Bill Clinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Carrots n Cake... oh yeah, and Icelandic Deliciousness

I can't believe it has taken me THIS long to write about the FOOD we encountered in Iceland! Typically, that's the first thing I would be focused on... I guess my mindset is a'changing since I'm now such a rugged, outdoorsy girl.

Sadly, the food in Iceland was nothing to write home about though. I mean, everything we ate was quite delicious, but it didn't seem that Iceland had a lot of native, exotic cuisine. I guess they would be most known for their seafood (particularly whale) since it's all fresh and free of any chemicals (only Americans would have to specify "free from chemicals" when describing food, right?). Unfortunately, I only ate seafood one night while I was there and proceeded to get sick. I'm not exactly sure why since everything Icelandic is so fresh and so pure? Maybe my body has gotten so used to processed, preservative-filled foods that it rejects anything fresh and pure. God bless American diets.

One of the things that most surprised me is that Iceland is known for their... HOT DOGS?! What the heck. Who would have thought? I guess it has something to do with the way they process their meat (ie: the "dog" is a combination of lamb and beef, which is SO not what an American "dog" is like). Anyway, one of our first stops in Iceland was to this little hot dog stand that is only like the most famous thing ever.

This was at the TOP of my priority list because guess who has a hot dog named after him?

That's right! My man, BILL! Sigh. No matter how many years pass, I will always have a soft spot for this favorite president of mine.

Any excuse to use (read: shamelessly self-promote) that picture, let's be honest here.

Anyway, this hot dog stand was BUMPIN' with all kinds of people... the young, the old, and... well, only the most ADORABLE BOY EVER!

Can you believe he wasn't even POSING for this picture? I'd initially taken the picture to capture the adorable little hot dog holders this stand had (what a fantast idea, RIGHT?!), but I can't believe how much of a GEM this picture turned out to be with its audience! Sigh. Hearts and flowers and all that.

Aside from that, it was pretty much coffee shop CENTRAL for the two of us. I mean, check out downtown Reykjavik:

If this downtown doesn't SCREAM coffee shop central atmospheric conditions, I just don't know what does. One of my favorites? The Laundromat!

It was only after we enjoyed a good ol' fashioned cozy cup of coffee that my sister informed me that this coffee shop... umm... just happens to be where JAKE GYLLENHAAL was seen (you know, because HE weekends in Iceland as well! Hahaha). Weeee!!! I guess it makes sense though... I mean, LOOK:

If that doesn't scream warm and cozy goodness, I simply don't know what DOES!

And who would have guessed? I am in LOVE with Iceland coffee (although, it must be noted that there is seemingly little to no caffeine in these beverages, per my sister's and my experiences). I don't know what they put in this stuff, but it is just so TASTY to me... as opposed to the bitter, chokable stuff I find here in the States (read: Starbucks). While my sister ordered a few specialty drinks here and there, I was perfectly content just sticking with straight-up coffee.

Now onto my primary sustenance in life... DESSERT! While Reykjavik's oldest cafe was a historical treat in its own right, they also are QUITE famous for serving up some pretty legit waffles.

And let me just tell you, these things were spot ON. Soft, fluffy, with a slightly crisp outer coating... divine. But my favorite part? The whipped cream! So light, so fluffy and, ironically, not all that sweet! Who would have guessed that whipped cream, in its purest form, is actually not supposed to be sweet? Makes you really wonder what's going in that stuff we call Cool Whip, huh?

The waffles were great and all but... my favorite dessert in all of Iceland? Plain jane... carrot cake! They sell carrot cake at EVERY coffee shop possible and, quite frankly, they just do it so RIGHT. I literally had a piece of carrot cake each day I was in Iceland (yes, even the day that I had those waffles, thank you very much).

But I couldn't help it! So moist, rich and holy beJEEZ, they know how to do icing RIGHT. You KNOW that each time I helped myself to a piece of carrot cake, my sister's and my conversation would naturally segue on over to our favorite blog... Carrots n Cake (http://www.carrotsncake.com/)! My sister introduced me to the blog quite a few months ago, and to say we are addicted to it is, um, an understatement. We seriously talk about Tina (the blogger), Mal (her husband) and good ol' Murphy (their a-dorable little pug... and that's a lot coming from me considering I am NOT the biggest fan of animals!) as though they're our friends/neighbors. Ridiculous? Yes. AWEsome? Even moreso. Who knew how much entertainment one blog could provide?!

That's what I'm hoping people will be saying about the Maliyacular one fine day, at least...! A girl can always dream, right?