AlpineJay
06-23-2004, 09:13 AM
This is actually a followup on the NSS post I made about Iceland before...
Because I initially booked those cheap tickets for my brother and me, and booked for my parents after, my parents were going to come back Wednesday (today) around 7pm. We on the other hand were scheduled back at 7pm, and had stopped at the Blue Lagoon (http://www.bluelagoon.com) which is a geothermal spa. What better way to spend pre-flight at a spa trying to relax, right?
Well, the Keflavik airport is about 50 minutes away from Reykjavik, with the Blue Lagoon about 2/3 of the way to the airport. After we left for the airport from the Blue Lagoon with about 1 1/2 hours before the takeoff, we were talking about what we were going to do/eat/etc when my brother and I got back. Somehow the discussion of where the car keys (we parked the car at JFK) and the house key were came up. Just to make sure, at the airport we checked to see if I had the key in my backpack where it originally was. Sure enough, it wasn't there, and my mom thinks she mistakenly put them away in my dad's suitcase, which was sitting comfortably at the guesthouse about 50 minute one-way car ride away.
So from JFK we take the subway to Manhattan where we ate, and then walked another 15 blocks to Port Authority to catch a bus to get us home. I had run into an Internet cafe and found the number for a locksmith and made arrangements for an emergency lockout. From the bus stop is another 20-minute walk in the middle of a US highway (not very walkable, it's NJ). By the time we had gotten home, it was 11:45pm, and we were in the house by 12:20am. The trip home alone took us around 3 hours, whereas a simple car ride would take no more than an hour, and the total cost was close to 150 bucks with the rides and the locksmith fees.
But, after all, we are home, however difficult it was, waiting for my parents to come back. All in all, it was an awesome trip. Iceland's an amazing place, and I would definitely go back. Lots of stories, capped by this one, will be remembered for sure.
What's a little disconcerting was that the locksmith really didn't check proof of residency before he began picking the lock. I know that from the context it was very obvious that it was our house, but you can never be too sure...
Because I initially booked those cheap tickets for my brother and me, and booked for my parents after, my parents were going to come back Wednesday (today) around 7pm. We on the other hand were scheduled back at 7pm, and had stopped at the Blue Lagoon (http://www.bluelagoon.com) which is a geothermal spa. What better way to spend pre-flight at a spa trying to relax, right?
Well, the Keflavik airport is about 50 minutes away from Reykjavik, with the Blue Lagoon about 2/3 of the way to the airport. After we left for the airport from the Blue Lagoon with about 1 1/2 hours before the takeoff, we were talking about what we were going to do/eat/etc when my brother and I got back. Somehow the discussion of where the car keys (we parked the car at JFK) and the house key were came up. Just to make sure, at the airport we checked to see if I had the key in my backpack where it originally was. Sure enough, it wasn't there, and my mom thinks she mistakenly put them away in my dad's suitcase, which was sitting comfortably at the guesthouse about 50 minute one-way car ride away.
So from JFK we take the subway to Manhattan where we ate, and then walked another 15 blocks to Port Authority to catch a bus to get us home. I had run into an Internet cafe and found the number for a locksmith and made arrangements for an emergency lockout. From the bus stop is another 20-minute walk in the middle of a US highway (not very walkable, it's NJ). By the time we had gotten home, it was 11:45pm, and we were in the house by 12:20am. The trip home alone took us around 3 hours, whereas a simple car ride would take no more than an hour, and the total cost was close to 150 bucks with the rides and the locksmith fees.
But, after all, we are home, however difficult it was, waiting for my parents to come back. All in all, it was an awesome trip. Iceland's an amazing place, and I would definitely go back. Lots of stories, capped by this one, will be remembered for sure.
What's a little disconcerting was that the locksmith really didn't check proof of residency before he began picking the lock. I know that from the context it was very obvious that it was our house, but you can never be too sure...