Fiasco in Toronto

Landed in Reykjavik at 8:30 our time (4:30 EST). So, obviously fiasco does not mean no Iceland trip…but we cut it pretty close. For the Charleston flight we showed up an hour and a half early for the flight (this is important for later) and made it through security in no time. We had an uneventful flight from Charleston to Chicago. And, again, another uneventful flight from Chicago to Toronto – cue ‘Oh, Canada’ and a 6-hr layover. This is when time becomes the factor…We waited to check-in for our flight until we were allowed. Moment of truth, it was time to get our boarding pass for the next international flight (4 1/2 hrs before flight departs). Myself and another girl were not able to check-in as we repeatedly got printed a ticket THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS and were instructed to proceed to Check-In Assistance. Not panicking yet. After bouncing around to MULTIPLE gates/terminals with words and phrases from agents such as “cancelled ticket,” “we will have to check for seats,” and no confidence that I was getting on this flight, we were down to 2 hrs before an international flight in a major airport (with long security lines). Long story short…as I edged on the brink of tears, they finally got our boarding passes figured out and handed me the ticket (which was not leaving my hand the rest of the time I was in that airport). Moral of the story…THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS means it IS time to panic and hugging the gate agent who finally gave the ticket is totally acceptable (@Mary). For my flight from Toronto to Reykjavik I got to sit with two wonderful, older women who were traveling from Canada to Iceland and Scotland for holiday. They were splendid women to talk all things adventure, exploring, and a little about life. Even though I never got to travel with my great-grandmothers (who enjoyed taking trips together), I felt like this was a little God moment saying ‘here’s a little taste of what you missed out on.’ So, here we are in Reykjavik now with a full trip ahead of us and a world full of places to explore.