Iceland Day One - Arrival

I love my family. My dad drove us to the airport today and from the moment we left the driveway until we said goodbye at the curb we were all engaged in passionate debate and conversation. My dad is full of wisdom and I fell in love with James because of our conversations but it was David who really impressed me with his insight and convictions. I am so proud of the man that he has become! The conversation was a great joy to me and though I drove slowly we still arrived at the airport all too soon.

There was no line at the check in counter which was great since we had a lot of luggage, more than I've taken anywhere (except our trip to Hawaii when we brought two kayaks and lots of food). Packing for Iceland was difficult since my research into the weather suggested it would be between 35 and 55 degrees and often rainy. When it comes to clothes there isn't a huge difference between 75 and 95 since it is all shorts and t-shirt weather. But for Iceland we packed rain gear, hiking shoes, and winter coats in addition to our clothes and that took up a lot of space. We were practically buried on our drives to and from the airport.

Obligatory picture of my child looking at planes at the airport.

Christian wants to share a french fry with Daddy

James can't do it. 

Our flight was delayed so we ended up spending an extra hour in the airport. But once we got on the plane Icelandair won us over before we even took off. After everyone was seated, before we began to taxi, the flight attendants came by with bags for all the children on the flight. The bags had headphones, juice, and some small toys. It was a great way to welcome the kids and keep everyone busy while we waited to take off. Then as soon as we got in the air they brought over free lunches for all the children. The cart where adults could purchase meals came by later but I really appreciated the consideration and care they took of their younger passengers. Hungry kids can be cranky and loud (generally, mine can be loud at any time!) so this was a smart move as well as a kind one.

In addition to their attention to kids the whole experience on the plane was very pleasant. The legroom was expansive as were the entertainment selections and the service was excellent. I'm already trying to see if I can fly Icelandair for our future trips!

The one disappointing thing about our overnight flight is that only David and Christian were able to get any sleep and they didn't get much. So we arrived at 7:30 am to a very crowed airport we were all exhausted. Thankfully customs was a breeze, we just got our passports stamped and walked right out. Our car rental was quick and easy too, as much as it can ever be, and we were on the road without too much trouble.

Waiting for our rental car

The drive home though was really rough. A misunderstanding about how they do their road signs caused us to spend 45 minutes backtracking so we could get out of Reykjavik heading in the right direction. Once we were finally on the road though it was still a difficult drive. A heavy fog and a light rain on a perfectly straight road is hard at anytime but we were already exhausted. At one point the fog was so thick that we could barely see more than a car length in front of us. Thankfully traffic was light and we soon drove out of it. James was driving but he needed me to navigate and help keep him alert. But I was so tired that the only thing I could do to stay awake was eat and I would fall asleep if I wasn't actually chewing. (I don't know why this is, but absolutely nothing else works) Finally though we arrived at our vacation home safe and sound.

We rented a little cottage with two bedrooms and a lofted room. I had thought that the kids would be in the loft but after seeing the ladder we all thought better of it and David took it instead. The first order of business was a nap and James let me take the first one. He came in later to wake me up and ended up falling asleep. When I woke up I found that David had been cheerfully taking care of the kids by himself for 45 minutes. He is so wonderful.

David's room

David's view

The ladder to David's room. I did not want the kids up and down this at night!

The kids had all slept in the car and were now full of energy and excitement about being in Iceland. I took them out to play in the rain for a bit to see if they could burn some of it off. The hill behind our house is all rough, uneven ground that is covered with a very thick and springy moss. It was strange to walk on and every time the kids tried to run they would fall. But that was OK because the ground was so soft. 

Will and Christian running right before Christian takes a tumble

Will was the only one who wore a raincoat. Jon thought his Wolverine costume was a better choice.

After that we all went out to the local supermarket to stock up for the week. The kids were a little weepy by this time but they enjoyed exploring the aisles and checking out the strange food, especially the candies and cookies. We were very amused to find Cool Ranch Doritos packaged as Cool American Flavor Doritos. We picked out some fun new treats to try and most of them were pretty good. James though tried to buy chocolate and ended up with a licorice candy that David called "the moxie of the candy family". It was so bad that David and James could barely choke down their small bites and their reactions scared the rest of us off. 

After shopping we grabbed dinner at a fast food hot dog place. I'd heard that Iceland hot dogs were great and so far I am not disappointed. James got us all hot dogs covered with Doritos, cheese, and garlic sauce. It was really good! Much better than it sounds. 

And that was it really. We came home, watched part of a movie, and went to bed. Our first day was not very exciting but I can't wait to get out and explore once we all have had some sleep. It will still be raining tomorrow so I think we are going to head into Reykjavik to see the city. 

David and his nephews watching a movie in their cool hats.

It is now nearly midnight here and the sky is still light grey. I don't know if it will ever get really dark but I can't stay up long enough to find out! Goodnight!