We have begun our winter 2024 travels! Overcoming some last minute airline cancellations we were able to reposition ourselves to Toronto and then on to Keflavik, Iceland. Both Sandy and I were pleased with the IcelandAir experience. The business class (they call it Saga Premier) seats were like domestic business class, oversized tilt back seats, not lay-flat seats. We felt, however, that the service and the meals were better than expected.
It is only a six hour flight from Toronto to Iceland but still a six hour time change, so adjusting for jet-lag has been a little tougher for me. Sandy never has problems with sleep adjustments on long distance trips and was almost immediately accustomed to Iceland time. The bigger problem for her was accepting 18 and a half hour nights with only five and a half hours of daylight.
On landing in Iceland at 6:15am local time, we picked up our automobile, a Tesla, and headed to our hotel. The Hotel Rangá initially showed on the navigation system as being a little over two hours away. It turns out that as we landed the southern coast of Iceland, where we were driving, was experiencing a substantial snow and wind storm and driving warnings had been sent out. We made the trip in a little over four hours. While they were plowing the roads, the winds and sideways snow was immediately drifting them over making it often impossible to tell where the road was. At one point, after daylight, the combination of snow and fog created a complete white-out. We honestly could not see to the end of the hood of our car. I, and several autos around crept on at less than five miles per hour by watching stakes in the ground out the side windows that indicated the edge of the road. Eventually even that method failed and I had no choice but to stop, hoping that no truck would come roaring up behind me. After about fifteen minutes the wind died down and we could see. We found that I and the car that stopped behind me had actually driven off the road, so therefore even if that truck had come, he would not have hit us. Sandy and I have always found we are lucky travelers. This time, both because we got to experience driving in Iceland through some iconically Icelandic weather and that since I had cleverly driven us onto some lava field we didn’t get smashed by a truck.
Pretty good driving conditions
At the hotel (log cabin lodge of 53 rooms), we were pleased to find that the hotel has a fine restaurant. I was informed that it was “Husband’s Day” in Iceland and they treated me to an excellent gin-based cocktail. For dinner I enjoyed reindeer carpaccio, and cod. Sandy had an excellent salmon. Cozy, warm and well fed, it was a good day.
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