Baltic: The Beginning

Since everyone says I travel so much (but, of course, not too much), I decided perhaps I should start up a blog so y'all can keep track of me. Hopefully I'll be able to update throughout the trip, or at least off and on. So...let's begin!!

Vacation officially began Friday morning, when, of course, I hadn't even started to pack for my 20-day vacation. But have no fear, I am the king of procrastination, and despite the distraction of lunch with Maggie and her mom, I finished packing an hour early. We decided to leave for the aiport rather early, given the threat of gridlock due to a random 9/11 motorcycle ride slated to pass by Dulles Airport right about the time we were planning to get there. So we left at 4:30 and arrived at 5:10 for our 8:40 flight. Luckily, I had concocted a scheme...

Most know I like to usually fly United, so this year I bought a membership to the Red Carpet Club. Basically, its a lounge where the offer free drinks (including rail liquor/beer/wine), snacks, and generally offer a quiter and more comfortable environment while waiting for your flight. The catch is, in order to gain access, you have to have a flight scheduled that day on a Star Alliance carrier (United, Continental, US Airways, among other worldwide airlines). Since Icelandair isn't in the Star Alliance, our flights didn't work. So what did I do? I bought a $500 ticket to Orlando for Friday night that was fully refundable. I checked in on that flight, used the boarding pass to get into the club, then called United from within the club to request my refund. Give me seven days, and I'll tell you if my scheme worked or was one, expensive lesson learned.

Our flight was slightly delayed, but not a huge deal. We board the plane, and as it turns out, we had "Economy Comfort" seats. Basically, they're first class seats, without the service (no meals, no free booze, etc.). Not too bad. Since I can't sleep on planes, I watched a couple of movies and TV shows and saw an amazing sunrise from 38,000 feet. Less than six hours later, we landed in Keflavik, Iceland. Unfortunately, Margaret discovered she'd lost her favorite pendant off of her chain, and we didn't find it. Not the way you want to start the vacation.

All of our luggage arrived, we breezed through customs, and we were off!

Since this was a lengthy post, I'll end it here. When we return, we'll begin our adventure at the Blue Lagoon, and I'll tell you all about Iceland. Hopefully, I'll also figure out how to post a few pictures.

Love you all, and keep checking in for updates!