A Backup Plan

Traveling isn’t always easy. Flights cancel. Weather rolls in. Birds fly into engines right after takeoff. I’ve experienced all of these challenges while on vacation. The hardest part is staying upbeat when it happens, but a backup plan can help.

We were ready to go home after a week-long camping trip to northern Iceland, but all the flights were full. The idea of sitting around a busy airport and not getting a seat seemed like a waste of time. As airline pilots, Rodeo and I often use non-revenue passes instead of buying tickets, even though we know flying standby is an iffy business these days.

A weekend in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, seemed imminent, so we embraced it. More than half of Iceland’s 395,000 residents live in this attractive city on a bay overlooking the North Atlantic. In 2008, the value of the krona tanked, making its residents forever skittish of its banks. Two years later, a massive volcano erupted nearby, shutting down air service throughout Europe. Ever since, Iceland has roared back to life, becoming a popular destination among tourists.

I worried about finding a hotel at the last minute, so I searched for guest house accommodations instead. I found Snorri’s in City Center East, near a famous church and booked three nights. We dropped our camper van off near the airport, hopped the bus downtown, and walked to our house on the hill. Our top floor room had slanted ceilings, twin beds, a sink, and a fridge. Twin picture windows provided a crisp Atlantic breeze. The shared bathroom down the hall offered the hot showers we both craved after a week of camping. And then we headed out the door to explore.

Many of the homes in Reykjavik have colorful corrugated siding and roofs decorated in blue, green or red. There were hand painted murals everywhere. My favorite was a flying kitty who looked a lot like my cat at home, Hawk. I missed him.

After a good night’s sleep, we headed to Whales of Iceland, a museum with life-size plaster models of these mammals that hang from the ceiling. We wanted to know what whales we saw in the Westfjords. It didn’t take long for us to figure it out: minkes and fin whales. Minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales and most common off Iceland’s shore, while fin whales are the second largest mammals in the world.

We visited the Reykjavik Maritime Museum next to learn about the history of the country’s fishing industry. Years ago, fishermen launched in wooden row boats, wearing little in the way of gear. Many of them lost their lives to make a meager living with their catch. It made me appreciate the progression of the industry. Now, fishing boats are safer, the equipment better, and the clothing is far more insulated.

The National Museum of Iceland took us back to the beginning of the country’s settlement around 900 AD, when Norwegians arrived looking for a new place to farm. There were no indigenous people living here then. Later, residents from Orkney, the Shetlands, and Ireland came over. The museum is crammed full of artifacts, mummies, ancient carved doors, even a desk of a diplomat who negotiated for Iceland’s freedom from Danish rule in the 1940s.

On Sunday, we hiked up to the city’s former water storage tanks that have been transformed into a natural history museum. The Perlan: Wonders of Iceland is a great place to come at the beginning of a trip. From the northern lights, to volcanic eruptions, to displays about the tough animals and invertebrates that inhabit this vast landscape, the Perlan has a cool domed top floor with a 360-degree view of the city. There’s good coffee and tasty ice cream too.

We hung out with the owner of our guest house that night and he insisted we visit the local swimming pool. Early Monday morning, I swam laps at an outdoor pool while a group of three elderly people did synchronized exercises on the freezing cold deck nearby. I couldn’t help but admire their discipline. Geothermal is the primary heating source throughout this country. In downtown Reykjavik, many of the shopkeepers fling their front doors open because their heating systems work so well.

That afternoon, we finally headed to the airport, but failed to catch a flight home. A gate agent had to call customs back to let us out of the empty terminal. We slept that night at the Aurora Hotel next to the airport. They had a decent dinner in their lobby, but it was a small fortune for an unremarkable room. On Tuesday, we flew to Amsterdam because it was the only flight with empty seats.

We finally got home Wednesday night. Our various backup plans got us through the trip, but it was painful at the end. Next time, we’ll just buy a confirmed ticket out of Iceland.