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  Friday 24th of July 2014 and they called to wake me up at 8 o'clock. I started the day by updating  my web page with the failed whale pictures from yesterday. It have been a wonderful time here on Greenland. I give this tour 5 stars  out of 5
I went for breakfast just before they closed the breakfast at 10 o'clock. Our Guide and the couple from Australia was having their breakfast and I told them that this was the last breakfast before returning to Iceland. The country of poor service and bad breakfasts. 4 hours on Air Iceland is not a flight I'm looking forward to. But I hope they can make it because  I don't want to get stuck here due to some volcano eruption.
I'm booked for Killer whale watching on Sunday, two tours if they don't cancel due to bad weather as they had done last week. So it will be a whole lot of whale watching and  hopefully no hangovers in Reykjavik. A puffin tour on Saturday afternoon so it looks to be a weekend full of fun.
I went down to the reception 10 minutes to 12 and I checked out. I always pay my diet drinks and meals etc. when buying them. Never put it  on my room and the check-out takes 1 second. No bills to pay, just to hand them my key card. The rest of the group was waiting in the reception and it was 10 minutes or so before it was time to leave Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat.
One thing was for sure, when I came down to the reception and I saw the rest of the group sitting there I was pretty happy that I had asked for  late check-out. Anyway, we loaded the luggage on the trailer behind the van/ airport shuttle and we were soon on our way towards Ilulissat international airport
Passing the grave yard and we were soon at the airport. Flight NY 440 departure time 13:15 and this was an hour away. No sign of any activity at the check-in counter. We lined up and I was not so keen on getting up front as it was only couples flying together, and me that was alone so I would get an aisle seat as the couples wanted to sit together. Lo and motherfoocking behold, Air Iceland and something was wrong, OK, can't say that I was surprised so the couples checking in  were spread all over the plane.
According to the girl it had been a mistake when we were flying to Greenland and she could not change the seating. Sounded a  lot like BS to me. She told the couples to change the seats with each other. I had seat 6D, a window seat and I asked for an aisle seat. She told me to  change seat with someone else.
I was about to tell her that she didn't knew what she was doing. But I kept my mouth shut. I swapped my boarding pass with a girl from Australia so she could sit next to her husband and I got seat 7B, and that is an aisle seat. Our Guide had brought a salmon, he bought it from a fisherman and he had smoked it in the sunshine by letting  the salmon lay on the rocks. And we ate the salmon before we boarded the flight and it tasted very good.
Our Guide was staying behind as he had to stay here in Ilulissat to work. We said good bye and I was soon in seat 7B waiting for departure. Now the other couples started to swap seats but they could not get it to work. We all thought the flight were going to be full as we had been told by the girl  at the check-in.
The flight was not full and when the Stewardess had closed the door they started to swap seat and I found myself alone in two seats. I could not believe my foocking luck. We were flying to the place we had landed at when coming here to fill up fuel before leaving Greenland for Iceland. Well, that is a lost hour and an extra hour I will have to spend on the airplane. But as I'm alone in my two seats I will enjoy the flight. Well, I don't know if enjoy are the word I'm looking for here. But I was sitting next to the Swedish couple and they were green of envy.   Taking off leaving Ilulissat
 Taking off leaving Ilulissat
 Last glimpse of the icebergs in Ilulissat
 Ilulissat Airport
 Landing to fill up fuel
 Stopped to fill fuel
 Stopped to fill fuel
 We're on the way again leaving the airport behind
We landed and they expected it to take 30 minutes. I was waiting for the Stewardess to look back so I could try to get her attention. I gave up and I used the overhead push button and this as the very first time in my life I use the “CALL” button on board an airplane. I just pushed the button and I released the button again. I just wanted to give the sound, no need to have a stupid light over my head. The Stewardess was locking back and I waved to her and she came back to my seat - Can I have a Pepsi MAX please? - The bar is closes until we're leaving - Can I have some water please? - Just a moment I got water and I asked her what time we arrived to Reykjavik and she told me that we would arrive at 7 thirty. WOW! I had expected us to be there at 7. I asked her to have a word with  the Pilot to speed it up as I had a whale watching tour at 8 thirty tonight.
We took off again after 30 minutes and I could soon see the ice cap. We passed a glacier and then we were over the ice cap. We could see huge lakes and rivers with melt water on top of the ice cap. I got a sandwich, well I had to pay for the sandwich and 3 cans of Pepsi MAX. And I think I bought 2 packs (small, very small) with Pringles. I had expected the sandwich to be, well, not good. But the sandwich was surprisingly good and I enjoyed my lunch while watching the melting ice cap on Greenland.  Glacier coming down from the ice cap
 Glacier coming down from the ice cap
 The ice cap
 Melt water lakes on top of the ice cap
 Melt water lakes on top of the ice cap
 Approaching Reykjavik
 Approaching Reykjavik
We landed in Reykjavik a few minutes before scheduled time and as soon as I had my luggage I took off. My driver was waiting and he shouted as soon as he saw me. We took off towards Hotel Fron and I checked in a few minutes later. I checked my e-mails and still no confirmation on my rented car and I was really angry. I tried Europcar and all the other companies and all of them had closed at 6. They called one company from the reception and I spoke with a guy on the phone. Not possible to get a car before  8 o'clock in the morning. And they had closed at 6 so no chance to get a car tonight to use tomorrow.
I was disappointed, Iceland and not possible to rent a car outside office hours. Impressive for a tourist destination. I can rent a car tomorrow and go on Sunday but then I cannot return the car Sunday evening. And I'm leaving early Monday morning so not possible to rent a car. And last time I was here my Guide convinced me to come back in February to see the Northern Light, A good idea and this was my plan. Now I made a decision never to set foot on Iceland again. I left my hotel and I took a taxi to Elding's office in the port and I was soon on my way leaving Reykjavik behind. It was a nice evening even though it was very cold. We passed puffin birds, I will go for a puffin watching tour tomorrow so I will see much more of them.  Reykjavik water front
 Opera house in Reykjavik
 Our Guide
  A Puffin
 A Puffin
 Looking for whales
 Two Minke whales
 Reykjavik
 Puffin takes off
 Puffin takes off
  Humpback whales
 Sun is setting behind Snæfellsjökull
 Snæfellsjökull
 Back in Reykjavik
Puffins, plenty of them but it took quite some time before we spotted any whales. 2 Minke whales and then we saw a Humpback whale. Yesterday the head of the Humpback on Greenland. Today the Humpback came up with open mouth chasing food. Amazing, but it was too quick and I didn't get a good look. But I will do more whale watching and every tour is a chance for something spectacular. It was nice to see the Humpback, the Minke whales are just boring. It was a good tour and I was very happy with the Humpback and the open mouth. Not an everyday sight. I took a taxi back to my hotel and I stopped at a bar with music. But I left again and I was soon in my room eating smoked Icelandic salmon. I check in to my hotel and they say there is something for me in my room. It was a salmon, a smoked salmon from Grönlandsresor. So I had a Diet MAX and a salmon before going to bed. I will continue trying to get a rented car tomorrow and you just need to click HERE to find out how this turns out. At least there will be a Puffin watching tour to look forward to. 
    
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To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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