During the wee hours of the morning on Thursday (around 1:30), we received a text (and the "bing" woke all of us up), telling us that our 8:30 flight was actually now leaving at 12:30, then a second notice half an hour later updated that to 12:40. So we reset our alarms and tried (unsuccessfully) to sleep a few more hours. We still had to return our rental car by 9:00, so we couldn't lay in bed too long.
Breakfast was similar to all Scandinavian breakfasts: coffee and tea, slices of bread, slices of meat and cheese, slices of cucumber and tomato, muesli and cornflakes, pourable yogurt, jellies, and juice and milk. You are evidently supposed to add the yogurt to the cereal, then add jelly and mix it up. I just put milk on my muesli (muesli is just unbaked granola). This particular muesli was very boring. Some are more interesting with nuts/seeds/dried fruit added. We even found a crunchy muesli at the store that we particularly liked. They also have little sandwiches for breakfast with the bread and other items.
Then we drove the few minutes to the airport to return the car, shuttle to the airport, check-in, security, then WAIT. Because they had delayed our flight, we were each given a voucher for 2500 Krona (just less than $25). We browsed the gift shops for awhile and played foosball, then got food). Shelby liked Joe and The Juice, a coffeeshop/juice bar which also served sandwiches. Joshua didn't like the looks of it and went to a different counter where the cashier helped him to use up almost all of his vouches. He ended up with a chocolate-filled croissant, a muffin, two yogurts, and orange Fanta and sparkling lemon water. The rest of us had sandwiches and fancy fruit drinks but didn't use up the entire voucher (you couldn't save the rest to use elsewhere). My power shake was particularly yummy. They use whole fruit and then juice and blend it as you wait.
Then to our gate. Joshua and I plugged in our phones, and we settled in to wait. Then they named a list of people to come to the desk. Shelby was one of those names. So I went with her. The flight attendant was snippy and took her passport then told her to go get her bags. I asked what it was all about, she wouldn't tell me, so I said that I was her mother and would be staying with her. She asked Shelby's age, then turned away when I told her that Shelby was 17 (underage). Shelby came back and they took us to a waiting area. One man told us that it was a routine screening, but that we had to wait for a particular security screener to come. Soon, they started loading the first people onto the plane (those with children and priority card holders) so I went to get my bags. When I returned, the security person was there. He took us to an area where I was asked how old Shelby was and if I was her mom. They said that it was a random screening. A woman did a full pat-down of Shelby including skin swabs and he searched her bag including swabs. Everything was good, of course, and we boarded.
We didn't get home until around 7:30, after taking the light rail and a bus (we didn't want to carry our bags the mile from the train station to our house). Anneliese and Ana were still there, and Anneliese had a beautiful potted lily plant and a fancy box of chocolates and a welcome home sign (sweet girl!).
Anneliese left for work, Ana finished packing her car to go home, then Randy went to get grocries and a pizza. We all dispersed to separate areas of the house. Later on, we ate the pizza, watched a movie, then Randy and Joshua went to bed. Shelby and I stayed up talking with Anneliese who had just arrived home from work. Whew!
In the airport, we talked about what we were looking forward to at home and what we would miss about Iceland. It was interesting and helped bridge the gap.
Time tomorrow for cleaning the house and starting to water and tame the jungle in my garden (seriously, much of it is taller than me; I'll go in with shears and loppers poised since I don't own a machete).
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