I want to assure everyone I am not some sort of architecture snob. Sure, my first year of attending Fanfest in Reykjavik was the first year CCP held the event in Harpa, the futuristic concert hall and convention center near Iceland's military harbor. And yes, Fanfest returns to Harpa this year for the first time since 2018. But that is merely a coincidence.
Booking my flight to Keflavík International has also changed. Back in 2012 I kind of fumbled around as no direct flights existed between Chicago and Keflavik. By 2018 IcelandAir had a direct flight running three times a week between the two locations. Advance to the current day and I had my pick of two flights. Seven years later I'm finally crossing off an item on my bucket list: flying Saga Class. I have the feeling the experience is more like business class than first class, but I had a lot of points on my main credit card so I splurged.
One piece of the trip I'm looking forward to, believe it or not, is the bus ride from the airport to the bus terminal in Reykjavik. On my first trip the landscape was like nothing I had ever seen before. I think I compared the experience to travelling in a video game. I want to see how much development on the island has changed the landscape. Also, I want to see how much technology has changed on the buses. Is the bus wifi any better?
I'm taking advantage of the additional flight and instead of arriving at Kefkavik at 6:35am I'll land at 9:20am. For those who haven't travelled to Iceland before, that's huge. Hotel check-in is usually around 2pm, but for travelers arriving from the airport around 9am they usually have an early check-in option which included breakfast. Those who chose not to ask for the option get to wait around the hotel lobby for hours. With the later arrival, I can drop off my bags, grab some lunch, and then check in.
When looking for a hotel, my first thought was the Center Hotels Plaza, the hotel I stayed in my first trip to Fanfest. Sure, the water smelled like sulfer and the wifi was spotty. I was curious how much the place had changed over the previous 13 years. But then I discovered another hotel that not only was cheaper but located closer to Harpa: Center Hotels Arnarhvoll.
Center Hotels Arnarhvoll is a newer hotel, I believe built in 2016. Did I mention the hotel is across the street from Harpa? I remember seeing the hotel and thinking how convenient staying across the street would be. Going back to my room to take a break would take 5 minutes depending on how fast the elevators work. The hotel is a little bit farther away from the main shopping area but I can use the exercise.
I am arriving a couple of days early in order to look around and see how much has changed. Back in 2018 the area around Harpa was littered in construction cranes. I also want to see if any of the bars I used to frequent survived the COVID lockdowns of 2020, although I hear Iceland's measures weren't as strict as many places.
The trip to Iceland, my eighth, is my first bit of travel since the pandemic of 2020. Honestly, I'm looking forward to getting away from home for a week. Fanfest was always an event that rejuvenated by desire to play EVE Online. Perhaps I'll want to play for more than 45 minutes a night when I get to meet up with other internet spaceship nerds.
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