There was a certain amount of stress around our first day of travel. WHY is it that we're going on the day before Thanksgiving, again? It's consistently one the busiest travel days of the year for US airports. Partly it was because international airfares tend to be lower, but as the day approached, it seemed more and more like a mistake. Then Sheila checked for other flights...every flight on Thursday or Friday made at least one if not two stops on the way to Iceland. 6 1/2 hours (plus airport time) is plenty for us, without hanging around in other airports along the way.
There were a few other stressors as well. Denver's airport has a newish program called DENReserve where you can book a time to be screened by security. You go to the website 3 days in advance, enter your flight details and book a time. The website did not recognize either Reykjavik, the airport code KEF, or IcelandAir as legitimate responses. So Sheila called the support numbers given on the DENReserve website....both of which went to DIA traveller support, who are not actually connected to DENReserve. (???) BUT she lucked out and got an agent who went the extra mile and booked the only available time! Thanks, Andrea!
However....the available time of 11:45 was 30 minutes prior to IcelandAir's counter opening for baggage drop-off. Of course. So we figured our best hope was to be standing first in line at the counter when they DID open. This meant leaving the house around 9:30 instead of 10:30, which meant not being able to catch a ride with a friend as planned. Called a car service (Denver's Airport Transportation--highly recommend!). Yes, they could pick us and our 4 suitcases up at the house.
The actual day of travel went far better than we could have hoped. First, the car company called to re-confirm. "Could the driver come a little early?" Why, yes, that would be no problem. At 9:10, an impeccably-detailed Ford Expedition pulled up. The driver quickly loaded our bags and we were off! We got to the airport at 10:00 and quickly unloaded. We found the IcelandAir counter and took our place, first in line as expected, prepared for a two-hour wait.
After not very long, the lone agent at the next counter (AirCanada) took pity on us and checked our bags in! We shouldered our (quite heavy) backpacks and started toward the A Concourse, with over an hour to spare before our appointment. We'd gotten kind of thirsty so stopped for a coffee and muffin. We found seats near the entrance to the concourse and sat down to wait for our appointment. It later turned out that we just could have gone ahead, as the line at security on the bridge was minimal--like, 20 people at most. But we waited a while, went to the DENReserve line where we got passed through early.
The only hitch in the process was that we got into a security line with very small bins, so had to take our laptops our of their cases, as well as several other small items. I think we needed 4 bins each! With Lars being well over 75, he didn't expect to have to take his shoes off and had worn lace-up boots, so that and re-packing took a while.
Once through security, we finally could find a monitor and check for our gate, fully expecting it to be way out on the C Concourse, which would involve the doubtless crowded trains. But no! Not only was our flight on A Concourse, it was at the very first gate off the hub! So, having located our gate, we went back upstairs for a leisurely lunch at the Mesa Verde grill, figuring that Southwestern flavors are going to be in short supply for the coming months. Lars had a giant beef burrito, and Sheila the Southwest Cobb salad.
After lunch, we decided to walk to the other end of A to stretch our legs. Much to our surprise, it was virtually deserted! This is a major hub for United, and supposedly a VERY busy day, so we're not sure of the reason. A friend suggested that weather delays elsewhere in the country were to blame. The staffers out there sure seemed bored!
Even back in our own section, the number of people didn't seem anything above the average for mid-day on a weekday. So we just relaxed and waited for our flight to be called. All in all, not a bad experience at all, and certainly not nearly as frantic as we had anticipated.
We had upgraded to Saga class for the more comfortable seats, and were welcomed on board with water bottles, Prosecco, macarons, and a nice little ameneties kit made from recycled plastic bottles.
The plane pushed back from the gate a few minutes early, and we were airborne very quickly. We had barely started the flight when dinner was served, at 5PM. Tiger prawns and jicama in a lovey sauce, chicken and leeks (we think) with a VERY mild ancho chili sauce, parsnip pancake, and strawberry tart, all rounded off with a lovely Icelandic IPA.
Despite some issues with the onboard wifi, the flight passed quickly (6 hours and 30 minutes), even granting some hazy views of the Northern Lights. Sorry, no pics worth sharing, though we tried. We were soon deplaning into a very chilly Keflavik, as the plane did NOT go directly to the gate, but we had to board a shuttle bus. Many passengers will ill-prepared for even a brief exposure to late November in Iceland, probably thinking they would never leave the building. Surprise!
Passport control was more or less deserted at 5 AM, so that went quickly, and our bags were ready and waiting when we got to the carousel. A short time later we were in a taxi headed for the Hotel Duus in the town of Keflavik, where we had been assured we could hang out until our room was ready....which much to our relief, it already was! So that was our big travel day. Now we can relax and recover from the jet lag before travelling on to Sweden on Monday.
We just hung out at the hotel all day, napping occasionally, and finished up with a lovely "Thanksgiving" dinner in the downstairs restaurant. Icelandic lamb chops with roasted root vegetables, baked potato, and delicious gravy. Glasses of Boli lager from Reykjavik brewer Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson and a crème brûlée rounded off the meal and our day.
Hopefully we'll sleep well tonight and be able to get out and about tomorrow, when it's supposed to be a relatively pleasant 35 degrees.
