It sounded like a good idea when we planned the boys’ college spring break trip a few months earlier – a relaxing adventure after the busy weeks just before Lauren and Holton’s wedding followed by the scramble of moving out of our temporary apartment in Texas. My next stop would be New York City, but first: Iceland. A place that promised dramatic landscapes, including glaciers, a black sand beach, waterfalls, and an outdoor geothermal pool.
Don flew into Iceland from NYC, a day before Sam, Will and I flew from Texas. He got settled into our rented house and bought some provisions for our stay. The next morning he drove in the dark on newly snowplowed roads to pick us up from the airport. He knew about the snowplow because it was in front of him for almost the entirety of his drive to the airport. As you may guess, there are pluses and minuses of that scenario. Plus: Clean road on which to drive. Minus: Driving is SLOW.
Sam, Will and my first peep at Iceland was Reykjavík the country’s capitol and largest city. We saw some sights, walked the picturesque streets, and stopped for breakfast before heading to the house,
over $100 for breakfast for four.
So much for eating out! We were so glad our house had a full kitchen. The next several days were filled with beautiful, scenic adventures. We’d go out during the day, come back and cook dinner, play games and relax in the outdoor hot tub or by the fireplace in the evenings. We were disconnected from everyday life and never thought about the emerging corona virus.
We saw picturesque churches,
Went in and learned about ice caves,
Searched out dramatic waterfalls,
Witnessed unique geological features,
Fought driving winds seeking the black sand beaches,
Learned about turf covered cow sheds,
Relaxed in the evenings by the fire, and
Played cribbage. The house was so cozy with its geothermal heated floors.
And a photo thrown in just because I like it…
Don left earlier than the rest of us as he had work that needed to be done. He would meet us at the airport in New York City upon our planned arrival three days later.
Before his departure, we all went to the Blue Lagoon and enjoyed the natural hot mineral pool – still not thinking much about the corona virus.
The boys and I had no plans for the last three nights. Thinking back, I might’ve been responsible for making these reservations, but there was a wedding and a move to be completed, so I dropped the ball. I rented a place on the fly north of Reykjavik (we had been staying in and exploring southern Iceland). After we drove Don to the airport, we started driving north. At first it was snowing just a bit. The higher we got into the mountains, the worse the snow and the roads. I made the decision to turn around and head back to the city. Thank goodness there were rooms available.
Once in the hotel, we snuggled in for the night. The next day we walked public parks and explored the city.
And then I got a text from my cousin who had noticed we were in Iceland. “The US is about to close travel from the Schengen Area because of the new COVID-19 corona virus. As I quickly learned, Schengen Area is a group of European border-free travel zone countries. It’s different than the EU. To get from the EU to the Schengen Area take EU countries, add Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein then subtract Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.
Back to the dilemma at hand.
It was Thursday and our scheduled flight wasn’t until Saturday evening. Information was changing quickly. We spent several stressful late afternoon/early evening hours with the airline rebooking travel. Once that was all figured out, we went out for a very nice last dinner in Iceland.
The next day we returned the rental car and headed to the airport. We were not prepared for the chaos. People were everywhere; some were in tears, some patiently waiting for a standby seat. We passed one very sick young woman who was slumped against a wall in the middle of a walkway. My sub-conscience registered her as a danger. I not-so-gracefully bounced into people trying to get away from her. That incident was probably the most panicked I was throughout the entire pandemic; chaos is an understatement.
Once back on American soil, NYC, specifically, Don met us at the airport hotel where we stayed the night. Sam and Will caught an early morning flight back to Texas. Don and I picked up a rental car on our way back to our apartment to prepare for our drive to Maine that afternoon. His office was changing their working situation because of the pandemic – alternating a week of being remote then a week in office. That schedule only lasted several days before they were fully remote.
I knew our vacation to Iceland would be an adventure – just not quite so adventuresome as ending at the beginning of a global pandemic.
As always, Thanks for reading!
- Michelle
If you’re interested in learning more about our early pandemic adventures and where we went after our brief trip to Maine, please click the link below.
https://newcitynewstate.wordpress.com/2020/06/27/a-dream-on-pause/?preview=true
New City New State 