Icelandic tales – wool and three women

This is how we spent our first full day in Iceland. We set out for a trip north to Akranes and Borgarnes. It was a tentative trip, not too far, not too many sights to see. Maybe we’d just look at the scenery and then drive back.

The mountains were impressive along our route. I took these photos from the car. The road was quite narrow and pulling over would have been an effort. This was in the morning – I’m not sure what time, but before we stopped for lunch. I wonder if all the mountains in Iceland were volcanoes at one time? The soil everywhere is black, like broken down lava.

We had lunch in a little restaurant in Akranes. The woman serving us seemed suspicious at first, but warmed up at the end and we spent some time talking to her. It is one of Sam’s superpowers, to strike up conversations with people we cross paths with on our trips. Her mother was from Portugal, so she spent part of her time in Portugal and part in Iceland. She much preferred Iceland in the winter because of the easy access to heat. Most of Iceland uses geothermal energy for heating homes and it’s affordable. She felt a damp chill in Portuguese winters that she didn’t like. She was training her kids to run the restaurant and indeed, her son maybe 11 or 12, was bussing the tables.

Where to go next? I was checking out the map on my phone and noticed a destination within reach called Ullarselið, the Wool Centre. Perfect, I can check out what’s available there. It was better than I ever expected. The place was a cooperative, so almost everything for sale in there was handmade from the wool of Icelandic sheep. The name Ullarselið translates to the Woolly Seal. It’s pronounced more like Utlarselith.

I didn’t buy any handknit items because they were very pricey. But I did buy two skeins of handspun yarn and a plate of unspun (pencil roving). As well as some buttons that seem to be carved out of horn.

The woman at the cash register left us alone to browse, but at one point offered to answer any questions I had. This started a conversation that resulted in a lot of sharing and getting to know each other. She was a fascinating young woman who took part in Viking reenactments, and knew a lot about Iceland’s history. She taught kindergarten and had a blue streak dyed into her hair. She was sewing the finest hem onto a linen handkerchief, absolutely beautiful.

After that, our woes with the rental car started. We had rented an all-electric vehicle, a Volkswagen. Charging seemed like it was going to be simple, but in fact it was impossible in the circumstances we were in. This is a long story that I don’t want to replay. But we were stuck in Borgarnes much longer than we wanted to be.

The third woman who came into our lives that day was the server at the restaurant in Borgarnes. She really wanted to help us and she did. She lent us her phone to call Emergency Assistance (no one answered) and she helpfully pointed out where the local hotel was when we decided we’d have to spend the night.

In the middle of all this rental car difficulty, the theme of yarn continued. I took this photo of a wall of the famous Istex Lopi Icelandic yarn brand, for sale in the grocery store. I probably should have bought some and carried it home in my suitcase. I can get it easily enough here by mail order but it would have been a great souvenir.