Fanfest 2014 - Arrival Day

Yesterday I arrived in Iceland to attend my third CCP Fanfest.  I'll admit I'm coming into this Fanfest with a whole different mindset than with previous years.  Let's just say I don't like sore winners and leave it at that.  My attitude was so bad that by Saturday morning I didn't want to talk to anyone from null sec, and I really didn't want to talk to any member of the CSM.  Sorry Ali.  But better a no-show than saying things I couldn't take back.

But I didn't stay in a bad mood.  Something about Iceland does that for me.  I think that's because Iceland doesn't take itself too seriously.  I was reminded of that once I boarded the flight from Boston to Keflavik International.  From the humorous examples of what makes Iceland unique¹ to the reminder on the menu that while long bread is more fun, don't poke your neighbor with it if you don't know him, the flight helped put me in a better frame of mind.

As a bonus, I didn't get lost trying to find the luggage pickup point this time.  I was able to pick up my luggage fairly quickly, breeze through customs, and get my ticket for the Flybus.  The trip didn't feel like 50 minutes.  Perhaps I was distracted playing (unsuccessfully) with the Wi-fi, or maybe I nodded off for a few minutes.  But the whole transport to the hotel was pretty smooth, which is the reason I keep using the service.

The hotel I'm staying at this year, The Center Hotel Thingholt, is nice.  I partook of the quaint Icelandic custom of paying for early check-in, which included a buffet breakfast, which I quickly indulged in while waiting for my room to become available.  That meant that in addition to getting breakfast, instead of waiting until 2pm to climb into bed, I slept in a bed until 2.

As for the room, I love it.  Perhaps a small thing, but the fact I don't have to leave a card in a slot in order to use an outlet or turn on lights is huge compared to the hotels I've stayed in over the past few years.  That meant I could charge up all my devices while I was running around town.  Also, I was afraid that the hotel, like my room in the Central Plaza two years ago, would have water that smelled like sulfur.  A groundless fear, as the shower went one better over my accommodations at the Nordica last year and provided a way to save the temperature setting of my shower.

So far, no problems with the hotel Internet (which is included with the price of the room) except for the inability to get Eve Radio and I'm looking forward to using the iron and ironing board (yes!).  The mini-bar doesn't compare with the ones I enjoyed in the hotels in Bulgaria, but that's okay because the people in Iceland not only speak English, but have 24/7 stores.  The bed is comfortable and only seems short because of all the pillows provided.  Too many pillows is definitely a first-world problem not worth complaining about.

After getting up from my nap, I did a little exploring.  The hotel is conveniently located close to everything.  From my central location I saw a patch of water away from the harbor and decided to investigate.

 

What I found was a pond that attracted all sorts of water-fowl.  People would stroll around and some would throw bread into the water, which led to a feeding frenzy and birds descended to grab something to eat.  Walking around the pond I was able to get a few shots of a scene I hadn't captured before.  Sometimes not getting into a rut pays off.

I did wind up going out and getting a couple of beers.  First, I went to The Celtic Cross and watched a Chelsea/Liverpool game during happy hour.  Afterwards I got back to the hotel, but not for long as Ali Aras was looking for internet spaceship pilots at Nora Magasin.  I headed over and met up with her, a logistics (jump freighter) pilot/industrialist from Of Sound Minds, and a pilot from Germany.  We talked for a long while and I learned a few more things about PvP and null sec.  During this time DNSBlack, his son and another pilot came in.  Contrary to his reputation, Brad just sat down at the bar (which was next to our table) and let us pontificate on all things EVE.

We left the DNS crew at Nora and went off in search of food.  After finding our first two choices closed, we wound up at Hlölla Bátar, eating subs and talking spaceships.  Finally, the time grew late and we all headed to our temporary homes.

Taking a nap kind of threw my internal clock off, so I'm probably going to feel tired today.  But on the bright side, I did manage to write a post.  I'll try to keep writing like normal, although if the airport workers go on strike, all bets are off.


NOTES:

1.  Did you know that while 30% of Icelanders graduate from college, over 50% believe in elves?