Our hotel is near the airport in the small town of Keflavik, which is about 49 km from Reykjavík. Our flight home is not until the late afternoon and we are slated for the 1:00 PM provided shuttle from the hotel to the airport, so we were free for the morning. Steve remembered a bakery he and wife, Julie, discovered on their last trip to Iceland and recommended we go there for coffee and a pastry. It was about a 20 minute walk but the weather was pleasant so off we went. The city was amazingly quiet (no cars, no stores open) at 9AM but maybe it was because it was a Saturday. Once at the local bakery we tried some of the local favorites (recommended to us by the gentleman ordering right before us); his suggestions were spot on.

By the time we returned to the hotel it was time to check out of our room so we ventured down to the lobby to play a couple more games of cribbage before leaving for the airport. I maintained my record of NOT winning a game; I was becoming suspicious that maybe Steve was using a “stacked” deck!

Check-in, security screening and passport control went smoothly and we simply had to wait for our flight to depart, which it did on time. We arrived back in Seattle to bright skies and beautiful summer weather. It was the conclusion of what turned out to be a great trip with our eldest son.

Epilogue:

– Both Steve and I developed runny noses and an occasional sneeze a couple of days before the end of the trip, which we attributed to simply a cold as we had no other symptoms. When Steve got home, his wife, Julie, suggested that perhaps he had contracted Covid . He took the rapid test and, sure enough, it came back positive. He dutifully called me and I also took the rapid test and yes, I also had Covid. Both our symptoms were extremely mild, with no evidence of a fever or other symptoms that commonly are attributed to Covid. Within a couple of days we both tested negative. Moral of the story: make sure you get all the vaccinations you can (I have had 6); I am convinced that is why our symptoms were so mild.

-As I mentioned earlier, the trip exceeded my expectations both for visual beauty and experiences. Greenland is certainly worth visiting if you enjoy this type of vacation.

– I was impressed with Quark Expeditions, although we both felt we learned more from naturalists on our National Geographic (NG) trips. However, it should be noted there was more “down time” on the NG trips then this one. The ship (Ultramarine) was like a modern cruise ship; it was well thought out. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and outgoing. And bar drinks were $8! I would sail with them again.

Parting comment:  “Life is short and the world is wide.” – Unknown