Explore More_UK_Spring Issue_2020

EXPLORE more 

See more of the world with Viking / Spring 2020 £3.95 

EPIC EXPEDITIONS 

Discover the Arctic & Antarctica 

Dramatic 

DOURO 

The highlights of 

a trip to Portugal’s 

River of Gold 

PICASSO 

• SPANISH GALLERIES 

• NEW EXHIBITION 

• INSPIRING NOVELS

25 January – 13 April 

Supported by 

Friends of the RA go free 

Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy of 

Arts, London and the Cleveland Museum of Art in 

partnership with the Musée national Picasso-Paris 

Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman, Mougins, 4 December 1962. Pencil on cut 

and folded wove paper, 42 x 26.5 cm. Musée national Picasso-Paris. Pablo 

Picasso Gift in Lieu, 1979. MP1850. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée 

national Picasso-Paris) / Béatrice Hatala. © Succession Picasso/DACS 2019

WELCOME 

Welcome to our spring edition of Explore More 

We have had a very exciting start to the year here at Viking with the announcement of 

expeditions cruising in the Arctic, Antarctica and the Great Lakes. The addition of our two new 

expedition vessels, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, will mean that we can offer guests an 

even more comprehensive range of destinations, including trips to the polar regions. 

We are also thrilled to be supporting the new exhibition, Picasso and Paper, which is showing 

until April at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. We interviewed the renowned curator Ann 

Dumas to find out more about Picasso’s ongoing fascination with all types of paper, and how 

it influenced his art. Continuing the theme, we also have features on where you can go to see 

more of Picasso’s work in Barcelona and Malaga. 

For those of you who are keen cooks, we have a range of delicious recipes from Spain, sure 

to conjure up memories of Spanish sunshine. And if you’re searching for a new book, check our 

recommendations of novels that touch on the life of Picasso, the ancient treasures of Egypt and 

epic adventures in the Arctic. We have rounded up some fun facts about penguins – a highlight 

of any trip to Antarctica – and we take a closer look at the intricate skills involved in carving 

totem poles, many of which are on show to guests visiting Alaska with Viking. 

In November, we welcomed our new puppy, Hazel, into the Viking family. She is a calm and 

happy girl who is bringing us much joy and has ensured an energetic start to the new year! 

We wish you all a wonderful decade ahead, and look forward to seeing more of you at our 

upcoming events. 

Best wishes, 

Managing Director, Viking UK 

Tweet us: 

@VikingCruises 

Like us: 

facebook.com/VikingCruisesUK 

Follow us: 

instagram.com/vikingcruises 

 

Email us: 

uk-marketing@vikingcruises.com 

Find out more 

about the 

Viking Explorer 

Society 

on our website 

SPRING 2020 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 3

OFC_EM19FINALV2.indd 1 11/02/2020 15:02 

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40 

Contents 

IN THIS ISSUE... 

EXPLORE more 

See more of the world with Viking / Spring 2020 £3.95 

EPIC EXPEDITIONS 

Discover the Arctic & Antarctica 

14 PENGUIN TRIVIA Our favourite penguin facts 

26 EASTERN MAGIC Bustling Bangkok to Hong Kong 

Dramatic 

DOURO 

The highlights of 

a trip to Portugal’s 

River of Gold 

32 SCREEN TIME Viking’s carefully curated digital displays 

to inspire a sense of wanderlust 

40 BLACK FOREST ADVENTURE Gabrielle Sander 

explores 26 miles of the Rhine on two wheels 

PICASSO 

• SPANISH GALLERIES 

• NEW EXHIBITION 

• INSPIRING NOVELS 

Cover: An Adélie penguin, the most 

widespread penguin in the Antarctic 

54 PICASSO AND PAPER Shining a light on Picasso’s work 

with paper at the Royal Academy of Arts’ new exhibition 

72 THE BOY KING For John Wilcott, the Tutankhamun 

exhibition evokes childhood memories 

74 MY THAILAND The food, the cities, and the natural 

spectacles of Thailand 

4 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | SPRING 2020

26 

60 

10 

46 

FEATURES 

10 EXPEDITION CRUISING New Arctic itinieraries 

16 TOTEM POLES Alaska’s cultural carvings 

22 RIVER OF GOLD A journey along the Douro 

34 MUNCH MOMENTS Discover the artwork from 

Norway’s much-loved expressionist painter, Edvard Munch 

36 HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS Heart-warming 

home visits 

48 DAZZLING NORWAY Fabulous fjords and glaciers 

56 PICASSO’S CITIES Spotlight on Malaga and Barcelona 

60 A TASTE OF SPAIN Sumptuous Spanish recipes 

70 ON THE TRAIL Rachael Funnell joins Viking on a 

whirlwind tour to uncover Egyptian treasures 

REGULARS 

6 VIKING NEWS The latest news and events 

8 YOUR WORLD Letters and photos from our guests 

44 GARDENER’S GUIDE Expert Paul Hervey-Brookes on 

the merits of the humble lemon balm plant 

46 HELLO YELLOW Revive your holiday wardrobe with 

bright pops of springtime yellow 

52 KARINE’S TRAVELS Karine Hagen on valuable lessons 

gleaned from from a lifetime of travel 

64 CITY GUIDE: MALAGA A closer look at the historical 

city and arts scene emanating from Malaga 

66 CITY GUIDE: BARCELONA Eccentric architecture 

meets blissful beaches in spellbinding Barcelona 

68 BOOK CLUB The best holiday reads on our list 


Viking NEWS 

A round-up of the latest travel news and events 

from the world of Viking 

EPIC 

EXPEDITIONS 

Viking announced in January that 

Viking Expeditions will begin sailing 

in January 2022, with its first vessel, 

Viking Octantis, embarking on 

voyages to Antartica and North 

America’s Great Lakes. A second 

expedition ship, Viking Polaris, will 

set sail in August 2022, sailing to 

Antarctica and the Arctic. 

“In creating ‘the thinking 

person’s expedition’, we are 

perfecting polar expedition cruising, 

and we will usher in a new era 

of comfortable exploration in the 

heart of North America,” said 

Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. 

“Our guests are curious explorers. 

They want to continue travelling 

with us to familiar and iconic 

destinations, but they would 

also like to travel further.” 

Partnering with some of 

the world’s most prestigious 

scientific institutions, including 

the University of Cambridge’s 

Scott Polar Research Institute, 

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 

and the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, will 

ensure that guests are up-to-date 

with the latest polar research being 

conducted, and will have access to 

lectures and scientific updates. 

Norwegian adventurer Liv 

Arnesen – the first woman to ski 

solo and unsupported to the South 

Pole in 1994 – and Ann Bancroft 

– the first woman to successfully 

finish a number of expeditions to 

the Arctic and Antarctic – will serve 

as ceremonial godmothers to Viking 

Octantis and Viking Polaris. 

PHOTOS: © ISTOCK 


NEWS 

READER OFFER 

Thanks to Greenwich 

Music Time we are happy 

to offer our readers 

a discount of £10 per 

person on the following 

performances: 

6 July 2020 

Sarah Brighton 

7 July 2020 

Lea Salonga 

VIKING JUPITER 

In January, in a unique ceremony held in 

Beverley Hills, LA, guests at the naming 

ceremony for Viking Jupiter – sailing 

between the Falkland Islands and Cape 

Horn – were linked to the ship via a live 

video link. Ceremonial godmother and 

SINGING WITH 

THE STARS 

Viking is a proud supporter of the Lord’s 

Taverners charity, so we were especially 

excited to celebrate the start of the festive 

season at their annual Carol Concert 

with the Stars in December. Held in the 

magnificent setting of St. Marylebone 

Parish Church, we enjoyed readings from 

stars from the worlds of sport, comedy and 

entertainment, as well as our favourite carols 

accompanied by the wonderful church choir. 

A truly magical occasion. 

soprano singer Sissel Kyrkjebø gave the 

traditional blessing, and used a Viking 

axe to cut the red ribbon on stage, as 

the ship’s captain confirmed that the 

bottle of aquavit had smashed against 

the side of the ship. A tecnological first! 

GOING FOR GOLD 

We are thrilled to announce 

that for the 11th year running, 

Viking has been named Best River 

Cruise Line at the prestigious 

British Travel Awards, one of 

the largest and most influential 

consumer polls in the UK. Viking 

was also awarded a silver medal 

in two additional categories, 

the Best Luxury Cruise Line and 

Best Small Ships Cruise Line. 

Please visit 

greenwichmusictime.co.uk 

and use the code 

“VIKING10” to redeem 

this offer. 

NEW 

DESTINATIONS 

Following on from our 

exciting Viking Expeditions 

annoucement in January, 

we are delighted to be 

launching several brand 

new itineraries. Among 

these is the 13-day Antarctic 

Explorer, the ultimate 

adventure for guests keen 

to spot glaciers, icebergs 

and rarely-seen wildlife 

and plants. Meanwhile, the 

Arctic Explorer trip takes in 

frozen tundra and fjords as 

well as offering guests the 

chance to visit native people 

living in remote settlements. 

Finally, the 8-day Great Lakes 

Explorer journey, heading 

from Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

to Ontario, Canada, 

navigates the maze of 

granite islands and coastal 

wetlands, with migrating 

birds and tranquil forests. 

Above: The Viking team celebrates their win at the British Travel Awards ceremony 


Your WORLD 

We catch up with where you’ve been and what you’ve seen 

on your Viking cruises...and where you’re off to next 

YOUR LETTERS 

Dining at Highclere 

We have just returned home 

to Winchester after our most 

exciting start to Christmas. 

Courtesy of Viking Cruises, 

and after winning one of their 

competitions, my wife and I were 

able to enjoy a Christmas Gala 

Dinner with the Earl and Countess 

of Carnarvon at Highclere Castle. 

