Iceland Experience 2008
After taking up MyTouareg’s offer of a Volkswagen Experience trip through Iceland at a subsidised rate, Touareg owners Stef and Inamarie Greyson arrived at a rainy Keflavik Airport on the 22 of July, all fired up for the exciting adventure that lay ahead. Here is Inamarie’s account of their trip.
Tuesday 22 July
Robert and Hagen, our hosts from the Volkswagen Experience team, met our group at the airport. Five shiny new 3.0 V6 Touaregs waited to take us on a two-hour drive to the Ranga Hotel on the scenic banks of the Ranga river near Hvolsvollur.
Stef soon got the hang of driving on the right-hand side of the road in a left-hand drive vehicle; but then, a Touareg always makes driving an easy, enjoyable experience. The speed limit on Iceland’s highways is only 90km/h, which was great because both of us could enjoy the beauty of this far-flung island.
At the dinner table we got to know the other members of our group. People from all over the globe love Touaregs as much as we do. Our group consisted of proud Touareg owners from the United Kingdom, Germany and Romania.
Wednesday 23 July
After a hearty breakfast, Robert and Hagen briefed us on the day ahead and gave us tips on off-road driving in Iceland. We were issued with two-way radios that would keep us in constant contact with one another.
Driving to the mountains around the Myrdals glacier we crossed many strong, fast-flowing rivers under the guidance of our expert guides. Driving on the brim of the icy glaciers, smouldering volcanoes, through black lava fields and green moss-covered mountains; we realized that this was an experience of a lifetime in a country where the earth is still in the making.
Late that afternoon we drove up Hekla, Iceland’s most famous and highly active volcano. Hekla was once believed to be the gateway to hell and is due to erupt again around 2010. Yet the mountain didn’t scare us: the mighty Touareg made short shrift of the drive up, and going down with the Hill Descent Control was even more fun!
After a most exhilarating day we returned to the Ranga hotel for another gastronomic feast. Everyone shared their experiences and went to bed looking forward to yet another exciting day in the land of the Vikings.
Thursday 24 July
After a relaxing morning, we enjoyed a delicious lunch right next to Langjokull glacier and then set off for some serious off-road tracks. The obstacles were no problem for any of our drivers and their Touaregs. In fact, we all asked for more! Later we drove through the colourful rhyolite hills and hot springs of Landmannalaugar and were once more left in awe of this spectacular land of fire and ice.
It was peak hour when we reached Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. It’s a buzzing, modern city with a difference: in summer, the sun sets at midnight only to rise again at 3am.
Dinner at a great Icelandic restaurant ensured a perfect end to a perfect adventure. Iceland’s breathtaking natural beauty and rarefied air, combined with the Volkswagen Experience and our newfound Touareg friends had coloured our cheeks, put a spring in our step and passion in our souls.
Thank you Volkswagen!
With much appreciation,
Stef and Inamarie Greyson
