I was terrified I would miss my transfer. We landed in Oslo at 1:45pm and my online boarding pass for Icelandair said boarding closed at 2:05pm for the 2:45pm flight.
I got near the front of the line to exit the plane, then ran down the hall. Of course, this was the time security decided to do a search of me. I got a very thorough pat down, had to take off my shoes (poor them), and open my bag. I’d forgotten I’d refilled my water bottle at the Prague airport, but they were very nice about it and emptied it for me. I then ran through Departures looking for a board with my gate number. Fortunately it was close by – and the gate hadn’t even opened yet. Whew!
The Flight to Iceland
The flight to Iceland was full of English speaking seniors – I didn’t know it was so popular with the silver crowd!
I started to get extremely excited once I boarded the plane. I WAS GOING TO ICELAND!!!! I have been dreaming of this since December 2013 – and here I was, on my way.
The stewardesses wore very nice navy blue uniforms with pillbox hats (which they took off as soon as we were seated). There was Icelandic pop and rock playing as we found our seats. The videos played various Icelandic advertisements, including one from Icelandic Search & Rescue with a reminder of the local emergency number. This amused me.
The plane had coloured lights at the upper sides of the cabin that resembled the Northern Lights. I imagined it must look quite fun at night. It took forever for the stewardesses to come by with beverages. I was well into the historical novel I was reading and thoroughly parched when I finally got a glass of Icelandic water.
Arrival in Keflavik
My first observation of Iceland was how the blue lights on the runway complimented the wildflowers in the field surrounding the airport perfectly.
Fo my surprise, there was no security check upon leaving the airport. I just walked on through! The airport was tiny, crowded, and currently under construction. I walked around looking for public transit signage, but the best I could do was a bus line. I got a ticket for Gray Line bus lines for 2400 ISK that would drop me off right at my hostel. That sounded alright to me!
I was worried that the current temperature of 12C would be freezing cold after the heat of Prague, but I felt fine outside the airport in my sleeveless blouse and blazer. The bus left shortly after I clambered on. Iceland looked very flat and barren from one window and a mountainous Mars-like landscape from the other.
The bus made a stop at the Straeto bus terminal before going to its own terminal where we transferred to a van to take us to our separate destinations. Both vehicles had free Wi-Fi which I was quite pleased about (although Gmail and WordPress didn’t work while connected- only Facebook and Instagram).
Arrival in Reykjavik
I checked into my hostel and got out my jacket. It was very cold and windy in Reykjavik, like a November day!
I went to the grocery store to pick up milk and yogurt for tomorrow, then went exploring. Reykjavik reminded me a lot of Kingston or Guelph – similar look and feel with some maritime flair.
Reykjavik Fish Restaurant
I decided to treat myself to a fish dinner. I wandered about looking at the menus posted outside. I had trouble finding anything under 4500 ISK, so ended up getting fish and chips and a half pint of Einstök beer for 2900 ISK at the Reykjavik Fish Restaurant. Fortunately it was very good fish and chips – and the restaurant had excellent branding! They used a simple fish illustration for everything. 
Evening in Reykjavik
I felt chilled to the bone walking home from the restaurant, so I didn’t stay out long. I retreated to the cozy hostel and set myself up in a corner to work on my blog, people watch, and cost compare Icelandic sheepskin and reindeer rugs online. It was a very nice place to hangout.
Come 10pm Iceland time (midnight German/Prague time) I climbed into my dorm bunk bed and slept during the midnight sun of Iceland.