The Saga Club room in Reykjavik was unlike the lounge we experienced in Chicago. There the food was good and drinks were complimentary, but it was shared by several airlines and crowded and loud. We could not find four seats even near together, so Mike and Laur went across the hall to the bar, while Tom and I took the two available seats.
In Reykjavik the ambiance was quiet and serene. The club style was simple, classy, and natural. An example is this table built around a rock. There was a spacious choice of seating areas and various types of chairs and loungers.
One big bolder sat in the middle of the club and carries on the ideology that elves exist and play an integral part in the life of Icelanders. Maybe a bit hard to read, but the story is below.
There was lots of art, even in the bathrooms. Private shower stalls were available, if one needed to freshen up before a flight. Some very nice amenities.
There was quite a spread of hors d'oeuvres with a variety of food to suit any taste. This pix was taken just before they refilled. The full bar was help-yourself, including beer, wine, and hard liquor choices.
We sat near a live fire in cushy chairs with outlets for recharging our tech items. We had a couple of hours here, so we read, chatted, took blog notes. We met an Icelander woman who owned a second home near Wilmington, North Carolina and had visited Fish Town in Leland, Michigan (one of our favorite leisure spots).
We had one more check-point to go through just before boarding. Because we were biz class we bypassed the longer line and got through pretty quickly. For take-off it as raining, but 4C degrees, so above freezing.
As we passed over Greenland (for maybe 25 minutes) we were amazed to see not one living thing or sign of civilization--no people, houses, roads, boats, nothing. Just ice and snow. Fascinating to see so much land, but no trace of mankind.
Glacier paths.
I read later that icy Greenland wanted more people to move to their island so they enticingly called it Greenland; while Iceland wanted less people to move there, so they called their island Iceland to put newcomers off. Not sure this is true, but it obviously did not work. Greenland is still mostly barren land and Iceland is a hot spot for tourism these days.
True happiness when we saw the Lake Michigan beachy shoreline of our home state of Michigan. Not quite sure where this is. Maybe Saugatuck or Holland, MI.
Uneventful flight and that is the best kind. Customs and immigration went fairly quickly. Here is the setting sun on the drive from the airport to the parking lot. A fitting welcome for us.
The drive home was a little hairy because our trunk was totally full and messed with my sight lines. Didn't seem like we bought that much or maybe we were not as organized in our packing, but it was hard for me to see out the back window. I avoided passing or got help from my car-mates. It was such a relief to get home.
A trip is always fabulous but getting home is, too. And Bella was VERY happy to see us...sticking like glue, mostly to Mike.
The drive home was a little hairy because our trunk was totally full and messed with my sight lines. Didn't seem like we bought that much or maybe we were not as organized in our packing, but it was hard for me to see out the back window. I avoided passing or got help from my car-mates. It was such a relief to get home.
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If you have visited any of these places, we would love to hear your comments. Or send us recommendations of places we should not miss.