Odyssey magazine. - Noble Caledonia

Contents
autumn/winter 2011-2012
Upfront
2 our birthday it’s 20 years since
the very first noble caledonia
cruise, so join us as we celebrate
our anniversary, and look forward at
adventures to come…
6 Noble news desk our special
birthday cruise along the iberian
coast to barcelona, plus why our
speciality cruises – focusing on
wildlife, music, local cuisine and
more – are such a hit
8 The bigger picture autumn along
the Hudson: why newYork State’s
most famous river is best enjoyed
draped in reds and golds
10 View from the bridge meet
Vasily mariceanu, captain of the
mS Johann Strauss, as he shares
his favourite destinations on the
danube and the rhine
12 The joy of private flying noble
caledonia has teamed up with
the captain’s choice tour to offer
exclusive tours flying from the uk
by private charter. Here’s why…
14 It’s time to… plan your next
holiday, whether you like it hot
(the call of africa leaves 22 march)
or cold (Quest for the antarctic
departs 23 February)
simon hoggart
is a parliamentary
sketchwriter. On page 16
he revisits St Petersburg to
find a much-changed city
ian belcher
has crossed many world
rivers as a travel writer –
but few measure up to the
Mekong. See page 22
Discover
16 Russian quest Simon Hoggart
takes a baltic cruise to the historic,
endlessly fascinating St Petersburg
22 Wonders of the Mekong it’s one
of the world’s most otherworldly
rivers, and now you can explore its
rarely visited upper reaches…
26 sister ships what a year – as
well as celebrating our 20th
anniversary, we reunite the much
loved mS island Sky with her sister
ship, mS caledonian Sky
32 Ten degrees of latitude Sail from
Shetland to the isles of Scilly, and
find the astonishing beauty
in britain’s coast
35 The most romantic river enjoy
the majesty of the rhine as it
sweeps past fairy-tale towns and
mighty mountains
38 Noble Caledonia: 20 amazing
years Personal memories of two
decades of small-ship cruising.
Plus: our 20th anniversary book,
my Passion for water
42 The great Nordic voyage From
Scotland to Spitsbergen in the
company of whales, dolphins, and
sea eagles
46 Bull market crete has long
been a playground for men and
Gods: Zeus was born here and the
minotaur patrolled its labyrinth.
classical scholar tom Holland
unpacks the myths
50 Pearls of the ocean From the
natural wonders of the Falklands
to the allure of the beautiful but
remote tristan da cunha
In focus
56 on trial we bring you the odyssey
pick of beauty travel packs
58 Five of the best… the world’s
most stunning cathedrals, from
moscow to monreale, Sicily
60 Introducing Travel Post How to
use noble caledonia’s travel Post,
our new community website
62 Games & gains challenge
your travel knowledge with our
crossword, and win an amazing
birds and wildlife cruise
64 Book club Great travel-based
holiday reads: explore russia,
rome and more
66 Me & my travels richard ingrams,
satirist and editor of the oldie, tells
us that his favourite holidays are
remote, inactive, and literary
Our contributors
the leading travel writers who have authored our features this issue
gavin bell
discovers an untamed
wilderness on his North
Atlantic journey to
Norway, on page 42
laurence
mitchell
shares his love for slow
travel as he explores the
British Isles, see page 32
tom holland
is a classical scholar. He
unravels the legends of
Crete, birthplace of the
Gods, on page 46
A FAMILY REUNION
to celebrate noble caledonia’s 20th
anniversary, cruise critic Sue bryant reports on
the reunion of our two sister vessels. see page 26
ewen southbytailyour
is a war veteran. He
writes about the allure of
the Falklands on page 50
Look out for
these quick
reference
icons
From top
to bottom:
www.noble-caledonia.co.uk autumn/winter 2011-2012 odyssey
wine & food
lovers
Special
wildlife
interest
History buffs
Fans of the
natural world
william cook
is a British writer who
cruises the Rhine to
unravel Germany’s
historic sagas, on page 35
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