We were greeted with a 

choice of cocktails to enjoy 

with our fellow guests, many 

of whom had travelled from 

the USA for the occasion. Lord 

and Lady Carnarvon hosted a 

guided tour and we then visited 

the cellars to see the Egyptian 

display relating to a previous Lord 

Carnarvon’s discovery of the tomb 

of Tutankhamun in 1922. This 

was followed by a superb meal, 

including lobster, venison and a 

gin-and-tonic sorbet made with 

Highclere Gin. 

The Earl and Countess were 

very knowledgeable and amiable 

hosts and invited us all back to 

the Library for coffee to finish the 

evening in style. 

Stuart and Barbara Vause 

New friends 

We thoroughly enjoyed our recent 

cruise, In the Wake of the Vikings, 

notwithstanding the involvement 

of Mother Nature. After all, she 

is more powerful than any of us! 

Naturally we were disappointed at 

the omission of some ports but I 

was pleasantly surprised to receive 

the credits for a future cruise 

which I will be delighted to utilise. 

I told Charles, the General 

Manager, numerous times how 

fabulous each and every member 

of the staff was. As this is our fifth 

cruise, many of the supervisors 

were old friends. We also made 

new friends and have already 

booked four more ocean cruises. 

I must single out Christine in 

Guest Services, Gary the Executive 

Chef and Ramona the Beverage 

Manager, Kayam the Restaurant 

Manager, Vikesh, a restaurant 

supervisor who departed early 

for a well-deserved promotion, 

Mika, the Spa Manager as well as 

Kim and Sophia, the lovely and 

talented entertainers. Your hiring 

process truly sets the standard. 

Bruce F Fein 

Amazing Alaska 

We had never been to Alaska 

before so wanted to learn more 

about the country. The cruise was 

all we had hoped it would be. 

The ship was great and even with 

around 900 passengers, never 

felt crowded.The food was great 

and there were two special dining 

experiences that we pre-booked. 

We also chose to have afternoon 

tea one day as a special treat. 

Entertainment in the theatre 

was of a very high standard and 

very much to our (rather more 

highbrow) tastes. 

The guides were informative 

and we learnt a lot about the 

country and its indigenous people. 

We have already booked another 

cruise around the bottom of 

South America and over to the 

Falklands, which will be our 12th 

Viking cruise. Each one has been 

different and brilliant. 

Mr and Mrs Childs 

STAR LETTER 

I have recently returned from the 

Rhine Getaway cruise, sailing from 

Amsterdam to Basel, and it surpassed 

all my expectations. From the moment 

we set foot on board Viking Mani we 

could feel the welcome. The ship was 

bright, comfortable and clean, and all 

the staff were friendly and welcoming. 

Together with the beautiful 

landscape, the excursions and the 

entertainment, it was just perfect. 

All the staff were very helpful and 

made things easy for me (walking 

with a stick) but there are some who 

went above and beyond their duties – 

Ralph the Hotel Manager, Programme 

Director George and Kris our waiter. 

Thank you Viking. 

Erika Ruis 

You could win... 

...a £50 M&S gift 

voucher if your letter 

is chosen as our 

star letter. Email us 

at uk-marketing@ 

vikingrivercruises.com 

PHOTOS: © AWL IMAGES/ISTOCK 


LETTERS 

YOUR PHOTOS #MyVikingStory 

Follow us on Instagram @VikingCruises for more inspirational images 

Cruise highlights 

Clockwise, from top left: 

1. Lovely afternoon rafting on 

the Great River in Jamaica! 

PhotoHistoryGal 

2. One of my Lisbon highlights. 

LandLopers 

3. Viking Cruises food memory, 

eating pretzels in Strasbourg. 

LuxuryFred 

4. Bergen waterfront. 3 out of 

3 sunny days for us! Now that is 

lucky. worldtravel_bug 

5. Sunset on the Danube. jocdgr8 

6. Favourite thing about river 

cruises is the views when you 

wake up. Grab a coffee and take 

it in! JoesDaily 

7. Budapest is a prime site for 

dreams. divergenttravel 

8. The view of Rio de Janeiro 

from the top of Sugarloaf is 

glorious even on a rainy day! 

Don’t miss it! BonVoyageurs 

9. Unforgettable scenes from 

Cologne. Zendertravel 

YOUR MESSAGES 

Loved our Viking Homelands trip. 

Our first experience of Viking 

Ocean Cruises. 

Carol Trower 

Loved our West Indies Explorer 

trip so much last January that 

we booked the Caribbean to the 

Amazon for February this year 

whilst onboard! So excited! 

Maureen Gerke 

Viking Expeditions looks 

wonderful – amazing regions to 

explore in real comfort. 

David Thomas 

We will be on Viking Star 

tomorrow on the In Search of 

the Northern Lights cruise. Just 

finished packing! 

Pauline Smith 

Doing Berlin to Prague in August. 

Can’t wait. This will be our 6th 

river cruise with Viking. 

David Cairns 

I love river cruising and am really 

looking forward to taking the 

Elegant Elbe cruise in April! 

Rick Griffin 

We did the Viking Homelands 

trip with Viking last April and 

loved it. We also opted to take 

the pre-cruise extension in Iceland 

and the scenery and Blue Lagoon 

were amazing. 

Sheila Davies 

The road above Geiranger in 

Norway was fun. I was happy our 

bus driver was negotiating the 

curves. My favourite port stop 

with Viking. 

Julie McCool 

Hit 

List 

Moscow 

should be top 

of everyone’s 

wish list! 

We did the 

Waterways 

of the Tsars 

in May and 

absolutely 

loved 

everything 

about it. 

Chris Purnell 


This page: 

Viking’s expedition 

ship will venture 

into some of the 

most beautiful 

landscapes in the 

world, featuring 

sweeping glaciers 

and icy mountains 


TRAVEL 

EXPLORING the 

OUTER EDGE 

Journey with Viking to untamed destinations as we 

reveal new itineraries for curious travelers 


If you have dreamt of 

stepping into the polar 

wilderness, you need look 

no further. Viking’s ultimate 

travel adventures are 

designed to take you to Antarctica, 

the “White Continent”, home 

to towering mountains, glacial 

plateaus and colonies of penguins, 

and the Arctic, where polar 

bears roam and Northern Lights 

illuminate the sky. 

These are dramatic landscapes 

that have drawn explorers to them 

throughout history. From rugged 

mountains that plunge into 


THE ITINERARIES 

Antarctic Explorer 

This ultimate adventure takes 

you along the spine of the 

Antarctic Peninsula. Your 

expedition ship was designed 

to sail remote routes such as 

the legendary Drake Passage 

to the Antarctic Peninsula, 

with its calving glaciers, 

crackling icebergs and 

unrivaled wildlife encounters. 

Arctic, Greenland & the 

North Pole 

Sail from Tromsø to Svalbard 

into breathtaking fjords, 

surrounded by stunning 

landscapes and wildlife 

in abundance – including 

whales, reindeer and polar 

bears. Here you will find 

remote human outposts 

including an old whaling 

station, a mining settlement 

and the most northernmost 

city in the world. 

For more information, visit 

vikingcruises.co.uk/expeditions 

glacier-carved fjords and silent 

icebergs, you can observe two of the 

world’s most remote places from 

the comfort of your state-of-the-art 

stateroom and enjoy lectures and 

workshops on polar studies. 

Viking Residents Scientists, 

including naturalists, geologists, 

polar experts and expedition 

leaders, help bring the regions we 

visit to life, from lectures and 

workshops to personal experiences. 

To get closer, kayaks, zodiacs 

and submarines will bring you to 

the heart of nature, on land, by sea 

or from the sky, depending on your 

activity level interests. There is no 

permanent population of humans 

in Antarctica, just research outposts 

in this environment, home to 

biological diversity. In contrast, in 

the Arctic you can see a collection 

of towns where native Inuits live 

among the marine wildlife and 


TRAVEL 

ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS 

It took until the 18th century for two different parties of explorers, those 

of British naval officer Robert F. Scott and Norwegian Roald Amundsen, 

to reach the South Pole within five weeks of each other. The teams went 

head to head, setting off in 1911, in a dramatic journey that resulted in 

victory for Amundsen and tragedy for Scott. 

The story of the stranding and subsequent rescue of Sir Ernest 

Shackleton and his crew while attempting to traverse the continent is one 

of history’s great triumphs of survival. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set 

out with 27 men on Endurance, the ship that later became trapped in ice 

for 10 months, on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition to transverse 

Antarctica via the South Pole. While his mission failed, Shackleton brought 

all 27 of his men back alive, a feat that entrenched his leadership qualities 

in international Polar Exploration lore forever. To watch a video about 

Roald Amundsen, go online: vikingcruises.co.uk/expeditions/video/all 

Clockwise, from 

top left: the 

Viking Expedition 

ship on a clear day 

in the Antarctic; 

a polar bear 

coming up above 

the water; famed 

explorer, Roald 

Amundsen; the 

Nordic Junior 

Suite on board; 

spellbinding 

views are on offer 

around the ship, 

even from the Spa 

glacier-covered islands. Both 

environments offer the chance to 

see the most resilient creatures. 

After a day absorbing all on 

offer, the purpose-built ships have 

been designed with spacious and 

relaxing Scandinavian spaces, 

offering comfortable furnishings 

not usually found on expedition 

ships. Settle in to the Aquavit Bar 

for an afternoon glass of wine, or 

visit the Explorers’ Lounge to catch 

a piano performance. Recharge in 

the Spa and enjoy the Nordic 

bathing ritual of alternating 

between hot and cold, from our 

sauna to our snow shower. 

THE RACE TO THE 

NORTH POLE 

There appears to be differing 

accounts as to who discovered the 

North Pole. On September 7, 

1909, the New York Times 

announced to its readers that 

Robert E. Peary had discovered the 

North Pole that April. However, a 

week earlier, the New York Herald 

printed Dr. Frederick A. Cook as 

the discoverer of the Pole. Having 

returned after being left for dead in 

the Arctic for a year, he claimed to 

have reached it in April 1908. 

