“That we leave our homes, that we step through our doors to the world, that we travel our whole lives not because we want to collect exotic T-shirts, not because we want to consume foreign adventure the same Western way we consume plastic and Styrofoam and LCD TVs and iPads, but because it has the power to renew us—not the guarantee, not the promise, just the possibility. Because there are places our imaginations can never construct for us, and there are people who we will never meet but we could and we might. It reminds us that there is always reason to begin again.” - Stephen Markley, Tales of Iceland or "Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight"
Ok, I pride myself on being a fairly low-key traveller. I am well-organized but am open to what a trip offers me. New restaurant? Yup, sounds good. Off the beaten path adventure? Totally, let’s go! Got my passport? Yup, checked twice, expires in 9.5 years. So, imagine my surprise when I happened to be checking my baggage allowance for Icelandair and saw my departure flight to Toronto was not at all the time I had booked. No email, no contact...just switched, by quite a bit. Ok, so I do what any experienced traveller does and I check in with the airline. Turns out I am not even confirmed on that flight, it is merely a suggestion. So my booking was altered, my flight is not confirmed and I leave in 5 days. No biggie, confirm, continue packing, arrive early.
The CBE is the second largest district in Canada next to Toronto and we all start Spring Break today. I KNOW it is going to be a busy day at the airport. Moms with strollers know, people travelling with Fido and a massive bike in a box know, yet Westjet somehow misses the memo. I bet it is out in cyberspace right alongside the email sharing my unconfirmed flight details! Insert head smack here…. I try to check in online for the past 24 hours, no dice. I try at a kiosk at the airport, nope sorry, try again, gotta get in that looooong line. You know the one, the one with 3 agents checking people in and a computer system that keeps freezing up. Awesome. As the organized traveller I pre-booked my seat, added my personal info to the booking and was early to the airport. Despite those efforts I ran to security, kissed my guys goodbye in two nanoseconds and ripped through security. Enter “random” search…..seriously? Lol….ok, ok travel gods I’m here, I’m out of breath and I am trying really hard not to show my frustration. And I’m low on caffeine, like really low...and breakfast? Yeah, that was so yesterday’s news...no breakfast for this girl. I board the plane, looking forward to my mid-plane aisle seat and find myself in the VERY last row, in the middle no less, with no opportunity for breakfast or coffee in the foreseeable future. I dropped my pen...I am almost embarrassed to tell you about the weird combo of gymnastics-calisthenics it took to get it back in my cramped hand. Thank goodness I have nice neighbours! Sooooo all that being said, I am excited to finally be en route to Akranes, Iceland! I should arrive at 6am local time, looking a little rumpled but hopefully not too haggard! At least I have my toothbrush handy….oh geez….did I pack toothpaste? Lol…course I did! Twice. ;O)
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AuthorAubrey: "Leader of the Elves"....that's me. Mom of two amazing guys, wife to one bigger (yet no less amazing) guy and teacher of little ones. Blogging about the adventures (usually with my rubber chicken in tow) is one of my favourite things. Archives
April 2019
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