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54 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | SUMMER 2019 054-055_EM<strong>18</strong>_PostcardNorway.indd 54 05/11/2019 10:57
TRAVEL POSTCARD from NORWAY Photo agency producer Catherine Collins shares her favourite destination and shore excursions from her recent cruise to Norway PHOTOS: © CATHERINE COLLINS Earlier this year I had the best two weeks of my entire life. I was sailing on board Viking Sea on an Into the Midnight Sun voyage. Starting in Bergen with its exquisite wooden Hanseatic warehouses, we sailed up through the west coast archipelago of Norway (the Lofoten Islands) into the Arctic Circle, across to Shetland and Orkney, on to Edinburgh, and down the east coast of the United Kingdom to conclude the journey in London. Having never cruised before, I was utterly enchanted by the beauty of the ship as well as the thoughtfulness of those behind its design. I was also mesmerised by everything I saw from its decks – each destination was more spectacular than the last. However, if I had to pick one place as my favourite it would be Honningsvåg, a tiny Norwegian fishing port in the far north. This is down to the sheer thrills and excitement of the King Crab Safari excursion in the morning and the afternoon trip to North Cape. We sailed into Honningsvåg in the Barents Sea early in the morning of the 24 July. At 71˚ north, some 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle, the sun was already well above the horizon when I took my first shots at around 3am, but the day was a dull battleship grey with only a slight shimmer of pink compared with the firey glow of earlier skies. We had time to hug Bamse, the heroic dog who became the mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during the Second World War, before getting kitted out in flotation suits for the King Crab Safari RIB ride. In true James Bond style, we sped across the Sarnesfjorden at high speed to the crab nets to collect our lunch. They are not called king crabs for nothing – they are ENORMOUS, weighing between 6 and 10 kilos each, and it took two men to lift the net into our RIB. We landed ashore in a small fishing settlement full of wild flowers where we were taught how to hold the crabs safely before watching them being prepared for lunch. The next step was to see the crabs expertly cooked in boiling water over an open fire in a traditional Sami tent. We could then eat this Arctic Circle bounty, and the flavour was sublime. So much so that the silence of contentment was the only sound to be heard above the crackling fire. The trip back to the ship was thrilling – in and out of bays with sleep green slopes rising from the metallic sea, all at breakneck speed. I loved every second. The coach trip to North Cape in the afternoon was by comparison more sedate, but incredible nonetheless. As we climbed through the Arctic tundra dotted with reindeer to reach the plateau, which sits 1,000 feet above sea level, where the Norwegian and Barents seas meet, the fog was swirling all around us. It was quiet and eerie. Then, like magic, it cleared and we could see what has enticed explorers for generations. These shore excursions are typical of Viking’s attention to detail – enriching and enthralling, I would do them again in a heartbeat. A 15-day Into the Midnight Sun journey, from Bergen to London, starts at £5,290pp in 2021. vikingcruises.co.uk Clockwise, from above: Catherine Collins; a traditional Sami tent; typical wooden buildings housing shops line the cobbled streets; the view from Viking Sea WINTER 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 55 054-055_EM<strong>18</strong>_PostcardNorway.indd 55 05/11/2019 10:57
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EXPLORE more See more of the world
Page 3 and 4: WELCOME Welcome to our winter editi
Page 5 and 6: 10 70 72 46 FEATURES 16 BEAUTIFUL B
Page 7 and 8: NEWS NEW CARIBBEAN TRIPS Due to pop
Page 9 and 10: LETTERS YOUR PHOTOS #MyVikingStory
Page 11 and 12: TRAVEL This page: Fi loved experien
Page 13 and 14: TRAVEL PHOTOS: © ISTOCK/CATHERINE
Page 15 and 16: TRAVEL PHOTOS: © ISTOCK/CATHERINE
Page 17 and 18: Explore Bordeaux on Châteaux, Rive
Page 19 and 20: TRAVEL Symmetry at sea Journalist L
Page 21 and 22: TRAVEL PHOTOS: © VIKING in the pro
Page 23 and 24: TRAVEL FIVE FAVOURITE COSY CORNERS
Page 25 and 26: TRAVEL Sunlight SPECTACULAR Photogr
Page 27 and 28: TRAVEL cruised at a leisurely speed
Page 29 and 30: CULTURE Clockwise, from below: Ball
Page 31 and 32: CULTURE LISBON, PORTUGAL Any Lisboe
Page 33 and 34: TRAVEL WINTER 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.
Page 35 and 36: TRAVEL Clockwise from above: The Vi
Page 37 and 38: CHARITY Charity MISSION We’ve sel
Page 39 and 40: INTERVIEW long-believed statement m
Page 41 and 42: GARDENING of Amun at Karnak and, in
Page 43 and 44: CULTURE PHOTOS: © ROBERT WORKMAN /
Page 45 and 46: CULTURE Clockwise, from bottom left
Page 47 and 48: FASHION Knitwear (from a selection
Page 49 and 50: TRAVEL HISTORY OF KINDERDIJK In the
Page 51 and 52: The National Symphony Orchestra in
Page 53: COLUMN NORSE HERITAGE While there a
Page 57 and 58: TRAVEL Russian Discovery We join fo
Page 59 and 60: TRAVEL coffee in a local coffee sho
Page 61 and 62: RECIPES RYE BREAD MAKES 1 LOAF Rye
Page 63 and 64: RECIPES KISLYE SHCHI - RUSSIAN SOUR
Page 65 and 66: BOOK CLUB PHOTOS: © ISTOCK A GENTL
Page 67 and 68: CITY GUIDES Our destinations and sh
Page 69 and 70: TRAVEL From top to bottom: The Cath
Page 71 and 72: TRAVEL ASITANE £££ This sophisti
Page 73 and 74: TRAVEL BRASEIRO DA GÁVEA £££ If
Page 75 and 76: Artwork by Rebecca Campbell for Ope
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