We had inflight internet most of the way to Iceland, so naturally we passed most of our time playing our favorite online game, Settlers of Catan. Our other activity (besides trying to get some sleep) was reading the guidebook on Iceland (clearly we love to plan ahead). Eventually we put two and two together, and started to wonder, is Iceland actually Catan? The two bear striking similarities. For example, both are islands with plenty of land available for setting. Additionally, both islands have key resources needed for survival. The question is, are the resources the same? Admittedly, I am far more familiar with Catan, so I began my study in the compare/contrast of Iceland and Catan with the resources of the latter—sheep, ore, wood, grain, and brick. Since our aha moment about the possible connection, we began our quest to find each resource in Iceland.
Sheep – One of the few things we knew about Iceland before landing on Icelandic soil was that they have a lot of sheep (at least relative to the number of people). So, we were sure Iceland and Catan had at least this one extra thing in common. The problem is, sheep alone will not sustain a kingdom unless you have a really good trade deal. When we landed in Reykjavik, our airport shuttle dropped us off at the marina, an active maritime hub. Upon seeing this, we felt confident that Icelanders get the best possible deal on their abundant sheep, receiving any one resource of their choosing for any two sheep (though based on the price of the local wool sweaters I wonder if they actually get two resources for any one sheep).
Ore – On our first day in Iceland we got ourselves oriented in Reykjavik, including a visit to the archaeology museum in the town center. At the museum we learned that Iceland was founded when an outlaw from Norway threw some wooden pillars overboard from his ship and declared he would settle where ever they landed. We also learned that way back in the day (up until NATO sent American and British soldiers to live here after WWII) people lived in huts made of mud and turf. Finally, and most importantly, we learned that early Icelanders also made iron tools from locally mines ore. And so we found the second resource that Iceland and Catan share in common.
Wood – Some of our research in preparation for our trip warned us that we should not expect to come upon expansive forests in the country, which made us wonder if the island lacked wood as a resource. As a result, we were gratified on the second day of the trip when we passed a stand of pine trees on our ride out of Reykjavik as we embarked on our three plus day bike tour of the country side near the capitol city. Clearly Iceland has wood, just not very much of it.
Grain – After our first full day of riding through the bucolic Icelandic countryside, with stops which included the original meeting point of the country's thousand year old parliament and a rift formed by the spreading of the North American and European tectonic plates, we found ourselves in a tiny lakeside town known for its upscale locavore cuisine. My dinner included a savory pilaf of local barely. We found Icelandic grain! Four resources down, one to go.
Brick – We have been keeping a keen eye out for brick ever since we realized it was the last resource we needed to find. At this point we have circled half the country (the pace of traveling picked up significantly when we traded our bikes for a car on the fifth day) and have not been gratified to find even a single brick structure. Given that the principal employment of brick is in the laying of roads, and the high number of gravel lanes we have found ourselves traversing, it makes sense that Icelandic brick is rare indeed.
Despite the galling challenge of finding brick, I am confident that Iceland and Catan are indeed one and the same.
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