There are no direct flights from Chicago to Reykjavik so I had to fly to Boston first. I took a flight that gave me a four hour layover because I wanted plenty of time to get my luggage transferred from United to Icelandair. Not that United has ever lost my luggage, but I decided to walk it over myself. I'm pretty happy I did because I ran into a pilot from Against ALL Authorities who got in line right behind me and we struck up a conversation for the entire stay. It was an interesting conversation that lasted over dinner at a Sbarro Pizza stand (although he was good and got a salad from someplace else).
I flew in Monday night, which means I missed the unofficial CSM flight by a day. That's okay, because I probably flew in with a "normal" crowd, meaning not a plane full of Eve players. My plane was full, which surprised the nice Swedish couple that were flying back home from a trip to Dallas. I had to explain why.
I liked that the flight was less than 5 hours, because the seats in the 757 were kind of cramped. I managed to get a few hours sleep on the plane so I didn't break out the iPad and watch Clear Skies 2 or 3 again. Sleep is good. So is arriving in country at 6:30am. Lots of time to adjust my body clock in preparation for Fanfest.
The hotel reminds me a bit of the hotel I stayed at in London two years ago. Small. That shouldn't matter because I don't plan to stay in it much. The one disappointing thing is that I can't get Eve Radio on the WiFi network. I was able to get another streaming site, by not Eve Radio. But I do have my iPad with my music collection so that will have to do.
I did do some running around Reykjavik. The first thing I did was find Harpa, the convention center Fanfest is held in. Okay it was the second thing. The first thing I did was run back inside the hotel and put on a sweater underneath my coat. While it isn't that cold, it is a humid cold. Something to do with being right by the sea.
One thing I didn't know is that Harpa is right on the water. I walked past the gates to a harbor facility to get to it.
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| View from the Harpa building |
After bookmarking the Fanfest site, I stopped by a hotdog stand to get lunch and then took a nap. Did I mention sleep is good?
After my nap I did a little more roaming around. I found the site for the Eve University meetup, which, as direction-challenged as I am, I can't miss. I also managed to pick up a shot glass for my boss. Now I don't have to worry about getting it. The hotel is also close to a lot of bars and restaurants. And I mean a lot. The hotel is also adjacent to a supermarket. That is big since it means I can get bottled water, a necessity not only because I get headaches when dehydrated but the water smells like rotten eggs.
I finished the day getting dinner from Tabasco's, a Mexican restaurant that also serves seafood.
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I am beginning to think that fish is to Reykjavik what pizza is to Sofia; served everywhere. Of course, I took advantage of being in a port and ordered fish and chips instead of something Mexican. I didn't get the whale steak because I am on a budget. Did I mention that Reykjavik is expensive? I only purchased $300 in króna and my meal of fish and chips plus a beer cost around $30. I know I can get more money, but I would like to stay close to what I planned to spend. I'm beginning to think I should have planned to spend $500. I hope people in Iceland are paying their taxes through a sales tax and not an income tax.
Nothing really more to add. It's time to do a little more wandering around before heading on the Golden Circle tour. Maybe I can find the spot of the #tweetfleet meetup. It is farther away than the Eve Uni meetup and I do tend to get lost.
Living vicariously through your blog, keep posting! #notAtFanFest :(
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