I got up this morning and opened my messages and emails as I always do. Our flight has been canceled….OMG but not really! They have replaced it with another that is to leave at the exact same time, just a different flight number. So why bother sending that notice out???

I drove my car to my travel buddy’s place where another friend picked us up to take us to the airport. After getting in the check-in line at the airport, J. realized that she forgot her purse with her passport, etc., at home. I called to tell C. and bless her, she came back to take J. back to pick it up.

Finally we both made it to the gate only to have the departure time change from 11:55 to 12:15. To 12:51 with us finally leaving the ground at 1:10pm. I so hope that we are able to make our connection to Reykjavik.

As with the flight leaving from Victoria to Toronto, the next one from Toronto to Reykjavik, Iceland, was delayed in leaving…several times. It finally left about and hour and half late. Our luggage arrived (thank goodness. It was one of my fears) and immigration and customs, a breeze.

Originally I had searched for a tour that would take in some of the southwest area of the country…. An area that included the “Blue Lagoon”, the thermal pools, bubbling mud and the recently erupting volcano. All were in the area of 11+/- hours from the city. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to see any of that after getting to our hotel room around 1 pm. on the 8th.

The weather, by the way, was about 10-11 C. and drizzling with low clouds. The terrain is so barren covered with long-ago dried up lava….not pretty! There are no trees to be seen anywhere other than that which has been planted. After a short nap (oh my we were exhausted), we took a walk to see the famous Lutheran church “Hallgrimskirkja”as well as to find a restaurant that served traditional “Icelandic” meals.

The “church” is really a cathedral …..spectacular with an elevator that will take you to the top of the spire (we declined). I personally liked the typical Scandinavian lines….no ornate gold-covered stuff that you see in most of the world’s cathedrals or temples esp. those associated with the Catholic Church.

We found the recommended restaurant called the “Loki Cafe”. How appropriate! it was not what you would call a luxury upper-end fine dining establishment. I had lamb shank in a sauce with little new potatoes and root vegetables…..yum! Jeanette on the other hand was more adventuresome and went with the really tradition, mushy fish on black rye bread, dried cod that you dip in butter, smoked raw trout on rye, very thin lamb (smoked), etc., marinated shark and some kind of straight liquor that had a caraway flavour that you take after a bite of the shark. J said that the shark was not nice.

The buildings are quite simple, with “pride” stripes painted on the pavement and elsewhere”. Below are a variety of scenes taken the first day

More later after we get on the ship.