Dagur átta

 Day Eight:

I had a couple nightmares in the troll hotel, I think it was a warning for the whirlwind that was about to happen. The day started normally, we met for breakfast at the hotel, loaded the car, and hit the road. Today we had to get to Reykjavík at 11:00am for our COVID tests. We got to see the heart of the city, which was very colorful and would have been beautiful if it wasn’t covered in dirty snow.

The COVID test place was like a thing of nightmares. It was dark with long winding paths to control lines. When we actually got to the spot they do the tests, all of the nurses were decked out from head to toe in PPE, which was a little intimidating. I sat down and my nurse asked me to open my mouth, I was confused, I thought COVID tests go up the nose. Let me tell you. She shoved that 40 ft toothpick all the way down my throat, tickling my stomach she was so far down there, and then stuck that toothpick so far up my nose she scratched my brain! Dr. Barineau says that I didn’t notice the two sides of the q-tip they used and that the part that was in my mouth didn’t go up to my nose, but with the way it felt like her whole hand was in my mouth she went so far, I don’t think it mattered they were two-sided! But everything was good, all three of us were negative.

We spent some time at the Geothermal Power Plant exhibit while we had some time to kill waiting to go to the airport since our flight didn’t leave until 5:00 pm. This exhibit looked like it was straight out of the future! They are doing some amazing things by turning CO2 into stone, trying to combat climate change. Truly a remarkable thing!

Now it was time to start heading to the airport to return the car and go home. Dr. Barineau wanted to wash the car, but the car wash place only took cash. We never got any isk, because everyone said we didn’t need it. So we just took the rental car back as is. The return went smoothly, and one of the friends of the girl who was working at the rental car place offered to shuttle us over to the airport which was very kind.

This is where it all hits the fan. Dr. Barineau and I get our stickers that verify that we are COVID-free, but Jacob gets held up. My job is simple, watch our stuff in line while Dr. Barineau went to help Jacob. I will say this, the airport was BUSY, and more and more people were coming in every second. After a few minutes, Dr. Barineau comes and grabs his bags. He tells me to go through the line because he has to take Jacob to get a new test. He tells me to get on the plane if they don’t make it back, and that he will call me and coach me through everything if things don’t work out. I immediately feel panic creep in, but I wished them the best and watched them leave.

Looking back I’m so embarrassed, I was just sat there crying in the line. I called my grandfather and let him know what was going on and he started looking for flights from JFK for that night rather than me staying in New York. Jacob calls me to update me that they have the test and are waiting for results. Jacob and I can both tell that the other is upset. I called Robert, he told me that I would be fine. I wasn’t worried about the airport or the airplane, I did not want to be in New York City by myself. Dr. Barineau calls me to ask where I’m at in line and to let me know that they were on the way back from the testing site. Everyone tells me I’ll be alright. I met some really nice women in front of me in line who were coaching me on solo travel and telling me that I was gaining valuable life experiences. I agreed. While of course, I was upset, I was going to be really proud of myself when this was all over.

Then the best news ever! Remember how busy I said the airport was? All flights got delayed since they were taking so long and they were going to let everyone board that was in line! Jacob called me, he and Dr. Barineau told me to get through check-in, security, and customs and that they would meet me on the airplane. So I navigated the airport all by myself, I was very proud. I even had fun! Until I realized I had missed my opportunity to use the bathroom before I boarded the plane.

They put us on a shuttle to then put us on the plane which was weird. As I’m on the shuttle waiting to board, I get a Snapchat from Jacob. This kid has been selected for random secondary screening! He says they’ll wait for him though. In a way, all of it is kind of funny, but no one was laughing at the time. After a while, I see Jacob step onto the plane with Dr. Barineau right behind him. Hallelujah, all of us are going home! Dr. Barineau told me that if Jacob and I ever plan on traveling again, I need to make sure Jacob gets to the airport 5 hours early since he was the one causing issues.

The plane ride was great. Got to watch The Notebook for the first time, man was I bawling! We were so lucky that the skies were clear, we got to see Greenland as we flew over it! We were sitting in the emergency exit lane, so we had plenty of room. When we landed, customs was a breeze and baggage claim was painless. Things picked up though when we got a taxi. The driver asked if we were paying cash or card, Dr. Barineau told him cash depending on the fee. The driver told us that we could just give him $20. Now I’m no taxi expert, this was my first, but that seemed pretty steep for a 6-minute drive. Dr. Barineau told him to turn the meter on. I don’t like taxis I don’t think. It felt like that scene in Prisoner of Azkaban on the Knight Bus. I was just thanking God that they were able to make the flight because I would’ve really struggled with the cab.

This hotel is nice. It’s nice to be back to “normal”. My bed has a top sheet, the toilet has a handle rather than a button, there’s a clock (Icelandic hotels don’t have clocks which I found strange), and my big bed is one solid mattress instead of two mattresses on a single box spring. Jacob and I were starving, we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was about 3:00 am in Iceland when we got to the hotel. So we ordered some of the most expensive Uber Eats I’ve ever heard of and scarfed down Popeyes before heading to bed. Itching for tomorrow when we’ll be headed back to the great state of Georgia!