Much research has been given to 

working out who got there first, but 

no evidence has come to light. 


TOP 10 

PENGUIN FACTS 

Fascinating and frequently funny, we’ve rounded up our ten 

favourite facts about the wildlife stars of Antarctica 

WHY WALK WHEN YOU 

CAN WADDLE? 

Penguins’ legs are not especially 

short, so why do they waddle? 

Scientists believe it is because 

their legs have evolved to help 

them swim better, and are now 

set further back on the body. This 

makes it harder for them to 

walk, and easier to waddle. 

LEAPING FOR JOY 

Like porpoises, penguins 

leap in shallow arcs above 

the surface of the water. 

When they do this, tiny 

bubbles cover their feathers 

which reduces friction when they 

swim. Leaping out of the water also 

helps them escape predators. But the 

general view is that, just like porpoises, 

penguins leap for joy. 

DRINKING SALTY WATER 

Because most penguins live in places 

where there is little or no fresh water, and 

because they eat so much seafood, they 

need to expel the high amount of salt in 

their diet. They do this through a gland 

located just above their eye, which filters 

the salt from their bloodstream. The salt 

is then expelled through the bill, 

or by sneezing! 

OLYMPIC SWIMMERS 

The world’s fastest underwater 

birds, Gentoo penguins can swim 

up to 20 miles per hour and 

dive to depths of over 600 feet. 

Penguins lost the ability to fly 

millions of years ago, but their 

wings evolved into flippers that 

help them zip through the water. 


WILDLIFE 

PENGUINS HAVE KNEES 

Yes, they do! You just can’t see 

them because they’re hidden 

under all their fluffy feathers. 

6BLACK 

AND WHITE 

CAMOUFLAGE 

Male and female 

penguins both 

have the same 

tuxedo-like 

coloration, which helps protect 

them against predators in the 

water. It’s called countershading. 

The black plumage on their back 

makes it hard to see them from 

above. And the white plumage 

on their front, when seen from 

below, looks like the sun 

reflecting off the water. 

THE FREEZE FACTOR 

Life in the big freeze can be tough for 

these flightless birds, and they have cleverly 

evolved to survive the harsh conditions. To stop 

their feet from freezing, penguins have special 

arteries in their legs that can adjust blood flow in 

response to their foot temperature, enabling them 

to send just enough blood to their feet to keep 

them above freezing. 

CATASTROPHIC 

MOULTING 

Penguin feathers are shorter and stiffer than most 

bird feathers, making them more streamlined in 

the water. Unlike flying birds that moult slowly 

over time, penguins moult all their feathers 

over just a few weeks every summer. It’s called 

catastrophic moulting. During this time, they 

cannot enter the water, so they need to have 

stored enough fat to fast, until they can head 

back out to sea with a new coat. 

UNDERWATER VISION 

Penguins have a secondary transparent 

eyelid to enable them to see underwater, 

meaning their vision is better underwater 

than on land. This ‘see-through’ eyelid 

helps them to see clearly as they swim 

underwater, giving them superior eyesight 

to spot prey while hunting. 

10 

LET’S STICK 

TOGETHER 

Highly social birds, 

penguins form breeding 

colonies called rookeries, 

in which they live in the 

tens of thousands and even 

millions. Many penguins 

stay with the same mate for years, and families stick 

together, with many generations using the same 

nesting ground. Penguins’ excellent hearing helps 

them find each other in a crowd. 



CULTURE 

LEGEND 

LORE 

We delve into the history and meaning carved into 

the majestic totem poles of Alaska 

This page: The 

incredible carved 

detail of a Tlingit 

totem pole at 

Saxman Totem 

Park in Alaska 

The totem poles of Alaska, 

created by coastal First 

Nations and indigenous 

groups of the Pacific 

Northwest, in particular the 

Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida 

communities, are magnificent 

pieces of art that conjure up 

memories of people and events. 

Usually standing between three 

and 18 metres in height – although 

some can surpass 20 metres – poles 

were traditionally carved by men. 

Today, however, both men and 

women have become expert carvers 

of totem poles, often honing their 

skills after spending their childhood 

years watching experts in action. 

The word ‘totem’ can be traced 

to the Algonquian word odoodem, 

meaning “kinship group”. Typically 

created out of red cedar wood, 

most totem poles feature symbolic 

animals or human forms, as well 

as supernatural beings that chart a 

family’s lineage and history. 

Common crests include the 

thunderbird, wolf, grizzly bear, 

raven, beaver, frog, salmon and 

eagle, and important families 

often have more than one crest. In 

addition to family-related themes, 

totem poles can also be created 

to mark a special event or to 

commemorate a particular ancestor 

or legend. They can also be used as 

a point of welcome, or as a sign of 

remembrance, and can be erected 

to celebrate a family’s success. 

Embedded in the culture, the 

ability to appreciate the meaning 

carved into a specific totem 

PHOTOS: © ALAMY 


FACTS AND FIGURES 

• Alaskan totem poles are carved 

from cedar trees, which are 

resistant to rot and grow in the 

rainforests of Southeast Alaska. 

• Standing at 132 feet tall, one 

of the tallest totem poles in the 

world is in Kake, Alaska. 

• Paint was traditionally made 

from a mix of chewed cedar 

bark and salmon eggs, along 

with powdered pigments, in 

order to create an oil-based 

paint. Today, synthetic paints are 

often used, but some carvers 

still use natural pigments derived 

from charcoal and ochre. 

• Early European explorers 

mistakenly believed totem poles 

to be objects of worship. 

• The Tlingit totem pole artist, 

Nathan Jackson, has carved 

nearly 50 totem poles over 

the last 45 years. 

rests on the viewer’s level of 

understanding of the particular 

symbols and local traditions. 

One of the most recognisable 

cultural objects of the region, 

the vast array of different designs 

and styles reflects the rich cultural 

and ecological diversity within 

the Pacific Northwest. 

Historians and anthropologists 

estimate that totem pole carving, as 

we know it, developed over the last 

200 years, reaching its peak in the 

19th century. During this period 

in history, many First Nations 

communities had gained access 

to superior tools and techniques 

through trading fish and fur 

with Europeans. Despite using 

rot-resistant cedar, most large 

totem poles only survive outside 

for approximately 100 years before 

they start to deteriorate. 

Many trees are viewed and 

closely inspected before the 

optimum tree is chosen and then 


far left: A totem 

pole at Ketchikan 

includes a range 

of different 

symbols and 

markings; the 

totem pole at 

Kake is thought 

to be the tallest in 

the world; eagles 

are symbolic and 

often portrayed 

on totem poles 

harvested. A ceremony is often 

performed to honour the tree 

before it is felled, as a mark of 

respect and gratitude. The artists 

responsible for carving the tree 

use both traditional and modern 

tools to create the distinctive curves 

and markings, paying particular 

attention to the grain of the wood 

and any special features of the tree. 

Today, many totem poles which 

were sold or taken from First 

Nations communities have been 

repatriated as part of an ongoing 

effort to maintain and promote 

indigenous culture. As new 

generations of carvers hone their 

remarkable skills, the tradition of 

carving and erecting totem poles 

continues, and there is no better 

place to go to appreciate these 

wonderful works of art. 

The 11-day 2021 Alaska & the 

Inside Passage journey, from 

Vancouver to Seward, USA, 

starts from £4,840pp. 

PHOTOS: © ISTOCK/ALAMY 


CULTURE 

VIKING EXCURSIONS 

On Viking’s Alaska & the Inside Passage trip, guests are spoilt for 

choice when it comes to spotting totem poles. These excursions 

take in some of the finest examples of Alaska’s totem poles... 

POTLATCH TOTEM PARK & 

KETCHIKAN HIGHLIGHTS 

Discover the coastal community of 

Ketchikan and learn about the ancient 

native craft of totem pole carving. Potlatch 

Totem Park is a modern recreation of a 

19th-century native village, located on 

historic Tlingit fishing grounds on the 

shores of the Tongass Narrows. Here, you 

can see numerous houses, totem poles 

and panels, and hear the legends behind 

the designs. Visit the carving studio to 

learn about their ancient technique. 

After enjoying a light snack at the Alaska 

Totem Trading Company, you will embark 

on a scenic city drive through the south 

easternmost city in Alaska. Travel past the 

lively waterfront to the historic downtown 

area of Ketchikan, where your guide will 

point out highlights such as City Park, 

Nathan Jackson’s Thundering Wings, a 

totem statue in the shape of a bald eagle 

and the Dolly’s House Museum, located 

in the famous red-light district, before 

returning to your ship. 

SAXMAN NATIVE VILLAGE 

Experience Native American culture 

through song, dance and stories during 

a visit to the Saxman Native Village. 

Here, you will experience the rich living 

culture of its residents, including the 

legends behind the figures adorning 

their majestic totem poles. You will 

be traditionally welcomed by Tlingit 

village elders with an elaborate greeting 

ceremony and savour an Alaskan snack. 

Admire their glorious folkloric regalia, 

adorned with hand-beaded designs 

of animal motifs that represent their 

clan. After enjoying this time-honoured 

tradition, visit one of the largest 

collections of totem poles in the world 

and see craftsmen passing on their skills 

to eager apprentices at the Village 

Carving Centre. Stop by the Beaver 

Clan House and watch history come 

alive as you enjoy a song-and-dance 

performance, and listen as your hosts 

regale you with heartfelt tribal stories 

of their traditions and ancestry. 

ICY STRAIGHT POINT 

Experience life in a Tlingit village during 

this fascinating excursion. The small 

community of Hoonah is many things 

to its residents: a lively fishing hamlet, 

an old logging town and the world’s 

largest Tlingit community. Its growth 

began with a booming canning industry, 

and today it is a tranquil and welcoming 

seaside haven adorned with native art. 

