Housewarming, Akureyri, Iceland

(Post 1 of 3)

At first, Margrét Heinreksdöttir didn’t want to talk to us because she was convinced we could find somebody more interesting. That’s usually a sign that you are on to something good.

We arrived at her house for coffee. We helped lay the table, but she made sure to set it up properly: the table cloth aligns with the chairs, the plates balance the creases of the table cloth and each piece of cutlery is carefully placed.

We sit and talk. At first, she forbids Eric to take her photo, and she doesn’t want to talk about herself. She is, again, sure we can find something more interesting, like melting glaciers in Greenland, the shipping route north of Siberia or the beginning of Amnesty International in Iceland.

So we start with those topics, and we eat waffles. I immediately understand why the person who recommended us to Margrét said “I love her, and I always want to share her with everyone.” Her story unfolded as the afternoon wore on. Talk about a life story. She got comfortable with the camera too.

Photo by Eric Guth.