Jokulsarlon (Glacier Lagoon) - Iceland

More than five hours after we left Reykjavik (and after a much-needed sleep in the van), we finally made it to Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon), which has been featured in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "Die Another Day." The minute I saw powder blue icebergs in the brochure the day before, I scrapped all plans for wandering around Reykjavik and knew that I'd regret not visiting the Glacier Lagoon while I was in Iceland. Seeing it up-close did not disappoint.

I booked the Jokulsarlon tour with Bustravel Iceland for 17,500 Icelandic krona (about $145 USD), which also included stops at the waterfalls, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. The Bustravel Iceland tour was one of the cheaper options to see the Glacier Lagoon because it didn't include the price of the boat ticket, which was an additional 3,500 ISK ($29 USD), but even adding in the boat ticket price, it still came out about $30 cheaper than other tour agencies. There's actually two kinds of boats that go into the lagoon, so that also works better if you want more flexibility in options. There's a discount if you book online in advance.

Pictures just didn't do this justice. Just imagine a huge lagoon with gargantuan bobbing powder blue icebergs. Luckily, I packed my winter coat because it was brrrrr, soooo cooooold! In August! The boats only go into the water from about April to November because the lagoon is too frozen the rest of the time. We easily booked our boat tickets and had about 20 minutes to take pictures while we waited until our departure time.

Icelandic Kea Skyr Drykkur Mango Astaraldin (Passionfruit)

After only a few scant hours of sleep, I was up early again for another tour. This one was nearly six hours away on the other side of the island, so my jetlag came in handy as I slept pretty much the whole time.

We stopped off at one point at a gas station where I bought this container of Kea Skyr Drykkur Mango Astaraldin for 170 Icelandic krona (about $1.41 USD). I didn't realize drykkur = drink, so instead of the thick Greek yogurt-like skyr I was expecting, it was drinkable yogurt (Well, technically drinkable cheese since skyr is cheese with a yogurt-like consistency).

Fried Onion Strings

After eating Fried Onion Strings at Gus's BBQ - South Pasadena, I was reminded that I never blogged my recipe. Just one of those basic recipes that slipped through the cracks because it wasn't anything particularly special. Then again, the last time I made this, my cousin's cousin's kids were over and they gobbled up all of the fried onion strings.

They make a great snack, dipped in either ketchup or ranch dressing, or as a garnish atop steak. Eat them fast though because they don't keep well and get soggy quickly.

Ready for some vintage photos from March 2008? Of course I had to make these again for a newer and better photo, but the rest of this set, let's just say I'm glad my photography has improved. They still tasted just as good before though!

If you've made my Southern Fried Chicken, then you can make this.