Walk with your guide to the Heritage 

Centre Native Theatre for a colourful 

Tribal Dance and Cultural Legends 

performance by local students that 

provides both insight into tribal 

traditions and a rich glimpse of 

long-cherished customs. Wearing 

authentic, vibrant regalia, Huna 

Tlingit performers will share their history 

and culture through song, dance and 

storytelling. You will also have an 

opportunity to board a tram for a drive 

through Hoonah to see totem poles while 

learning about the town’s history from an 

experienced guide. 


ITINERARY 

Alaskan Adventures 

Uncover mountain-ringed seaside towns, gleaming walls 

of ice and a pristine wilderness of misty fjords on this 

unforgettable journey to Alaska 

PHOTOS: © AWL IMAGES 

Above: A 

red canoe on 

the shores of 

Davidson Lake, 

Alaska 

DAY 1 / VANCOUVER, CANADA 

Embark your ship in Vancouver and marvel at the 

city’s scenic setting between mountains and sea. 

DAY 2 / THE INSIDE PASSAGE 

Revel in the endless natural beauty of the Inside 

Passage, one of Alaska’s most scenic waterways. 

Verdant forest spills down steep mountains to meet 

the shore, bald eagles fly overhead and humpback 

whales breach the glass-like water. 

DAY 3 / KETCHIKAN, US 

Alaska’s ‘first city’, Ketchikan, is home to the world’s 

largest collection of standing totem poles. Immerse 

yourself in the Tlingit legacy and legends. 

DAY 4 / SITKA, US 

Looked over by the dramatic spectre of Mt Edgecumbe, 

Sitka was once the capital of Russian Alaska. Learn 

about the fur trade that first enticed the Russians and 

spot pretty islands peppered along Sitka Sound. 

DAY 5 / JUNEAU, US 

Come to the Alaskan capital of Juneau to pan for gold 

in the spirit of the city’s early days, take in wonderful 

views from Mount Roberts Tramway or embark on a 

small boat ride to Mendenhall Glacier. 

DAY 6 / SKAGWAY, US 

Skagway was once a gateway for prospectors arriving 

to reap the benefits of the Klondike gold rush in 

Canadian Yukon. Today you can take a picturesque 

drive up to White Pass like the gold diggers of old. 

DAY 7 / ICY STRAIT POINT, US 

Discover the old canning station at Icy Strait Point, 

which has been fully restored by the Native American 

Tlingit community from nearby Hoonah. 

DAY 8 / YAKUTAT BAY 

Some of Alaska’s most breathtaking and pristine 

scenery awaits today, including majestic Yakutat Bay 

and gigantic Hubbard Glacier – it’s more than six miles 

wide where it meets the ocean. 

DAY 9 / VALDEZ, US 

With its beautiful setting along a deep fjord in Prince 

William Sound, the small fishing town of Valdez never 

fails to impress. Excursions include a helicopter tour of 

Chugach Mountains and a trip to the Columbia Glacier. 

DAY 10 / SEWARD, US 

More outdoor adventures are to be had in Seward, 

renowned as the starting point of the Iditarod National 

Historic Trail. There’s also the Kenai Fjords National Park 

and Exit Glacier to discover. 

DAY 11 / SEWARD, US 

Disembark your ship and transfer to the airport. 

The 11-day 2021 Alaska & the Inside Passage trip, 

from Vancouver to Seward, starts from £4,840pp. 


Amazing Alaska 

From eagles circling snow-capped mountains to whales traversing deep 

waters, from ice-blue glaciers the size of skyscrapers to bright red totems, 

Alaska is every bit as wild as you imagine it to be, and even more spectacular. 

As your journey unfolds, so too does the abundance of wildlife. In Alaska 

whales live year-round. So do bears, sea otters, sea lions and harbour seals. 

Of all the natural wonders, the glaciers steal the show, including Hubbard, 

the giant of them all. 

There is no better way to explore America’s Last Frontier than on board a 

Viking ship that offers the last word in comfort. 

2021 Alaska & the Inside Passage 

Eleven days from £4,840pp 

Call 020 8780 7900 or visit vikingcruises.co.uk 

Prices & availability are correct at the time of going to print but are subject to change. From prices are based on two people sharing the lowest grade stateroom on 

an Alaska & the Inside Passage ocean cruise on 19 May 2021. Single supplements 100%. Gratuities included on board ship only. For more information please visit 

vikingcruises.co.uk/terms-conditions or call us. 

VC_EM_Alaska_Dec2019_A4_v5.indd 1 04/02/2020 17:30:25

DRAMATIC 

DOURO 

After journeying down the Douro River, travel 

writer John Wilmott recalls the highlights 

of his trip with Viking

TRAVEL 

Is the Douro the most 

beautiful navigable river in 

Europe? Many believe so 

after sailing through this 

spectacular valley in Portugal. Soon 

after leaving its berth in Porto, 

your intimate Viking ship enters 

a green gorge that twists through 

enchanting countryside all the way 

to the Spanish border. 

Venerable old wine estates sit 

proudly above the riverbanks, the 

surrounding steep hills smothered 

with the terraced vineyards for 

which the Douro is famous. 

Whitewashed villages vie for 

attention with verdant forests and 

even golden beaches. 

Probably the most memorable 

stretches are those through 

dramatic rocky canyons, in 

which sharp bends in the river 

reveal new panoramas. These 

remote landscapes provide a 

compelling contrast to the historic 

magnificence of Porto, one of the 

continent’s most eye-catching cities. 

The whole journey is enriched 

by a wonderful collection of 

tales – the secrets of port wine, of 

devoted pilgrims, a family of bats 

who protect ancient books, of a 

mysterious astronaut, and of a 

curious stork who was too friendly 

for his own good. 

There’s such a huge variety to 

this cruise, so I’ve shared a few 

highlights to whet your appetite. 

Most guests choose to begin 

their journey with a two-night 

hotel stay in Lisbon, Portugal’s 

grand capital. Here, the Viking 

This page: An 

aerial view of 

Porto Old Town 

at sunset 



TRAVEL 

WHAT SETS 

VIKING 

APART 

ON THE 

DOURO? 

• Dedicated Viking team in 

Lisbon with separate concierge 

in a first-class central hotel 

• Your own fleet of luxury 

coaches that follows your ship to 

take you on a range of included 

shore-based adventures 

• A well-educated and engaging 

guide on each coach 

• Free entry to Salamanca’s 

New Cathedral and the 

museum at Lamego due to 

Viking’s sponsorship 


team reveal the magic of the city 

with an included tour of the 

waterside Belém district, where 

a quirky 16th-century tower 

seemingly floats on the beautiful 

Tagus estuary. 

The journey to Porto, on 

Viking’s own fleet of luxurious 

coaches, is broken with a tour of 

one of the world’s oldest universities 

at Coimbra. If the caped uniforms 

of the students look familiar, 

it’s because they inspired those 

of Harry Potter’s 

Hogwarts school. 

The extraordinary 

Joanina Library also 

evokes tales of magic 

and wizardry. 

Waiting beside the quay at Porto 

will be your Viking ship. A compact 

version of the Viking Longships of 

the Rhine and Danube, the stateof-the-art 

ship boasts a spacious 

sun deck with a pool, appealing 

Aquavit Terrace over the bow, and a 

lounge and restaurant with Viking’s 

trademark Scandinavian style. 

Many staterooms have a French 

Balcony or outside veranda. 

The view from the quay at 

Porto will certainly arrest your 

attention. The city lies spread out 

before you; the botanical gardens 

to the left yield to handsome 

buildings ascending the hill, the 

noble cathedral, the graceful Luís I 

bridge, and the dignified Serra do 

Pilar monastery to the right. 

With free time after an 

introductory tour, you may wish 

to board the cable car to the 

monastery, or take an optional visit 

to one of the old port houses. 

Sailing out from Porto, don’t 

miss the traditional rabelo, boats 

which once ferried precious port 

barrels down the river. The scenery 

changes quickly and before long, 

those unmistakable terraced 

The city lies spread out before you; the 

botanical gardens to the left yield to 

handsome buildings ascending the hill 

vineyards will surround you. 

Further along the river and the 

baroque, twin-towered Sanctuary 

of Our Lady of Remedies offers 

an alluring sight, although the 

monument’s most powerful 

statement is the astonishing double 

staircase that descends to Lamego’s 

town centre. Walk down the 686 

steps and admire the delightful 

azulejo tilework on each landing. 

Salamanca, the ‘golden city’ over 

the border in Spain, has enough 

architectural richness to fill a book. 

You’ll quickly understand why 

Plaza Mayor is regarded as the most 

beautiful square in the country, 

though your focus will also turn 

to the House of Shells, started 

in 1493, and the ‘new’ and ‘old’ 

cathedrals that stand side by side. 

Another sight that may seem 

familiar is the façade of the 

exquisite Mateus Palace which has 

long adorned the labels of bottles of 

the well-known rosé. Find time to 

wander the gardens after examining 

the antiques inside the palace. 

If you’ve been enjoying the local 

food and drink ashore, you will 

by now have realised how hard 

the Viking chefs 

work to tempt you 

with delectable 

Portuguese dishes 

such as sardines and 

roast duck. 

To enhance your journey 

further, the cruise director 

assembles a pleasingly varied on 

board programme, which may 

include a performance by a folk 

band, traditional fado singing, or a 

workshop where you learn how to 

make those irresistible custard tarts 

so synonymous with the culture. 

As for the friendly stork, you’ll 

just have to ask your Viking tour 

escort to relay this intriguing story 

on the visit to the medieval hilltop 

village of Castelo Rodrigo. 

A 10-day 2021 Portugal’s River 

of Gold journey from Lisbon 

to Porto starts from £2,195pp. 

