I rose again at my hotel and this time packed up as I showered, shaved, dressed, and all of that. I have some soiled clothing, and that is not in my luggage but in a bag Deborah gave me. This reduction makes my luggage easier to close. I soon dress and pack, collect my laptop and iPhone, and head to the industrial but complimentary breakfast. Keith is running the breakfast, and he remembers me and we chat for a few moments. I spend the morning writing the blog.
Deborah picks me up in her mini and we have lunch. I tried a local Mexican place, Miguel’s Cantina, and I had the soup while Deborah tried a quesadilla. But we did then head to Deborah’s house, and there her dogs, Trixie and Zelda, demanded to be petted. Deborah ran my clothing (and my sweater vest, which did not make it unscathed from lunch) through her washing machine and dryer. I did experience envy as her appliances worked! I have only heard word that they are now ordering replacement parts (I have to pay for the parts, and also pay for their installation).
While we waited for the laundry and also for our time to head to the Detroit airport, we played some games. Our first was a word game, Letter Tycoon, and Deborah helped me. Somehow, I managed to beat Deborah 65 to 64. It was not a bad game.
Next, Liam and Donovan joined Deborha and me for the Chicago EL Transit Adventure Game with Liam doing the teaching. We soon started the game, a worker placement game that was a bit mean, and exploring Chicago’s subway was interesting. I rode it on my last trip to and from the airport. Liam was steps from winning (Deborah taking a beating) when Donovan quietly won the fast game. A rematch is needed.
With the game done, Liam drove us to the airport in Debotah’s mini. We found our way to tag our bags, but we headed the wrong way once, as the signage was wrong. But soon we passed security and reveled in not having to take off our shoes! Max and Erma (the last one in Michigan) were available at our gate. Deborah had some happy memories of the now-closed Michigan food joints where we ate. I had a less-than-stellar smoked turkey club, and Deborah had the honey mustard chicken sandwich, which was good (we split both and shared).
Our plane ran a few minutes late (the cleaning crew was running late, we were told), but soon we were on our Delta flight and surprised to learn that food was being served. We had a row of seats to ourselves, but the other side had babies who often didn’t enjoy the flight and wanted us to know this.
We got started watching the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is always a blast, but the entertainment center had to be rebooted, we were told, and we had to restart. We finally got each of us watching the same movie at the same point. With dinner, Deborah received a complimentary drink (drinks were complimentary) of bourbon cream for her coffee (I had brought items in miniature bottles).
Deborah moved to the window and tried to sleep. I did nod off for about an hour. Our plan landed in Iceland, and Deborah and I were excited. Customs was just a few extra lines, and we located our luggage. We did see some Americans not show proper respect for customs (and considering what they could have done to you), and were surprised that the agents took no action.
Deborah navigated the Flybus, and soon we were on the 45-minute bus trip to Reykjavík. Another bus, and soon we were in Reykjavík, looking for our hotel. Deborah remembered what it looked like from the Internet photos.
Though our room would not be ready for hours, they arranged for us to get breakfast (for a charge) while we waited. It was the usual European mix of hot and cold meats, accompanied by a nice selection of cereals, fruits, yogurts, and baked goods. We also had lots of coffee.
Next, we spoke with Daniel, the helpful desk person who spoke perfect English. He told us he was Hungarian, adding that many drivers and other staff members are not native Icelandic speakers. He suggested a walk and we followed his advice. We headed to the famous church on Rainbow Street.
We walked uphill to the famous church, often stopping to browse the bookstore and tourist shops. Odin’s was especially good, offering products a step above the usual tourist fare, and we will return to it. We also saw many places to eat, including a Thai restaurant. Baked sheep’s head was available in one food joint — not something I would order.
We were finally exhausted, footsore, and needed a nap when we reached the famous church. I was unaware that there was a tower option and that the organ is massive. We will be back.
We headed back and soon had a room and a nap. I managed to get lucky with the shower, but Deborah actually figured it out (hold in the button). I headed to the bar, Uppsalir, connected to the hotel, and wrote the blog.
Thanks for reading. I will add our early evening to the next blog.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 