We’ll get to the delicious Apple Pie bars in a second, but first Iceland! It was absolutely incredible. Words cannot describe how beautifully unique it was; we would definitely go again in a heartbeat. We were there for a little over a week, and drove about two-thirds of the ring road, stopping to hike and sight see as we went.

One of the first things we were asked, after the initial question of ” You’re going to Iceland?!?” was, “What are you going to eat? It’s not really a foodie destination?” Though Iceland may not be well known for their cuisine, there’s certainly no shortage of good, high-quality options available. All of the restaurants we went to in Reykjavik were excellent. We had Skyr (a dreamy, fat free, strained yogurt-like Icelandic dairy product) as often as we could, pylsyr (or hot dogs with everything) from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Minke Whale, and lamb. Oh the lamb – it was the most fantastic lamb I’ve ever had. I don’t typically like lamb in the states and I think the Icelandic lamb may have ruined me for all other lamb I will ever eat. It was so mildly flavord and tender – just incredible.  

We even had kjötsúpa, a traditional lamb soup, after a long rainy, windy trek to Thrihnukagigur volcano where we were lowered down 400 feet under ground into the dormant magma chamber. After getting soaked to the bone, and feeling like I was nearly going to blow off a mountain cliff (more than once) to see the magnificent chamber below, the lamb soup was a simple, but incredibly satisfying meal away from the wind and rain. The small light in the center of the black oval to the left is the open cable lift returning to the surface, just after dropping us off at the bottom. 

Nearly a week later, I still can’t find the words to describe how beautiful and magical Iceland is; I tried to capture the beauty that was around us, but not even the most fantastic photograph can capture the magnificence of the land.

We were getting a little worried, about our trip getting canceled or postponed; about a week before we were going to be flying out news came that Bardarbunga volcano was erupting. Luckily aside from a few road closures, or trip was unaffected. It’s hard to see, but in the picture blow, the smoke rising from in-between the two mountains, is from Bardarbunga.

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip; we decided to walk the hiking trail behind the entrance of Skogafoss. It was a bit of a foggy, drizzly day, but even with the light rain it was the most beautiful hike I’ve been on. One magnificent waterfall after another; miles and miles of vast, untouched lands, scattered with sheep freely grazing and wandering the hillsides. Magical.

We completely enjoyed our trip, and already want to go back. For anyone thinking of going, or going shortly, I can’t recommend this map enough. It has all the points of interest and photographic locations captured perfectly in one durable, and elegant presentation.

And these Apple Pie Bars a pretty killer! Don’t be scared by all the butter; the recipe makes up to 48 bars depending on how you cut them.

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