My travel day is now complete and I'm sitting in my hotel room/apartment in Iceland. U.S. politics means that a lot of flights are being delayed right now, and my flight from Phoenix to New York was no exception, delayed two hours due to "air traffic controller activity", a fancy way of saying that the FAA is furloughing air traffic controllers to save costs. gg, U.S. government, gg. That meant that my comfortable four hour layover in New York was suddenly a little less than two hours.
Still, I got very lucky in that regard: my incoming flight to JFK was on US Airways airline which lands in JFK Terminal 7. Icelandair departs from JFK... Terminal 7. So my turn-around basically involved walking out to the terminal, picking up my baggage at baggage claim, making a right turn, going up a set of stairs, and walking straight up to the Icelandair departure agent and checking the same bags right back in. ;-)
From there, it was straight over to my departure gate where there were two flights to Iceland departing 10 minutes apart from sequential gates. My flight was leaving from Gate 1. As I walked up, the Gate 2 agent was paging... Mittens. Heh. Well, not "Mittens", of course, but Mittens by his real name. I got on my phone and cheerfully tweeted...
In other news, I'm within 25' of Mittens and the universe hasn't imploded. #tweetfleetMittens, meanwhile, was having the same issues I was. So there wasn't an opportunity for me to walk over and introduce myself as he walked up just in time to board his flight.
So, get on the aircraft, takeoff, all the usual stuff. Trebor Daehdoow warned me that Icelandair seats are... as I believe he put it... "formed from native Icelandic lava rock." Yeah, confirmed. Simply awful seats: hard, uncomfortable, and terrible for one's back. It didn't help when the flight attendant informed all aboard that our aircraft was named after a volcano. I laughed before I could stop myself. Then I pulled up the seat display moving map to find that the primary landmarks available on the display were shipwrecks resulting in massive loss of life. I wish I was making this up.
Quirky Icelandic humor. ;-)
Landed in Reyk, made my way through the airport. Those who commented on my customs post saying that the "red line" for Icelandic customs meaning that you have additional items to declare isn't staffed in the mornings? Also confirmed. Nobody could have stood in the red line had they even wanted to, and I shot into the duty free store, picked up what I wanted there, picked up my luggage, and went through customs like a missile. To be greeted by this...
CCP Guard, CCP Fozzie, and a host of others holding up signs welcoming the new arrivals to Fanfest and offering us seats on the "party bus" into town. I had to decline this offer as an alliance-mate had already graciously offered to pick me up at the airport. As it turned out, he was also picking up two others so it ended up being five of us humorously crammed into a compact car along with all of our luggage. I'm sure a picture of it will turn up eventually. I got some mileage by waving cheerfully at drivers and pedestrians looking into our car in disbelief.
Had breakfast with the very same alliance-mates, and who walks right past the place where we're eating but Mittens again! Guy won't leave me alone. ;-)
Anyway, off to wander the streets of Reyk!
My jealousy right now knows no bounds.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly certain that radical climate change is occuring in the U.S. for the amount of jealousy broiling here.
DeleteThis sounds awesome. I feel like I`m at fanfest just by reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteActually, I claim they are made from FOAMED Icelandic Lava. It's an airline, after all, they have to save weight wherever they can... :P
ReplyDeleteThey're using their Armor Honeycombing skill to lighten them up?
Deletemaybe i'm too old, but this reminds me strikingly of something I watched as a child. Jester you need only to start each post with "Dear Nephew Gobo..." and the image will be complete.
ReplyDelete:)
I wish I was there. But traveling all the way to Iceland from Argentina is quite the trip
ReplyDeleteSoundz like ya gots a Stalker scouting for the gank...
ReplyDeleteQuick get an Icelandic/CONCORD restraining order to protect yourself from Mittens b4 he imbribes tha Jager BOMBS then cloaks ;-)
jealous like... damn!
ReplyDeleteyou one lucky bastard! ;-))
If this series of blog posts doesn't end in an orgy of RipardMittenShipping I'll be disappointed!
ReplyDeleteAwesome stuff! Hope all at Fanfest have a brilliant time - don't forget to give us stay-at-homes watching on the HD stream a wave whenever you see a camera pointed in your direction :-D
ReplyDeleteNo party buss for the early attendees... I guess CCP slept in.
ReplyDeleteLA to NY via Phoenix? That's like Delve to Deklein via Cobalt Edge. I've heard real airlines fly that route non-stop. Anyways.... glad you got there safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteThanks for these updates, it is like I am there. Really interesting seeing it through your eyes first hand, thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, you missed Mittens at Islenki Barin. He was looking for someone and left before you arrived.
ReplyDeleteFYI - We may have been in the bar at the same time. I might see you later.