After long waiting and uncertainty due to covid and the global situation, it was finally travel day. First preparations for the trip were done on October whilst most of the planning took place in the spring. Yet, some waited until this day to realize their passport was expired and ended up getting a new one from the airport. But that was maybe all the trouble we had in the home country as the check-in and security check in the newly renovated terminal in Helsinki-Vantaa ensured a fluent flow of passengers.
The flight wasn’t too long, we departed at 16.10 and arrived roughly twenty minutes later, local time. In reality the flight took little less than three and half hours. Flying on top of Iceland we could already see some of the glaciers and what I think was the line where the Eurasian and North Atlantic tectonic plates separate from each other (which we will later visit on the ground).
When arriving to Iceland there’s one thing you should consider since the Keflavik airport has a rare feature. You can visit the duty free shop when you arrive in the country and it is very common for the locals to do so as well since certain items are a lot cheaper there than in the regular stores. So, we did some shopping before we claimed our bags and picked up our rental cars.
On the way to our hotel we could see a very distinct difference between the Icelandic and Finnish nature. We could not help noticing the absence of trees. Of course we were aware of this beforehand but it was still interesting to see the general view with your own eyes.
At the hotel, we had already had a long day so we looked up a nearby restaurant to eat something before heading to bed. Some of us also checked out the local supermarket – which by the way open late and close early on Finnish standards.
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