May 28, Day 12 - Reykjavik to Toronto

After taking the last Eau-Du-Sulphur showers of this trip (and maybe my life?) we had breakfast and packed up our room.

Unfortunately breakfast took us past 10am and when we got back to the room none of our key cards worked. Whoops. Check out is 10am. Our bads.

We tried a few cards in the door to be absolutely sure that they all did not work and I counted to 5 in my head, waiting for anyone else to realize what needed to be done and do it, before I went down and got my key card reset so we could all get back in.

The others had not seen much of Reykjavik since they spent the previous day fishing and sleeping off the night before - so we did some touristy things. Saw the too-modern Leif Eriksson church and contemplated paying to go to the top of it for an aerial view of the city - told them they could get that view for free at the Perlan and I took them there so they could see the view. We dropped my cousin's bags off at her hotel then I took them to Cafe Paris to sit outside and watch the beautiful people of Reykjavik. Got my cousin to the starting point of the Free Tour then the other and I went back to the Art Gallery, got her stamps to mail her post cards, saw a photo exhibit about whaling, and did a brief visit to a museum "under" the city. Actually, just the gift shop, not the museum.

In hindsight, I would not have spent my last day doing any of this if I'd better known many things.

We drove out to the airport, getting gas on the way, hoping that the car would behave for its check-in return, ensuring that it was still dirt-covered. As we were waiting to return our car, another guy snuck into the return line before us and I kept my usually out-spoken-in-such situations mouth shut. He did tell us that we could ask the rental dudes for a ride back to the 0.5km away airport from the car rental peeps. So he earned his 5 minute head start with that. Perhaps.

The Kia behaved magnificiently and checked out as I held my breath and I signed that baby off. The next driver could have some wheel bearing problems, me thinks.

While the Kia was still there with rental dude, I asked travel mate how we were going to get us and all our luggage back to the airport.

She said "we could ask for a ride" and looked at me and around. I waited for the "we" part of that statement to kick in as the car, and rental dude drove away.

We silently walked back with our luggage and waited for the plane.



There was some sort of lounge mix-up and more people than seats were waiting for that plane. A woman wandered in looking for a seat - I made eye contact and moved over for her. She sat down and thanked me for making eye contact - she said I was the first person in the whole damn waiting area who did. The first person to realize she needed a seat, move themselves or their seat-deserving-luggage over, and make space for her.

On the plane I had the aisle, travel mate had the window. No Pierre between us this time, just an empty seat. The stewardess came over just before take off and asked me if I was travelling alone (No, I said. Partially to myself). She asked if I'd mind moving because there was a set of 3 seats with 2 parents and 2 kids and another person. Could she move the other person over? Would I mind taking the middle seat? I said sure.

The lady who arrived was the same one I'd moved for in the waiting room. She said it was unfair that I'd had to move twice for her today. She said she would have taken the middle seat. I said it was okay.

And it was, okay.

/<.