A stopover in Reykjavik

 When I was booking my flight to England, a flight on Icelandic Air popped up. The Business Class fare was about half the price of either British Airways or Air Canada and you could arrange for a stopover in Reykjavik. Since I had never been to Iceland and my friends Chuck Brook and Michael Audain both had good things to say about it I decided to book the flight.

Onboard I discovered that business class on Icelandic Air is different then other airlines in that it doesn't offer a pod with a flatbed. However, since the flight was broken up into two stages, I wasn’t too concerned.

Before leaving London, I booked a hotel in the centre of town. Since I was going to be arriving late at night and leaving early in the morning, I decided to stay at a Radisson Blu where I've had good experiences in the past. I also confirm the times for a hop on hop off bus tour since I knew that would be the best way to get an overview of the city.

So this is what I was expecting....

When I told people I was going to Iceland they all said I must try and visit the Blue Lagoon. On my way to London, we stopped off for an hour and from the air, and in the airport, the city seemed quite attractive.  I was very much looking forward to my stopover on the way home.

This is what I found when I arrived. To make things worse, the bus did not take me to the hotel as I had assumed. It took me to a bus depot and then I had to wait for another bus to take me to the hotel. I arrived at 2:30 am.

However, things did not go quite as I had hoped. Two days before I arrived Reykjavik the city experienced the worst snowstorm in its history during the month of October. The airport had been closed down and so had much of the city.

So instead of arriving in the delightful, colourful place featured in online photos, everything was covered in snow.

Before leaving the hotel, I asked the front counter staff whether the tour bus was running, and they confirmed it was. While they could book a ticket, I could also get one on board. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how bad the weather was until I left the hotel. It was sleeting outside, but fortunately I had a small umbrella I had picked up in Boots before leaving England.

That’s when a gust of wind came along and literally pulled me and my umbrella across the icy pavement knocking me over. Soon blood was pouring from my thumb onto the snow and I realized that this wasn't quite working out the way I had hoped.

I found the stop where my tour bus was supposed to pick me up only to learn that it had been cancelled for the day. A few more gusts of wind and I decided it was best to get back to the airport. I took this photo of sites I would miss including the penis museum and eventually got back to the airport. Fortunately, the bus driver had a first aid kit and other passengers were eager to offer bandages for my bloody thumb.

The Radisson Blue looked about as inviting as I could expect under the circumstances.

The room had a nice Scandinavian vibe and I liked the mural in the shower.

There was a decent Nespresso machine with a neat little tray below.

The view as I left the hotel...

Everyone told me I had to see the Opera House, and I did.

Eventually I found a bus to take me back to the airport. While blood was pouring out of my thumb, fortunately many passengers were pleased to offer me bandages.

I guess this is what I should have expected...

The Icelandic Air business lounge in Reykjavik is significantly nicer than the lounge they use in Vancouver. There I found a variety of local gins, smoked meats, cheeses, salads, and my favorite…. herring.

I had about 5 hours before my flight departed and it turned into a wonderful afternoon.

While I'm not sure if I'll ever return to Iceland, at least now if someone asks me if I have ever been to Iceland, I can say yes.