Day 1 - Flight and Arrival Day
As I mentioned we flew UAL to KEF and all went relatively well. The route took us via ORD to KEF from DEN. We plan our flights with plenty of wiggle room when it comes to layovers.
Before we boarded I spoke the the First Officer on our flight. One thing I asked was if he thought UAL would keep KEF as a destination. We both agreed they would if they were making a profit. He felt once the initial newness of the route wears off and Newark (EWR) gets construction done the flights to KEF will be via EWR. Icelandic Airways serves DEN with nonstop flights.
We both felt the nonstop flight was less tiring. Yet, the UAL Club Room at ORD was nice, will have to see what future fares will be. The First Officer thought the fares would be going up on UAL.
Arriving at KEF our gate was on the tarmac and we were bussed into the terminal. They crammed us in like any Asian metro system at rush hour.
Entry into Iceland was efficient. First is passport control, the baggage claim, then your passport, vaccine record, and entry form are checked. Baggage claim and out through Customs with nothing to declare.
The airport was very very busy, as several flights must have arrived at about the same time. The rental car counters were jammed with people in long lines.
Out the door and onto the fly bus with many visitors having questions about how to get into Reykjavik. We knew the drill and all went smoothly.
When arriving the KEF, we usually use the Fly Bus for transport. We book and pre pay on line, show the nice lady your voucher and off we go.
Here is what confuses first time visitors who use Fly Bus. The Fly Bus route takes you from KEF to the main bus station called BSI. At BSI you transfer to a smaller bus which can navigate the narrow city streets. You have to transfer your own luggage to the smaller bus. The small bus may take you directly to your lodging, or drop you off at a nearby city bus stop. Today we were dropped at Bus Stop #1 City Hall, then we had a two block walk to our hotel.
Our hotel on this trip is Center Hotel Plaza. We were very happy to learn our room was ready. Center Hotel Plaza is located in the Old Town area of Reykjavik, on the Ingólfur Square where the steam pillars are located. Yes, located in Ingólfur Square is a place where one can get a hot dog. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!!!
By European Standards our room is large, very large. Bed and sitting area with lots of room to spread out. We like it.
We unpack and head out to get a hot dog. The young man working the nearby stand was not busy and we chatted a bit. He was surprised to hear we had visited Iceland so many times. He was also very glad to see people returning to Iceland.
We then made our way to the 10-11 store (think Mini Mart) to get a book of bus tickets and an Appelsin drink, Iceland orange soda.
Next stop was a bookshop for a post card, and then to the What’s On Iceland tourist info location at Laugavegur 5, 101 Reykjavík. Here we get some additional information for our stay.
While much is the same from our previous visits, there have been some changes. One change is the downtown post office has been closed. The book shop does sell postage.
Next we head to the City Pool at Laugardalslaug. This is our favorite city pool. The hot pools are very relaxing and at Laugardalslaug there is a salt water pool, here ocean water is mixed with the natural thermal waters. We decide we better keep moving so we do not fall asleep and gab another hot dog at the stand outside of the pool near the bus stop.
We then take the Bus to the Bonus Store in the Old Marina Area of Reykjavik. Here we pick up some supplies for meals. Local bread, cookies, cheese, and licorice. Licorice is very popular and they have some interesting varieties. We like the chocolate covered licorice.
Back at the room we plan our days and are overcome with the need for sleep, so we did crash.
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