On The Way To Iceland

Thursday 29 March 2012

Two seats in the exit row, two seats not in the exit row.
Two people old enough to sit in the exit row, two people not old enough to sit in the exit row.
Result? Shelley and I got to sit together and have extra (aka nearly enough) leg room.

We were very excited to be going to Iceland. Partly because we have friends there who we've wanted to visit for a long while. Partly because this will be the first new country for Shelley and me in 11 years. Partly because we really want our kids to have a broad perspective on the world and life. Partly because it seems like a really cool place to visit. Partly because it is a place most people don't go to.

On this last point there is an interesting backstory which I may have made up but I don't think so. You may be wondering why the country is called Iceland even though it is not made of ice and is actually quite temperate most of they year. Apparently a long time ago when they were deciding on a name, they went with Iceland because they thought it would discourage people from visiting. This gives me respect for the country naming committee, and not just because it is also the main reason we got a cat.

With the kids nestled elsewhere, I popped in my earbuds and listened to the audio book of "Sh*t My Dad Says". Before I could get through a bag of Swedish (neighbor to Iceland) Fish and decide if I identified more with the author or his dad, I was somewhere between asleep and the moment when my head starts to fall over. I spent most of this trans-Atlantic in this state, so it did not seem like long until we were beginning our descent.

As we landed I felt the excitement one can only feel at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border.