I woke up 2 hours later. I didn’t know where I was at first. The sun was shining bright in my room. I looked at the time. 1pm. I went straight for the shower. I didn’t want to be stuck in my room all day. After I showered up I headed back to the main receptionist area in the other tower. There were a few people lounging around, but it was mostly dead. I asked the new receptionist if I could get a cab and head into town. I figured what else could I do? I just missed the complimentary lunch, but I was fine.
Once the cab arrived I managed to ask him a few questions. The town seemed very small indeed. I walked into a retail shop and did some window shopping. I was trying to get a feel of the place.
I slowly hopped from one shop to the next. I walked into a souvenir shop and the lady there was very friendly. I asked as many questions as I could. Unfortunately, I have not done much research on Iceland, and felt bad that I was unprepared. I was pretty clueless. The lady warned me that most of the shops close by 6pm. By now the sun was already setting. She recommended a nearby museum down the street about the history of Keflavik. I quickly ran over. I wanted to see as much as I could.
Indeed the museum was very interesting. I learned about how both Norwegian and Danish ruled Iceland for nearly seven centuries. Once I finished up, I ran down the strip again to see which shops I missed. Sure enough, by 6pm, things got quiet in town. I went inside a hotel and asked if they could call me a cab. I headed back hungry. By now it was pitch black outside.
I ran into two guys from Wisconsin who were heading to the restaurant that had our complimentary dinner. We all walked over together. They were supposed to be on a flight to Berlin but obviously were stuck like me. We shared some laughs about the whole situation. The airlines gave us a $20 food voucher, and of course, everything was over-priced so we had to pay the difference. I settled on some fish and chips.
We walked back to the main tower again. The Wisconsin guys joked that the bar in our hotel lobby was known to be the hot spot in town. We decided to have a couple of drinks to see if there was any action going on. As figured, mostly other passengers that missed their flights joined us. I did enjoy my time there. The plan was to break night so we wouldn’t miss our shuttle bus at 3am. I almost felt we were set to fail. If we miss this bus, we would have to figure out how to get back to the airport. If we miss our flight, I couldn’t afford the consequences.
Once it hit 11pm I was growing tired. I went back to my room and grabbed my luggage. I came back to join everyone and got comfortable on the couch in the lobby. The crowd at the bar kept drinking away. I eventually nodded off.
I got up around 2:30am. The Wisconsin guys decided to grab their luggage as well. Little by little, more passengers started gathering in the lobby with their belongings. We waited and waited until our shuttle bus arrived. The driver came late, around 3:30am. My nerves were starting to act up. I just hate flying.
Once we got to the airport, the baggage check-in was a nightmare. None of the self-service stations were working. I befriended another passenger who was also heading to Paris to visit his daughter. I noticed he only had a recyclable tote bag as his luggage. I wondered if I could ever travel so lightly.
We started to walk over to our gate when I realized I wanted to grabbed something to eat before our flight. The cafes were pricey, but I settled on an avocado sandwich. I did not want to have coffee at all. I wanted to sleep through the flight.
I was exhausted. We finally were boarding. I ran to my seat and quickly put on my blindfold. I wanted to be sleeping by the time the flight took off. Luckily it wasn’t so bad since this plane was huge. I knocked out.
Once we landed, me and my new friend went to claim my luggage. Since we were both heading into town via train, we decided to ride together. He wanted to find a photo booth to take a passport picture. He wanted to get the Navigo pass. He was planning on doing a lot of activities with his daughter, and apparently it saves a lot in cost when it came to tourist attractions throughout the city. I’ve never heard of it, but I tagged along to find out where he could get his picture taken.
This part turned into an ordeal. It took almost an hour to find a photo booth that worked, and then to find the office at the airport where he could pick up his pass. I was growing impatient, but figured after this, I would be on my own anyway.
We finished up with the Navigo part and headed to the metro. I forget how far the airport is from the city. Almost 20 stops away to the center. We said our goodbyes and I was on my own. I decided to get a cab because I didn’t want to get lost. The hotel was a few blocks away from the Gare du Nord, but I didn’t want to walk around in circles. I knew my fare would be cheap, so I didn’t mind the stress-free hassle I would have endured. I already wasted some valuable time. Now I’m finally here! In Paris!!
Mural at the hotel
In Keflavik
At the Duus Museum
The troll obsession is real! Lol
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