Clockwise 

from far left: 

The Church of 

the Clerecia in 

the old town of 

Salamanca; Belém 

Tower, built as a 

fortress in the 16th 

century; Lisbon’s 

old town streets 

and an historic 

tram; Mateus 

Palace overlooking 

its scenic gardens; 

a traditional apartment 

façade in 

Lisbon; an aerial 

view of a Viking 

ship on the Douro; 

delicious pastéis 

de nata, a treat 

for travellers 

to Portugal 


A 

CULINARY 

CRUISE 

Travel writer Chris Caldicott sets sail from 

Bangkok to Hong Kong and discovers a whole 

new pace of life

TRAVEL 

This page: Wat 

Arun and Chao 

Praya River, 

Bangkok, Thailand 

I 

was a cruise virgin when I boarded Viking Orion 

in the Thai port of Laem Chabang for a 14-day 

cruise through the Gulf of Thailand and South 

China Sea to Hong Kong. The main attraction 

for me was a tempting choice of culinary-themed shore 

excursions in exotic sounding ports along the way. 

Already a confirmed fan of Southeast Asian cuisine, the 

idea of travelling effortlessly between food capitals of 

the region filled me with eager anticipation. My 

only concern was about how well life on board a 

cruise ship would suit me. 

As expedition photographer-in-residence to the 

Royal Geographical Society, a freelance travel writer 

and a photographer with 120 countries under my 

belt, I was more used to travelling alone to off-piste 

destinations with a flexible timetable. I had never 

been on an ocean voyage, only flown over the seas and 

oceans that cover over seventy percent of the planet. 

This was going to be a whole new way of travel that put 

a new perspective on my rather smug sense of global 

conquest. The appeal of never having to pack, unpack, 

spend time in airports or on long overland journeys 

was a given, I was less sure about the idea of group 

travel on shore and limited personal space on board. 

The culinary adventures began with a bang in 

Bangkok on Viking Orion’s complimentary ‘Panoramic’ 

city tour. The group dynamic worked perfectly due 

to QuietVox – a device that cordlessly connected 

each of us via personal headphones to a guide with 

no struggle to hear, keep up or stick together as we 

explored bustling food and flower markets piled 

high with fresh blooms, lemongrass, galangal, fresh 

turmeric and chillies. We later enjoyed shared 

conversation while feasting on Thai red, green and 

yellow curries and Som Tum green papaya salad in 

a local restaurant.

Clockwise from 

left: Viking 

Orion against 

the dramatic 

backdrop of Hong 

Kong Harbour; 

an al fresco 

dining option 

onboard; a local 

woman wearing 

a traditional 

hat; sunset over 

Sihanoukville, 

Cambodia 


TRAVEL 

PHOTOS: © ISTOCK; AWL; CHRIS CALDICOTT 

That evening, Viking Orion proved its onboard 

culinary credentials with a fabulous zingy lobster Pad 

Thai, a delicate banana blossom curry and an aromatic 

Tom Yum Goong soup on its ‘La Route Des Indes’ 

destination-inspired Chef’s Table tasting menu. 

By the time we set sail for Cambodia, all my 

reservations had evaporated into the warm tropical air. 

My spacious Scandinavian-style stateroom with sliding 

glass doors onto a private veranda was ideal for room 

service breakfasts, and drifting off to sleep open to 

fresh air and the sound of the sea. With my body clock 

still in a distant time zone I woke early, so headed to 

the promenade deck which I had all to myself. 

As the ship powered its way across the mill 

pond calm sea, the pace of my quarter of a mile 

circumambulations quickened as I drank in the 

spectacle of a starboard silver moon setting into an 

inky sky and the port side pre-dawn colours emerging 

behind crimson crested fluffy clouds. I completed 20 

circuits (five miles and 10,000 steps) before breakfast, 

a brilliant start to any day! 

In Sihanoukville I signed up for a cooking school 

excursion to a chef training institute, where eager smily 

young students taught me and a small group of fellow 

passengers to make the creamy coconut and kroeung 

curry paste infused Khmer favourite, fish amok. After 

visiting the monks at Wat Krom monastery the next 

morning on the included tour, I jumped ship and 

headed off with some new friends to an idyllic white 

sand beach where we stayed until sunset, watched with 

a cold Angkor beer and steaming bowls of wok stirfried 

Kampot pepper crab. 

Far from being dull, sea days offered a welcome 

chance to re-group, read and soak up some sun. I 

relaxed into a routine of early morning promenade 

walks, dips in the infinity pool (that felt like an 

extension of the sea), lazy alfresco lunches on the 


Clockwise 

from top: The 

iconic scene of 

the limestone 

karsts rising 

out of Ha Long 

Bay, Vietnam; 

traditional Dim 

Sum on display; 

the giant reclining 

Buddha in 

Sihanoukville, 

Cambodia 

World Café terrace, some more calorie-busting exercise 

on the sports deck. I dropped in on informative 

lectures in The Theatre and chilled out (literally) in the 

LivNordic Spa’s snow grotto. 

After dinner, Viking Orion’s main pool became a sort 

of sun lounger drive-in-style outdoor Bose headphone 

‘silent’ cinema, with a retractable roof ready to slide 

into action if rain threatened to stop play. On the top 

deck a unique state of the art planetarium showed 

3D films explorations of the universe and had an 

astrological telescope for star gazing sessions with real 

time commentary from an onboard astronomer. So 

there was never a dull moment. 

To reach Ho Chi Minh City we sailed far from the 

open sea up the Saigon River towards the city’s beating 

heart. I headed up to the viewing deck of the Explorers’ 

Lounge each time we sailed into a new port, and loved 

the anticipation of watching a new destination slowly 

reveal itself – with a promise of adventures to come. 

A street stall bowl of noodle soup made a tasty 

snack before a three-wheeler cycle tour of the colonial 

era sights of Old Saigon and Ho Chi Minh’s vast 

intoxicating Ben Thành market. In the expert company 

of one of the ship’s chefs, the next morning I travelled 

to a smaller market in search of ingredients for my 

‘from market fare to table’ hands on cooking class back 

at the Kitchen Table on board that evening 

From Chan May, I opted for a day trip to the laid 

back traffic-free streets and narrow lanes and thriving 

food markets of the ancient trading port of Hoi An. 

Crispy Banh Xeo and shrimp pancakes and sweet and 

sour Banh Cuon fresh prawn rice pepper rolls made 

excellent snacks on the hoof on our leisurely stroll 

between atmospheric old merchant houses and antique 

Chaozhou Chinese Assembly Halls. 

We sailed on north to the majestic limestone khast 

islands of Halong Bay that magically rise out of the 

water. Here, my shore leave was a drive to Vietnam’s 

bustling capital Hanoi. We stoped off on the way for 

a cup of Vietnam’s famous ‘drop coffee’ in a small Red 

River Delta village surrounded by iridescent green 

rice paddies so synonymous with those images of 

Vietnamese countryside. After a walking tour exploring 

the elegant blend of French colonial and traditional 

oriental influence on this quintessential Asian city, 

we shared a delicious home cooked meal of lau hotpot 

sitting on the floor with a local family in a 

city neighbourhood. 

By the time we sailed into the dramatic skyline of 

Hong Kong there was no doubt that this style of travel 

suited me. On my last day I took Hong Kong’s Ngong 

Ping Skyrail to the summit of Lantau Island and joined 

pilgrims and other tourists for a vegetarian lunch of 

shiitake mushrooms and tofu cooked for the monks 

next to the world’s largest seated outdoor Buddha, 

at Po Lin Monastery overlooking one of the most 

spectacular ports in the world; a fitting end to my 

epic Southeast Asian culinary cruise adventure. 

A 14-day 2021 Southeast Asia & Hong Kong 

journey from Hong Kong to Bangkok starts 

from £5,290pp. 


TRAVEL 



ON BOARD 

Screen time 

Offering a daily dose of cultural enrichment, the onboard 

Atrium display features thoughtfully selected imagery and 

celebrates Viking’s cultural partnerships across the globe 

In keeping with the special 

touches that evoke Viking 

heritage, each Viking 

ocean ship features a large 

display screen in the Atrium 

showing a selection of carefully 

curated imagery to add insight to 

the destinations you are visiting. 

Via partnerships with cultural 

organisations around the world, 

guests have access to a unique 

collection, tailored not only to 

their itinerary but also evoking the 

exploratory heritage of the Vikings. 

The Royal Horticultural Society 

is one such partner institution. It 

has worked with Viking to provide 

access to its images of botanic art. 

As Fiona Davison, Head of 

Libraries and Exhibitions, says: “In 

addition to being beautiful, 

national flower emblems often give 

insight into the eco systems, culture 

and history of a country and we 

hope that guests enjoy seeing 

botanical illustrations of the 

national flowers of the countries 

they pass through.” 

Collections displayed at port and 

at sea are different and project a 

new slide every few minutes, 

featuring a huge variety of genres. 

AT PORT 

When docked in port, guests are 

able to view intriguing images 

depicting local culture relating to 

the port country. 

From the atlas: Images from the 

British Library featuring maps and 

anthropological images from travel 

books spanning ancient times 

through to the 19th century. 

Art: Through partnerships with 

institutions like the British 

Museum, we display the most 

iconic paintings, sculptures and 

other historical artefacts from the 

port country. 

Coins: Photographs of local coins 

reflect the stories that a nation and 

its leaders tell themselves and the 

rest of the world. 

National flowers: Curated by 

the Royal Horticultural Society, 

these vivid illustrations of national 

flowers in watercolour are displayed 

along with their Latin names. 

Photography: Former navigator 

and award-winning Viking resident 

Left to right: 

Each Viking ship 

features a grand 

atrium with a 

informative and 

entertaining 

display screen; an 

example display 

screen featuring 

a Malaysian 

Hibiscus flower 

photographer Alastair Miller 

curates this collection of images 

depicting striking scenes in what 

locals would consider the everyday. 

Stamps: Expressing the cultural 

identity of the port country, these 

images include a selection from 

Viking chairman Torstein Hagen’s 

personal stamp collection. 

Travel posters: Celebrating 

wanderlust and the creation of 

cosmopolitanism, these posters 

feature vibrant graphic design from 

the first half of the 20th century. 

