15 Wednesday May 2013
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Have you ever wanted to see Iceland for yourself? Now’s your chance! Type up your CRAZIEST, WILDEST travel story and submit it to SADcars’ newest competition to win a free trip to Iceland! You’ll get to drive around in a fantastic SADcar rental, get some… http://katkatravels.com/?p=1495
07 Tuesday May 2013
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SADcars Iceland is hosting an AWESOME competition in which one lucky traveler will win a trip to Iceland! I rented my car through these guys when I went to Iceland in September and I couldn’t recommend them more. The cars are in great shape and are reliable,… http://katkatravels.com/?p=1477
03 Friday May 2013
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FriFotos, Iceland, Travel, travel blog, travel photo, travel photography, travel story, travel writing, writing
©KatkaTravels
The icebergs that drift on the shores of Iceland’s black beaches look like diamonds shimmering in the sun. They float downstream into the ocean from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on Iceland’s southeastern coast. You’ll find large chunks and small… http://katkatravels.com/?p=1466
10 Wednesday Apr 2013
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atozchallenge, blogging from a to z, Iceland, narrative, Travel, travel blog, travel photo, travel photography, travel story, travel writing
Iceland has some super cool street art ©KatkaTravels
Iceland is a country in Northern Europe.
After watching a Travel Channel show about Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, the chilly country became a place on my bucket list. When I saw how close it was to the United States (a mere four and a half… http://katkatravels.com/?p=1276
27 Wednesday Mar 2013
Posted in Matador Network, writing
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Game of Thrones, glacier, GoT, Iceland, Kit Harington, Matador Network, Travel, travel blog, travel narrative, travel story, travel writing, writing
This past September, I traveled to Iceland. It was awesome, in part because I got to hike on a glacier where Game of Thrones is filmed. If you ever get to Iceland, it’s worth it to drive the five hours from Reykjavik along the southeastern coast, visit Skaftafell National Park and take… http://katkatravels.com/?p=1259
28 Friday Dec 2012
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FriFotos, Iceland, Travel, travel blog, travel narrative, travel photo, travel photography, travel story, travel writing, vignette, writing
©KatkaTravels
They say that the most unique life on earth is created on the isolated nature of an island. Such is the truth for Iceland, whose insane geologic features, odd-ball wildlife and eclectic citizens make it one of the literally “coolest” places to travel.
Lindsey and I, on a hunt to find good coffee at 8:00am, stumble upon one of Reykjavik’s most under-appreciated sites – the graffiti park between Laugavegur and Hverfisgata. The guidebooks don’t mention much about the place, but the locals can attest –
“It’s just a bunch of people who make art, and sometimes throw parties. They play loud music. It’s no big deal.”
©KatkaTravels
No big deal? I suppose in a country where graffiti is not bastardized by gang tags and lewd designs, sure, street art is no big deal. To Lindsey and I however, despite our groggy demeanor, this place is the most badass park we’ve ever seen.
Street art is everywhere in Reykjavik. There’s traditional graffiti, as well as a sort of “bedazzling” of some buildings, by artists who create designs with giant sequins, jewels or my personal favorite, broken mirrors. It adds a sense of life to what others not so used the cold would consider the “bleak” atmosphere of Iceland.
©KatkaTravels
©KatkaTravels
Those people are wrong though. Iceland can be as warm as a tropical island. It sparkles, in public art, in freshly-fallen snow, in local grins and shots of Brennivin.
19 Friday Oct 2012
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FriFotos, Iceland, narrative, Reykjavik, Travel, travel blog, travel narrative, travel photo, travel photography, travel story, travel writing, trips, vignette, writing
©KatkaTravels
We’d gotten a late start to the day. Our goal was to visit Iceland’s Golden Circle but our hangovers told us otherwise (there really is nothing better than sleeping in until noon after ending your evening of drinking at 3:30am). Sluggish and dehydrated, and out of time, we stick to the streets of Reykjavik to better acquaint ourselves with the area before our departure in three days.
Walking through the residential district of this Nordic city is inspiring. The voyeur within me stares through the open doors of brightly painted cottages, analyses colourful gardens, wonders at the kooky nick-nacks sitting on Icelandic windowsills. I gather that, despite the harsh winters and economic downturn, the people of Iceland really do like living here.
We stumble upon a wall that is painted blue and scribbled with graffiti. The mural is striking but what is even more interesting are the two modernly-designed, clean, white chairs situated in front of it.
“Let’s have a talk show,” I say to Lindsey.
I like how the bright whiteness of the chairs contrasts with the deep, almost royal blue of the graffiti wall. The choice of colors reminds me of an abstract version of the Icelandic flag. I get the feeling someone has placed these pieces of furniture here as some sort of artistic installation. Maybe there’s a camera nearby, recording people’s actions, and reactions.
How wonderful it must be, to be Icelandic.
02 Tuesday Oct 2012
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advice, car rental, cars, company, Iceland, narrative, review, SADcars, tips, tourism, transportation, Travel, travel advice, travel blog, travel deal, travel deals, travel narrative, travel story, travel tips, travel writing, vendor, vignette
Our sweet ride from SADcars
$80 to freeze my butt off and look up at the night’s sky? Some of the “Northern Lights” tours through Iceland’s countryside promise guaranteed sightings or a free tour the next day, but who has time to plan that closely? I’m only in Iceland for five days. I want to make the most of every minute.
“Rent a car and do a self-guided tour,” the forums touted. Lots of attractions in Iceland are free because it’s all nature-based, so Lindsey and I decide to take the plunge. I find SADcars via BeersandBeans, whose experience with the company seems very pleasant. We want to see a lot of Iceland in a little bit of time; SADcars helped us achieve this goal.
“Do you have an automatic vehicle?” I ask the SADcar employee. He’s very obliging despite our drowsy demeanor, and at 7:00am we are introduced to a candy-apple red Toyota hatchback. It’s nothing gorgeous, but I’m happy about that. Driving in Iceland is not a clean business. I don’t worry about bringing back the car with normal wear and tear that comes with rural driving, since the car’s main purpose is to get me there and back – not make me look like a rockstar.
Siggy, an employee of the company, and I have several conversations about Iceland on Twitter via @SADcars. She’s extremely helpful and cool. It’s also comforting to know there are service stations all across Iceland so if we break down or something happens, help is on the way.
“You don’t need to fill up the gas tank before you return it,” the rental employee tells us before we drive off. Good news, because we spend almost half of our budget on petrol.
Took us into lava fields and back
Put the keys in the car. Turn the windshield wipers on as it starts to drizzle. We are surprised how smooth the car runs and how bright the lights are. The seats are comfortable, broken in, as though I’ve been driving this vehicle my entire life.
Our SADcar stores our luggage after a grizzly hostel worker says we can’t check in until 2pm. It also becomes our pantry after we pick up snacks and drinks for our impeding road trips. I don’t worry about how long things will take or about being anywhere on time, since our car offers us ultimate flexibility (especially when we decide at 1am on a Monday night to go chase the Northern Lights). Plus, listening to Icelandic radio is super cool. The selection of Icelandic songs and hearing their unique language over the airwaves is an out of this world experience.
When you rent a car in Iceland, you get to make awesome pit-stops like THIS!
*All vendors reviews are based on purchases by the author. No promotional discounts were provided/solicited. Reviews are the sole opinion of the author as a way of saying “Thanks!” for great service.
