The next leg of Day 7 is ready to view here! I am yet again pining for a restroom. We do pass a little unmanned Orkan gas station before our stop at the lovely Beitarhúsið. But first, if you have any kind of condition that requires frequent trips to a restroom, I do recommend driving through Iceland with a solution to your bathroom needs. The east to north sections of Route 1 are very sparse in the WC department. And, as you can see in the video, there isn’t a lot out there. If you are one of those people who can go all day without visiting the bathroom, you’ll be fine. If you’ve got an excited bladder, you might want to come prepared.
Ok, so enough restroom talk. Let’s talk about the drive. The moon is still out, the ground changes to rocky red and black hills with frozen blue rivulets and twists of snow. It was really beautiful. At one point, we crest a hill and what appears to be a painted backdrop of mountains just emerges over the rise. Iceland really is a show off.
At last, we see an oasis on the sun-drenched horizon in the form of a turf house with a gas station, info signs, parking, and a bakery! Beitarhúsið ended up being one of the highlights of my entire trip. We stopped to read the information signs about the cauldron Askja, the eruptions nearby, and how it is now a protected site.
Then, we went inside the cozy little shop. The gleaming wooden beams embraced us with warmth and the delicious scent of freshly baked treats. And, they had a restroom for customers. We ordered kleinur (Icelandic donuts) and hot beverages and relaxed in the sun-filled room. Now, I had been talking myself out of buying an Icelandic wool sweater the entire trip. An authentic, hand-knit sweater takes a lot of talent, time, energy, and thus they are expensive. My husband knew I wanted something wool to bring home, and Beitarhúsið gave us the answer: wool mittens.
These mittens have a story. They were hanging on a wall next to this sign about the woman who crafted them. She also created these huge basket of flowers displays we saw in Egilsstaðir. In fact, you can see those giant baskets in our video here as we drive through town. I really felt like she made these just for me. Simple, cozy…these will be with me forever, passed down to my daughter, and still in perfect shape. They have kept my fingers so warm and toasty this past winter. For people with Reynaud’s, that is extra special.
In addition, I supported an Icelander. There are a lot of sweaters for sell that are made from Icelandic wool, but not by Icelanders in the traditional form. To protect the art of knitting, and the authentically impressive craftsmanship of real Icelandic sweaters, please visit The Handknitting Association of Iceland for your sweater purchases. It is really important to the people of Iceland that we tourists help preserve and protect their craft.
But, keep in mind, you don’t need to plunk down hundreds of dollars on a sweater you may never wear. Mittens were my perfect choice. Stopping at this bakery was my perfect choice, as well. If you’re there, stop by, grab a delicious treat (I still regret not getting that skyr cheesecake they had for sale), use the bathroom, and get ready to go to Hell in our next video! Happy adventuring!