AT SEA 

While cruising at sea, we take the 

time to celebrate our Viking 

heritage as well as the ideals of 

discovery and exploration through 

international travel. 

Norwegian nature 

photography: This collection is 

curated by former navigator and 

award-winning Viking resident 

photographer Alastair Miller and 

captures the beauty and allure of 

the open sea and its surroundings 

in Norway. 

Viking art collection: Made up 

of art pieces on display on our 

ocean ships, this curation of work 

celebrates the finest Nordic art 

collection at sea. 

TODAY IN HISTORY 

Commemorating turning points in 

world history, as well as important 

moments in the history of Viking 

cruises, this collection includes 

information about world events, 

artistic and literary contributions 

and scientific advances that have 

guided and shaped our world. 


Munch Moments 

Viking is proud to offer guests the chance to enjoy the work of 

Norway’s much-loved expressionist, Edvard Munch, with daily 

digital presentations in the Atrium 


above: The large 

screen in the 

Atrium shows daily 

presentations of 

Edvard Munch’s 

work; a catalogue 

is available with 

information about 

each artwork; 

Mondays are 

dedicated to 

Munch’s selfportraits; 

guests 

are welcome to sit 

and enjoy 

the series of 

‘Munch Moments’ 

each day 

Edvard Munch (1863- 

1944) was a Norwegian 

expressionist painter 

and printmaker, and 

is recognised today as 

one of the world’s most famous 

artists. Munch was born in 1863 

and began to paint at the age of just 

12 years old following a childhood 

marked by tragedy. His mother died 

from tuberculosis when he was just 

five, and his older sister died from 

the same disease nine years later, 

resulting in his life-long interest in 

themes of loss and vulnerability. 

Munch can be said to be almost 

as famous for his life as he is for his 

art. In periods, he lived a nomadic 

and turbulent bohemian life, 

together with the Kristiania 

Bohemians in the Norwegian 

capital of Oslo, and with the 

group around the wine bar Zum 

schwarzen Ferkel in Berlin. 

During his long life as an artist, 

Munch experimented with the 

different painterly directions of his 

time, but it is first and foremost as 

a symbolist and expressionist that 

he has become famous. Paintings 

such as The Scream, Madonna, 

Death in the Sickroom and The 

Dance of Life are highly praised 

icons in art history. 

Munch lived a life devoted to 

art. His artistic oeuvre extends over 

a period of more than 60 years, 

during which he painted over 2,000 

paintings and made over 4,000 

drawings and 15,400 prints. More 

than half of his paintings and 

nearly all of his print reliefs are on 

display at the Munch Museum in 

Oslo, while Viking is the proud 

custodian of the largest private 

collection outside of the Norwegian 

capital, with 28 original pieces on 

display on its ocean ships. 

Thanks to an exclusive 

partnership with Oslo’s Munch 

Museum, Viking has the digital 

rights to the entire Munch 

catalogue, and is thrilled to be able 

to share Munch’s work with so 

many guests as they travel the rivers 

and oceans of the world. 

Viking’s Munch Moments series 


CULTURE 

MUNCH MOMENTS 

ACROSS THE WEEK 

Monday – dedicated to 

showing Munch’s many 

self-portraits 

Tuesday – the day for 

Munch’s most famous works 

Wednesday and 

Thursday – the lighter side 

of Munch’s work, featuring 

gardens, flowers, animals 

and architecture 

Friday – Munch’s more 

dramatic artworks 

Saturday – themes related 

to oceans and travel 

Sunday – calmer scenes, 

such as landscapes 

comprises a collection of images 

illuminating the magic of this 

master expressionist on board, 

with a daily, interactive event that 

showcases several pieces of his 

great art, curated by theme, each 

afternoon on a large screen in the 

Atrium. As a result, guests have the 

chance to gain a comprehensive 

overview of Munch’s work during 

their journey. Showcasing the 

whole spectrum of Munch’s art, the 

collection includes self-portraits, 

famous works of art, as well as 

landscapes, seascapes, flower motifs 

and travel-related works. 

As a companion piece, the 

complimentary Munch Moments 

booklet with curatorial information 

on the artist and his legacy is 

available on board each ship. 



TRAVEL 

Clockwise, 

from this page: 

Traditional prayer 

flags fluttering 

in the breeze in 

central Tibet; a 

warm welcome 

in a home in 

Uglich, Russia 

HOME 

is where the 

HEART IS 

Home visits are a much-loved highlight of a Viking river 

and ocean journey. These experiences offer an encounter 

like no other, says Viking’s copywriter Cassie Wilcox 

PHOTOS: © GETTY 

Nothing gives you a 

greater insight into 

the lives of other 

people than visiting 

them in their 

homes. Only by meeting them in 

their personal space, surrounded 

by their belongings and their 

family, can you begin to understand 

and appreciate their everyday lives, 

and their world. 

So often, Viking guests say that 

one of the most memorable 

experiences on their trip is the 

home visit. Talking to someone, 

often through a translator, eating 

and drinking with them, and being 

shown around their home and 

garden is such a rare opportunity, 

and one that stays with you always. 

These visits also remind us that 

for all our differences, there is so 

much that we share in common. 

We all love, we all laugh, and we all 

experience good and not so good 

times. Perhaps the best thing about 

a home visit is that the privilege 

and pleasure of meeting people in 

their home works both ways. 

We are curious beings by nature, 

and your home host is just as 

interested in your life as you are in 

theirs. Whether the conversation is 

about children and family, work, 

government and politics or simply 

the type of food we enjoy, it is so 

rewarding to learn about each other. 

UGLICH, RUSSIA 

The ancient town of Uglich on the 

Volga River is one of Russia’s 

Golden Ring cities (so named 

because they form a circular route 

from Moscow). Here, you will be 

warmly welcomed into a local home 

for a glimpse of the real Russia. 

In Russia, traditions remain 

strong, and that includes eating 

traditional homemade Russian 

foods. You are likely to be served 

cucumbers (often grown and 

pickled by your host), sour bread, 

sweet cake, tea and home-brewed 

vodka, sometimes infused with 

local cranberries. Throughout your 

visit, your Viking guide will 

translate your questions, it’s a 

wonderful opportunity to find out 

first-hand what life is like in 


Revani, a delicious moist semolina 

cake flavoured with orange zest. 

You may even join in a toast with 

a glass of Assyrtiko, a local 

Santorini wine that’s as drinkable 

as the warm sun. 

present – and past – Russia. 

Where people have gardens in 

Russia, they are usually full to 

bursting with vegetables and fruits 

of all kinds, and are immaculately 

tended. It is a real joy to wander 

around a little slice of life in Uglich, 

and an experience you will look 

back on fondly. 

LYNGEN ALPS, NORWAY 

Surrounded by majestic mountains, 

narrow valleys and dramatic 

glaciers, Norway’s Lyngen Alps are 

home to some of the most beautiful 

natural landscapes in the world. 

Here, in the small picturesque 

village of Svensby, nestled in the 

foothills of the soaring mountains, 

you will be welcomed by your hosts 

into their home, where you can 

experience for yourself how family 

life is lived in this remote region of 

northern Norway. 

Join with your hosts in some 

of their daily activities, including 

making bread and pitching 

horseshoes for fun. Inside a 

traditional Sami tent, called a lavvu, 

you can listen to stories about life 

in the mountains, while enjoying 

a delicious lunch, served with 

coffee, tea or fresh glacier water. 

All the while enjoying the most 

spectacular views. 

SANTORINI, GREECE 

Perhaps it’s the golden sunshine and 

cloudless sky. Perhaps it’s the 

impossibly blue sea, or the charm 

of island life. Whatever the reason, 

the legendary Greek hospitality 

never fails to make you smile. And 

a visit to a traditional island home 

on Santorini is guaranteed to give 

you a warm glow. 

In this idyllic setting, among the 

narrow and winding medieval 

streets, close to the ruins of a 

Venetian fortress, you can relax in 

the home of your host and discover 

what it is like to live on this 

beautiful island. 

Local Greek treats may include 

melt-in-your-mouth baklava, and 

LHASA, TIBET 

In the mountain kingdom of Tibet 

in the Himalayas, ancient traditions 

infuse every aspect of life. Lhasa 

has been the centre of the Tibetan 

Buddhist world for over a 

millennium, and here you can 

spend time at a Tibetan family’s 

home, and discover what daily 

life is like in one of the world’s 

most fascinating countries. 

Across Asia, tea drinking holds 

great social significance, and in 

Tibet it is the epitome of local 

hospitality. This may be explained 

by the remoteness of Tibet; in a 

country so secluded from the rest 

of the world, strangers are especially 

welcome, and you will find that 

the gentle spirituality of Tibetans 

infuses your visit with simple 

ceremony and gracious greetings. 

As you take in the modest 

surroundings of your host’s 

traditional home, you can share 

life’s simple pleasures. Perhaps you 

will drink your tea as the locals do, 

with yak butter. Remember, in 

Tibet, leaving tea in the bottom of 

your cup is an indication that you 

would like more! 



TRAVEL 

Clockwise, 

from top left: A 

Tibetan woman 

welcomes Viking 

guests into her 

home in Lhasa 

for tea; Santorini 

in Greece is a 

magical spot to 

explore; Viking 

guests are able 

to visit a mountain 

community in 

Norway’s stunning 

Lyngen Alps

BLACK FOREST 

Fairytale 

For travel writer Gabrielle Sander, exploring the 

region – and its food – on an epic 26-mile cycle 

ride, was the highlight of her journey on the Rhine 

While picturepostcard 

sights, 

architectural 

delights and diving 

into new cultures are what make 

travelling the world exciting, it’s the 

promise of all the glorious edible 

discoveries that piques my interest 

the most. The local dishes you 

discover abroad; the ingredients you 

can pick up to evoke that holiday 

feeling back home. When that trip 

runs 800 miles along the Rhine 

from Basel to Amsterdam, through 

four countries, six cities and five 

towns, rich in wine and weissbier, 

cheese and charcuterie, schnapps, 

schnitzel and stroopwafels, the 

anticipation dials up a notch. 

