we could all use some regular sleeping in our own beds.