I got up early next morning and drove to the airport. Everything went smoothly until I arrived at the airport. Due to maintenance issues, my plane to Budapest was delayed for an hour. 

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Surprisingly many people asked me why I chose Hungary over other European countries. The answer is quite simple – Budapest was the cheapest place to visit from Iceland. I paid ~$170 USD through Wizz Air and I later learned the hard way why the fare was so cheap. I waited over two hours to talk to an agent (Wizz has no kiosks and only two agents worked at the Iceland airport). Fortunately for me, a fellow traveler Ruben from Norway was an excellent conversationalist. He had just concluded a week-long camping trip in Iceland and was returning to Budapest where he worked. His work arrangement was quite unusual as people tend to seek employment opportunities in Scandinavian countries. Over English breakfast, Ruben graciously shared his stories about his upbringing, which I found fascinating. The world is full of people with interesting stories.

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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” – Mark Twain. 

 

Fun fact: gasoline costs $7.50/gallon in Iceland