My first Viking river cruise was a 

veritable spring feast for all senses: 

crisp April days offering muchneeded 

blue skies and sunshine 

after the long winter, technicolour 

tulips galore and sweet interactions 

with wildlife – the family of ducks 

that passed beneath our veranda 

balcony one morning in a neat 

little row, and the swans we met at 

almost every bank along the way. 

Viking Eir, our comfortable 

home for the eight-day trip, 

delivered my partner and I 

seamlessly from one Rhine-side 

destination to the next; the lowlevel 

Longship designed perfectly to 

dock near the heart of the action. 

Each day brought a new adventure, 

through a rich itinerary of inclusive 

excursions, opportunities to explore 

alone, aided by the handy maps 

conveniently handed out at guest 


TRAVEL 

PHOTOS: ISTOCK; ALAMY; GABRIELLE SANDER 

services, and well-priced, optional 

activities that took us even deeper 

into the location. 

The first stop after embarkation, 

60km north of Basel, was the 

German town of Breisach. Here 

we hopped off the boat and onto 

e-bikes to get a taste of the Black 

Forest and the eponymous gateaux. 

The next day, the French city 

of Strasbourg delighted with its 

picturesque old town of colourful, 

half-timbered medieval houses, 

winding canals, and waterside 

restaurants serving up boards of 

delicious mountain cheese and crisp 

Alsatian Rieslings. 

In Heidelberg, Germany’s 

oldest university town, the inclusive 

tour taught us interesting nuggets 

of local history, tales of the 

male-dominated fraternities 

housed in the grand baroque 

houses, and the story behind 

the red sandstone castle perched 

330 feet at the top – the world’s 

largest wine barrel residing inside. 

Some free time at the end allowed 

for souvenir shopping, peoplewatching 

at one of the cafés lining 

the main square, and a hefeweizen 

at micro-brewery, Kulturbrauerei. 

Rüdesheim, in the heart of the 

Rheingau, marked the start of 

vineyard country, which stretched 

over the next three days in an 

endless patchwork of verdant 

stripes. Here we were introduced 

to the paper-thin flammkuchen, an 

Alsatian ode to the pizza, topped 

with lardons, crème fraiche and 

onions, and the brandy-spiked 

Rüdesheim coffee, first via generous 

samples handed out during the 

onboard cookery demonstration, 

then at a restaurant in town, where 

we dined that evening. 

Through the Upper Middle 

Rhine, we congregated on the 

top deck for a dazzling display of 

fairy tale, Romantic-era castles, 

accompanied by homemade icecream 

and peach bellinis handed 

out by the crew. Steep vineyards 

melted into pretty sugared almond 

villages each with their own legend 

to tell, entertainingly regaled by 

cruise director, Ivan. The most 

famous was Lore Lay, the goldenhaired 

maiden who mesmerised 

sailors to their shipwrecked demise, 

marked by the jutting Lorelei 

Rock, at the point where the Rhine 

curves at its deepest and narrowest 

towards Koblenz. 

At Koblenz, we docked at the 

mouth of the Moselle river and 

joined an optional excursion into 

the 300-mile-long valley, bordered 

by some of the world’s steepest 

vineyards. Our guide spoke of 

the 2,000-year-old viticulture 

traditions, the legend of the 

wine witch and the protected 

Apollo butterfly fluttering around 

these parts, before taking us to 

Winningen, a village where vines 

grow along and between the houses 

like telephone wires – their roots 

helping to keep the cellars dry. 

Following a tour of a family-run 

winery and tutored tasting of 

superb Riesling and Pinot Noir 

wines, we made our tipsy way 

back to the ship. 

Clockwise, 

from top right: 

Viking Eir sailing 

along the Rhine; 

half-timbered 

houses in La 

Petite France, 

Strasbourg; 

traditional French 

saucisson; the 

view through 

the gate from 

Hagenbach tower 

in Breisach 



above: Rustic 

windmills in 

Holland; Gabrielle 

on her e-bike; a 

farmyard cow; 

colourful town 

houses; Gabrielle 

samples some 

local beer; rows 

of Gouda cheeses 

spotted during an 

optional excursion 

That evening, as we sailed 

towards Cologne, the ship laid 

on a Taste of Germany-themed 

feast. The Viking team, dressed in 

Lederhosen and Dirndls, delivered 

glasses of Kolsch, while a traditional 

display of bretzels, veal schnitzel 

and sugar-dusted kaiserschmarrn 

adorned the buffet. 24 hours later, 

after a day of solo sightseeing in 

Cologne enriched with sweet spicy 

trays of currywurst and 360-degree 

vistas from the top of the Köln 

Triangle, we enjoyed a direct 

view of the Dom Cathedral and 

an onboard performance by the 

Cologne Symphony Orchestra. 

After Germany came Holland, 

marked by the distinctly flat 

landscape dotted with wind 

turbines and Friesian cows, and 

stroopwafels at the coffee station. 

The optional excursion du jour 

took us to a cheese farm, where we 

ate creamy shards of Gouda, took 

selfies with the giant, wax-covered 

rounds and stocked up for home. 

We marvelled at the 19 windmills 

that make up the UNESCO World 

Heritage site, Kinderdijk. 

Then, just as soon as we’d fallen 

hook, line and sinker for the 

river cruising way of life, it was 

time to disembark at Amsterdam 

and head home. But not before 

exploring the characterful capital: 

to the tulip market for spring 

bulbs, dodging bicycles along the 

165 canals, window-shopping the 

independent boutiques lining De 

Negen Straatjes, and tucking into 

sweet and savoury treats at one of 

the many pancake houses. 

An 8-day 2021 Romantic 

Danube trip, departing from 

Budapest, starts from £1,595pp. 

PHOTOS: ISTOCK/GABRIELLE SANDER 


TRAVEL 

EXPLORING THE BLACK 

FOREST ON E-BIKE 

When I spied the Black Forest e-bike ride 

in the list of optional activities at Breisach, 

it sounded like the perfect way to stretch 

my legs, get off the beaten track and 

explore an area of southern Germany 

known for its beauty: an eight-hour route 

through landscapes that inspired the 

Brothers Grimm tales, and a chance to 

tuck into the famous gateau. 

I selected and adjusted my bike to the 

right height and took a test ride to check 

I hadn’t defied the old ‘you never forget 

to ride a bike’ adage. Then, helmet 

clasped, listened attentively as our guides, 

Lydia and Nick, talked through the plan 

for the day, took our lunch order and 

explained the bike settings. 

It was a wonderful start, following 

a traffic-free trail along the banks of 

the Rhine which sparkled beneath the 

cloudless sky; swans casually gliding and 

preening and red kites scouting with 

predatory intent overhead. 

We ducked off the path and onto a 

woodland track, keeping eyes peeled for 

the wild pigs, deer and woodpeckers we 

were told roamed these parts. Wild garlic 

scented the air, while the sound of wood 

pigeons, and crunch of wheels over twigs 

provided the soundtrack. 

We popped out the other end to 

meet a babbling brook and weaved 

through sprawling farmland, where 

young strawberry plants grew under the 

warm comfort of plastic and asparagus 

protruded from earthy mounds. After an 

hour, we pulled into a little village farm 

shop, where a glass cabinet of homemade 

bakes were laid out for us to select from. 

It had to be a giant slab of Black Forest 

gateau for me, which was by far the 

best I’ve ever had. 

By 1pm, we’d zipped through 

many a picturesque village, past a 

community garden bursting with tulips, 

a 12th-century castle bordered by vines, 

and settled into the 14th-century 

former laboratory of Dr Faust (the 

protagonist of many a local legend). 

Sufficiently-fuelled we embarked on 

the second half of the ride, starting as we 

were warned it was going to continue, 

with a steadily growing ascent until we 

reached a tiny village marking the start 

of Black Forest proper. Up and up we 

went, through the Black Forest magic 

I’d envisioned: curvaceous green hills 

dipping down to winding streams 

hugged by stone bridges. 

Fairytale farmhouses, goats grazing, 

and birds twittering melodically, I halfexpected 

to pass brightly coloured 

toadstools and a wolf in red clothing. We 

continued along an interchanging mix 

of quiet roads and forest-lined tracks, 

following our guides like the children of 

Hamelin, captivated by the landscape. 

The feeling when we pulled into 

our final destination, a family farm 

and restaurant, was one of giddy 

accomplishment. 26 miles, with or 

without the e-push, is a good distance. 

Homemade schnapps were poured 

and we clinked glasses to the fantastic 

journey we’d ridden together. 


An ESSENCE of BALM 

Award-winning garden designer Paul Hervey-Brookes explains 

how the humble Lemon Balm plant influenced rulers of Europe, 

and how it could help you this spring 

Top to bottom: 

Lemon Balm 

growing alongside 

herbs in planters; 

garden designer 

and expert, Paul 

Hervey-Brookes 

Spring always 

heralds fresh 

and abundant 

growth in the 

garden. No other time 

of year gives such such 

a verdant and rapid 

re-clothing of the 

garden than the 

months of spring. 

Flowers bloom 

and fruits such as 

strawberries begin to 

set. For those who worked hard 

sowing carrots, radish and lettuce 

in March, the first home-grown 

salad crops of the year will be a 

tasty reward. 

All this growth means work, 

weeding, cutting back alongside the 

little jobs that winter did not allow 

to be completed, and that’s before 

you mow the lawn. It is a good job 

that the garden can offer both the 

exercise – with its associated muscle 

aches – and the cure. 

The humble Lemon Balm, a 

perennial herbaceous plant with 

rich, lemon-scented foliage could 

be the answer to gardeners’ 

prayers. Not only does it have 

the capacity to relieve aches and 

pains, but across Europe signs of 

its influence on history can be seen 

in almost every country. Native to 

southern Europe, its slow spread 

across the continent and to 

England was complete by the 

mid-Mediaeval period. 

