Reykjavik

The trip began with one of those random acts of kindness that makes a profound impression upon a jaded traveler like me. I arrived at the airport feeling very proud of myself that for once, I’d packed my belongings for the 4-day trip to Iceland into just one piece of checked luggage (standard operating procedure for me is two checked pieces and sometimes three, regardless of the duration of the trip).

Imagine my chagrin when I was told that the bag weighed 57 pounds. The JetBlue ticket agent, Ted Baker, and I hemmed and hawed. He was desperate not to charge me the $125 overweight fee and yet we had to get 7 pounds out of there. I began stuffing shoes and jeans into my carryon, but to no avail. We could not get to the magical 50 pounds. The Station Manager, Steve Baldwin, overheard our plaintive exchange and he volunteered one of the “stock bags” into which I could pack the extra 7 pounds and check the second piece on a complimentary basis. He personally ran downstairs to the Baggage Claim level and brought me up a small black suitcase into which I stashed my extra stuff, all of this free of charge.

Iceland is roasting

There is no McDonalds and no Starbucks in Iceland - but there is a thriving coffee culture with an increasing number of great coffee shops many using beans roast in Iceland. Today there is an article in the NY Times commenting on this recent rise - and it was certainly confirmed on our recent trip. Frontiers' pick: Sandholt Bakery which serves soup-bowl sized cups of latte.