Crafting & Cod in Iceland

There were two crafty shops I fell in love with in Iceland. One was a knitting shop on the main shopping drag. They have knitting classes on Saturday mornings, so if you happen to be there on time, drop on in. The selection of yarns was absolutely amazing. The colors and textures and weight of the wool were divine. It was only the cost that kept me from going mad and spending all my money. If I lived in this country, I'd have to have my own sheep so I could make my own wool. The ladies ranged in age from 13 to about 76 and were knitting the usual socks, sweaters, etc. Didn't see any boobie warmers, but I did see these cool pouf ball hats. They remind me of something a Dr. Seuss creature would wear. The fashions in Iceland mainly included hats, scarves, jumpers, boots, anything to keep warm, but yet, there were these pouf ball dresses in the window. Where anyone would wear these, I have no idea. August is their hottest month, but I don't even think the temperature gets to 80F.

Below is the typical dress (notice the pointy elf like hat again) and this woman must be absolutely freezing because she is practically naked in comparison to all of the clothes I was trudging around in. (Photo compliments of The Viking shop)

There were numerous other craft shops selling bits of everything, but my favourite was what seemed to be the largest. Litir og Fondur had everything from black lava beads (which I bought) to pelts of fur in a multitude of colors (which I did not buy). If anyone happens to be going to Iceland and would like the address, do let me know.

As for food - whale kebabs were on the menu at my most favourite ever restaurant - Saegreifinn (The Sea Barron). I didn't try this however and opted for the lobster soup which was absolutely to die for. Huge chunks of lobster meat in a creamy, buttery sauce. I was a glutton and added a lobster kebab to this. The thick, juicy pieces of lobster fell off the skewer and actually did melt in my mouth. I was in heaven. I could eat there every day of my life...

Take a raw kebab from the counter - scallop, whale, cod, haddock, shrimp, salmon, lobster, pay for it at the register and they'll cook it for you. Oh yes, back to I was in love with this place...

...until I found the Icelandic fish and chip restaurant and I was in love all over again only with a different fish. This time it was the huge chunks of haddock lightly battered in an almost tempura light batter topped with large crystals of sea salt and garlic rosemary chunky chips on the side, all slathered with lashings of a gloopy malt vinegar which was so delightful, I could have guzzled the entire bottle.

And of course, wash it all down with an ice cold Polar Beer (get it, polar bear?), that is if you like beer. I tried their endless assortment of mineral waters.
And here's a photo of breakfast in our guest house. This pig is everywhere in Iceland. It's the logo of the piggy back saver grocery store. I find it rather obscene and revolting, don't you? p.s. - we did manage to get off the glacier , but had to reverse out of the ditch we'd spun ourselves into and apparently everyone has GPS now, so if one system breaks, there's always a back up.


Tomorrow - Does Santa Claus exist in Iceland?