ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga

Víkurprjón in Vík í Mýrdal is one
of the oldest wool production
companies in Iceland and now
celebrates its 30th year of quality
production. While travelling
through the south of Iceland a
stop at Víkurprjón‘s factory shop
is an absolute must.
Víkurprjón puts special emphasis
on providing authentic products
made entirely in Iceland. In fact if
you have any doubts you can simply
look over the factory floor from
the second floor of the shop. There
you can see the production process
and the complex machinery used
to process the wool –be it knitting,
cleaning, steam pressing, cutting or
sewing.
The production is extremely varied
but the largest part involves sewing
all kinds of clothing from the
Icelandic sheep wool. Víkurprjón
uses traditional methods with the
original colours and national patterns
as well as designing and producing
clothes. Víkurprjón‘s collection
includes almost all types of clothing
needed to keep you warm, or stylish
for that matter, including socks, long
underwear, tank tops, sweaters,
blankets, jackets, mittens, scarves
and caps.
The Majestic Reynisdrangar backdrop the Víkurprjón Wool Factory.
An example of Víkurprjón’s innovative
designs to keep you warm.
Víkurprjón‘s products are so popular
that the factory can only supply
its own factory shop, but since it
is a factory shop Víkurprjón can
offer very reasonable prices to its
customers.
Víkurprjón has also established
an exciting design project named
Víkprjónsdóttir where young
designers present their unique
wool designs. Among those is The
Beardcap, which is based on a
traditional cap which covers both
the neck, but with an amusing twist.
The Víkprjónsdóttir collection also
includes the Sealpelt which is based
on old Icelandic myths about seals
and many other insightful variations
of blankets and ponchos.
Vík í Mýrdal is the southernmost
village in Iceland, located on the
main ring road around the island,
around 180 km from Reykjavík. It
is a place of astounding landscapes
and majestic ocean views, making
the Víkurprjón Factory an essential
stop on your tour of Iceland.
For more information and online
store visit www.vikurprjon.is or
www.vikprjonsdottir.is
Víkurprjón‘s
products are so
popular that the
factory can only
supply its own
factory shop, but
since it is a factory
shop Víkurprjón
can offer very
reasonable prices to
its customers.
-Víkurprjón in Vík í Mýrdal
Iceland‘s Oldest Wool Factory
Víkurprjón’s wool sweaters come
in all shapes, sizes and colours.
Mýrdalshreppur –
From fertile hills to black beaches
On the southernmost point of
Iceland, you will find in the valley
of Mýrdalur, between the sands
and the hills, the charming village
of Vík. This is the nearest inhabited
area to the recently famous
volcano Katla, which has actually
not erupted since 1918. The people
in Mýrdalur do not find the volcano
to be an issue and have learned
to live in peace with its existence.
You will probably not find a more
diverse landscape in the whole
of Iceland than that around Vík,
ranging from black, sandy beaches
with steep cliffs, to fertile hills
with various hiking routes and the
glacier Mýrdalsjökull.
The natural treasures
Vík is only two hours from Reykjavík,
the location being quite central in the
South of Iceland. It is in a comfortable
driving distance from most of the
interesting sights in the region, from
Vatnajökull glacier in the East to
Gullfoss and Geysir in the West.
This suitable distance, along with the
fact that there is such a huge variety
of natural treasures around, has
resulted in tourism growing rapidly
in Mýrdalur. The best proof of this is
the large number of accommodation
offered in the area compared to the
population, ranging from low budget
options like hostels and camping sites
to higher budget hotels. It might be
wise to book in advance if you wish
to visit Vík during the summertime,
especially if you seek something more
comfortable than camping.
It would probably fill more than a
book to describe the natural treasures
around Vík, so great is the number. It
is enough to mention some of the most
memorable scenes. First we have to
name Reynisfjara, the vast black beach
with the strong surf and columnar
cliffs. The walk along the beach is
quite an experience, but be very aware
not to approach the surf too closely,
it is stronger than you might expect.
Dyrhólaey is the southernmost spit of
Iceland and really picturesque with its
gigantic black arch of lava standing in
the sea. One can go on a sail around
Dyrhólaey to observe the arch better.
Þakgil and the area around it is really
worth the visit, being located on the
higlands above Vík. There is a camping
place and various marked walking
routes to see the mossgreen, hilly
landscape. Finally one cannot avoid
mentioning the glacier Mýrdalsjökull,
but the volcano Katla is situated in the
glacier. It is really popular for hiking
tours as well as for snowmobiling.
Living in peace with Katla for
centuries
The recent media coverage of the
volcanic activity in Iceland has been a
bit dramatic resulting in the common
misjudgement that it is not safe to be in
certain areas of Iceland these days. This
could not be further from the truth.
“People have been living near to Katla
for centuries without any casualties
or injuries to speak of,” says Sveinn
Pálsson the director of the local council
of Mýrdalur. “The contingency plan for
the region is really forceful as we have
been practicing it now for fourty years.
If Katla would erupt it is not likely that it
would flood over Vík, but if that would
be the case we have safe spots in the
village, to which everybody would go.
So in the time of eruption the rescue
teams would go from house to house to
get everybody to a safe spot. We would
have 2-3 hours until the flood which is
much more than enough.”
Many people have speculated about
when Katla will erupt as the history
seems to suggest that it happens
most often after an eruption in
Eyjafjallajökull. What has been
forgotten in this discussion is that
it seldom happens shortly after the
Eyjafjallajökull eruption. It might even
erupt after ten years or even later. Right
now, the earthquake frequency under
the glacier is none to speak of, but
frequent eartquakes can usually suggest
that an eruption might be ahead.
“The volcano is carefully monitored, so
Vík is only two hours from Reykjavík.
From Fertile Hills to Black Beaches.
we are prepared for everything here.
I have often said jokingly that Florida
in the USA is a popular place to visit,
still, you have hurricanes there every
year. Volcano eruptions might be a bit
unfamiliar to most people in the world,
but if it is monitored well like here in
Iceland, there should not be anything
dangerous about them, not more than
just passing over a busy street, although
the ash has certainly turned out to be a
source of irritation for the flight traffic,”
says Sveinn.
Enough for a whole vacation
There is a reason why nearly all
accommodation is booked in advance
in Vík during the summertime. Not
only is this a convenient place to
stop for a couple of nights if you wish
to drive the circular road around
Iceland; you could also spend all of
your vacation there. You have almost
everything there, riding tours, sailing,
snow mobiling, hiking and various
other activites. You have a nice little
village, with all the services you need
in a walking distance. You have natural
treasures, which will probably fill the
memory card on your camera. Last but
not least, you have a famous volcano
close by, which is of great geological
interest and a community, which has
learned, from one generation to the
next, that life surely goes on although
nature can be both dramatic and
influential.
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