On a plane

On a plane, here I go
To a place I've yet to know
Eyes are wide and mouth is tight
As I wait to take this flight
Above the clouds, across the sea
Is where this metal bird takes me
And when the ground I touch once more
I'll peer upon a foreign shore
Into the waves so big and wide
Reminding me of my great stride
Abandoned family, friends and ways
I slip to a reminiscent haze
For when return I surely make
This will not seem such a mistake
So onward plane! Here we go
To the place I've yet to know

When I get as anxious, as I was right before my flight, apparently I start to resemble Dr. Seuss.
 I'm now in Keflavík, Iceland.

The only things I knew of Iceland up to this point were anything I watched in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (shout-out to MFM for having me watch it--love you!). The movie, starring Ben Stiller, depicts Iceland as this beautiful, green, and surprisingly cultured island. I've wanted to come here ever since. Fortunately, I have an 18 hr layover here on my flight to Paris, so... Here I go!

I've been spending the past half hour that I've been waiting on this bus taking advantage of the complimentary wifi (that will be scarce from now on) to look up how I'm going to venture around town. Streets have Icelandic names like Lokastígur and Austurstræti--pronounced with that toothy, tonguey, throaty viking sound. Being that these names are completely foreign to me and rough to stick in my easily-retrievable memory bank, it was imperative that I jotted down all the cafes/restaurants/places I'd like to see in downtown Reykjavík and how to get there. Thank you Google Maps! You're on it.

What I love most about Iceland so far having been here a whopping 3 hours in the airport:
The locals look like me! Almost everyone looks like my two younger sibling and I. Button-up noses and high cheekbones included. Our Nordic-Viking side is pretty prominent in my mom's maiden Person side of the fam. These Icelandic vikings are surely 10 generation distant relatives. Surely.
I've just never been in a place where so many people could easily pass for a sibling, cousin, or uncle of mine. Funky.

I like listening to the locals speak Icelandic. They use it certainly more than English, which I appreciate. I respect seeing indigenous tongues preserved. It resembles a soft German accent.

Bee-tee-dubs, I had a fantastic week with my favorite and only nephew, my fur niece, and my big brother and sister-in-law and their families. Minnesota is a pretty neat place with those particular people living there. Can't wait to return. :-)

Half hour left of this bus journey to downtown. You might just get two posts today.
You lucky dog, you!