Melissa officianalis is highly 

attractive to bees and it is from the 

Greek for ‘bee’ that its Latin name 

is derived. The most commonly 

used names are either Lemon Balm 

or Sweet Balm, both coming from 

an abbreviation of Balsam. One of 

its oldest reputed properties is as 

a restorative 

and elixir of 

life, which 

is not bad 

for a humble 

easy-to-care-for perennial plant. 

Paracelsus, a Swiss-born 

physician, alchemist and astrologer 

of high repute during the German 

Renaissance period, believed it 

would ‘completely revivify man’ 

and it was often used in treatments 

of related to the nervous system. 

In the London Dispensary 

Medical Journal of 1696 it says: ‘An 

essence of balm, given in canary 

wine, every morning will renew 

youth, strengthen the brain, relieve 

languishing nature and prevent 

baldness’. John Evelyn, a famous 

English diarist and gardener in the 

mid 1600s, believed it to be an 

aid to strengthening memory and 

‘chasing away melancholy’. 

Llewelyn, Prince of 

Glamorgan who ruled 

Wales in the late 1170s 

reputedly lived until he 

was 108 and breakfasted 

on sweet balm tea, 

as did Mary 


Stuart’s Chamberlain, John Hussey 

1st Baron Sleaford who reportedly 

lived until he was 116. 

Carmelite water, of which balm 

was the chief ingredient, was drunk 

by Charles V, the Holy Roman 

Emperor, daily. Carmelite water 

was crafted originally in the 14th 

century by nuns at the Abbey of 

St Just as a tonic for the ailing 

French King Charles V. It can be 

made at home or purchased and is 

a mixture of spirit of balm, lemon 

peel, angelica root, and nutmeg. 

John Gerard, author of the 

famous Gerard’s Herbal first 

published in 1597 and Dioscorides 

the greek physician author of 

Materia Medica, written between 

50 and 70 BCE, both stated that 

it helps in the healing of wounds. 

Pliny wrote that ‘balm, being 

applied, doth close up wounds 

without any peril or inflammation’, 

and this is now recognised by 

modern science since the balsamic 

oils of aromatic plants are used to 

make surgical dressings. 

Lemon balm will propagate 

readily from seed and cuttings 

taken in late spring through to 

early summer. It is possible to 

sow the seed ripe, as in fresh seed 

collected in autumn and sown 

direct into seed trays left outside 

in a sheltered spot. 

I tend to grow the plain green 

leaved plant, Melissa officinalis and 

Melissa officinalis ‘Aurea’ as this has a 

milder flavour and suits being used 

in salads. Each leaf is irregularly 

splashed with bright drops of 

golden sunshine-like colour. 

However, both the variegated form 

and pure golden, or yellow form, 

tend to suffer from the harsh 

mid-day sun so offer them partial 

shade or you will end up with 

brown miserable plants. 

Historically, Melissa was always 

grown near bees and not just 

because of its attractiveness in terms 

of its flowers. Gerard explained 

that, ‘It is profitably planted where 

bees are kept. The hives of bees 

being rubbed with the leaves of 

bawme, causeth the bees to keep 

together, and casueth others to 

come with them’. Pliny echoes 

this theory by stating, ‘When they 

strayed away they do find their way 

home by it’. 

Apart from drinking teas made 

with it and eating its leaves, perhaps 

the easiest use for gardeners is 

to collect stems of lemon balm 

in a bunch, tie them and hang 

under a hot tap, which makes for 

a wonderfully relaxing bath. As 

the hot water runs over the leaves, 

essential oils are released which 

have a relaxing effect on aches and 

pains. Of course if you don’t have 

space to grow one of these plants 

but now fancy a steamy lemonscented 

relaxing bath then you can 

get a very similar effect with good 

quality cold-pressed essential oil. 

Perhaps the most remarkable 

aspect of this story for me as a 

gardener and someone who likes 

to travel is that when we travel to 

new countries we see the footprints 

of great rulers, religious figures and 

patrons of the arts, all thanks to 

their immense endeavours living 

a kind of immortality through 

the great buildings and history 

they have left. Plants are so often 

overlooked but conjure up the 

most fascinating histories. We can 

still touch, smell, taste and reward 

our senses with them in exactly the 

same way as Dioscorides would 

have nearly 2000 years ago. 

FIVE 

5-MINUTE 

SPRING 

JOBS 

GARDENING 


left: Strawberries 

begin to set in 

early Spring; 

Lemon Balm 

can be added to 

bath water as 

an essential oil, 

perfect for curing 

aches and pains 

1. If you grow old heritage variety roses now is 

the time to tie them in with supports to ensure 

the heavy flowers do not snap stems or bruise 

under spring showers. 

2. Mulch in-between soft fruit plants such as 

raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries to 

reduce pest damage and weeding throughout 

the summer. 

3. Up until the end of May we can get cold 

nights and frosts. Be vigilant and ensure you 

have fleece or lightweight covers for tender 

vegetable plants, tender annuals and larger 

plants such as tree ferns to keep the risk of 

stunted growth to a minimum. 

4. Cut back the faded flowering heads of 

daffodils and tulips before they have a chance 

to set seed. This will ensure all of the strength 

is returned to the bulb for next year. Do not be 

tempted to cut the foliage off as this will 

reduce flowering next year. 


5. If you grow a lot of houseplants then April 

and May are ideal months to take them 

outside for the day, repot them into 

larger containers and give them a 

good wash. Just remember not to 

leave them outside overnight. 


Buckle bag 

(£39.95, White Stuff) 

Linen tunic 


Linen trousers 

(£55, White Stuff) 

Chunky necklace 

(£65, Hobbs) 

For women... 

A softer yellow can look fabulous 

with navy blue or a range of greys 

Horizon jumper 


Hello 

Yellow 

Spring signals a fresh new approach, 

so dive into the new season with 

a renewed sense of colour 

Patterned scarf 

(£65, Hobbs) 

Wayfarer sunglasses 

(£24, Oliver Bonas) 

Button-up cardigan 


Colourful chinos 


Jumper and velvet 

skirt (from a 

selection at Oasis) 

Camel lace-ups 

(£85, Dune)

FASHION 

Colour block scarf 

(£29.50, Fat Face) 

and for men... 

Yellow accents mix well with 

a range of neutrals 

Beanie hat 

(£7.50, Marks and 

Spencers) 

Yellow sweater 

(£69, Hobbs) 

Popover shirt 

(£109, Barbour) 

Coat, dress and shoes 

(from a selection at Debenhams) 

Rugby shirt 


Beaded earrings 

(£12.99, Bonprix) 

Checked shirt 

(£29.50, Marks 

and Spencer) 

Printed skirt 

(£59.50, Oliver Bonas) 

Cotton chinos 


Espadrilles 

(£40, Dune) 

Recycled swimsuit 

(£32, Accessorize) 

Insulated bottle 

(£20, One 

Green Bottle) 

Suede jacket 

(from a selection 

at Burton) 

Tote bag 

(£129, Hobbs) 

Flexi slider (£22, Wallis)

TRAVEL 

Clockwise, from top left: The 

traditional alcoholic spirit, Bergens 

Aquavit; rustic interiors found in 

Bergen, Norway; the Nordic sauna 

on board Viking Jupiter; the splendid 

mountainous view from Geiranger 

and Eagle’s Bend; the Spa offers 

a heavenly place to relax or enjoy 

a tranquil dip; Frances riding her 

horse Silfi; a gloriously sunny day in 

Tromsø, the largest city in northern 

Norway; guests can play a tune or 

two on the grand piano in the Atrium 


TRAVEL 

ARCTIC GOLD 

When travel writer Frances Marcellin set off on an 

adventure in Norway, she had no idea that the cruise 

would have such a profound impact on her life 

PHOTOS: ALASTAIR MILLER/ FRANCES MARCELLIN 

Above: Viking 

Jupiter taking 

in views of 

deep-cut fjords 

along the pristine 

Norwegian 

coastline 

Horse riding on a 

deserted beach had 

been a dream of 

mine ever since I was 

a little girl hacking out ponies 

on weekends in the UK. I never 

thought the day would come and 

I’d never imagined it would happen 

in Norway. Yet, here I was riding 

Silfri, a sweet-natured Icelandic 

horse whose name described his 

tufty silvery blonde mane, along a 

stunning white-sand beach. I was 

in Hov, on the tranquil island of 

Gimsøy in the Lofoten archipelago, 

where less than 200 people live. 

Since falling from my horse 

just over a decade ago and breaking 

two ‘wing’ bones in my lumbar 

spine, I hadn’t ridden at all. It 

had resulted in six weeks of life 

altering bed rest and I became too 

frightened to ride again for fear of 

risking a similar injury or worse. 

But when I read about Viking’s 

horse riding excursion on the Into 

the Midnight Sun cruise, I felt it 

was a once-in-a-lifetime 

opportunity too good too miss. 

It was then that I realised how 

a cruise experience can offer you 

just the right level of adventure, 

exploration and relaxation for your 

needs. I wasn’t ready for official 

riding lessons at the local equestrian 

centre or a full-blown adventure 

holiday, but since discovering 

a passion for trail running 

earlier on in the year, my fitness 

and confidence had increased 

considerably, so it felt like the right 

moment to finally face my fear. 

The ride would only take a 

couple of hours, I’d told myself, 

so even if I couldn’t overcome my 

anxiety I wouldn’t have to be in 

that situation for long. Afterwards 

I could relax on the new and 

luxurious Viking Jupiter. 

The morning brought a 

panoramic tour of Lofoten, 

which included sightseeing to 

spellbinding Haukland Beach, one 

of the most picturesque beaches in 

Norway, and to Ballstad, a scenic 

and traditional fishing village. 

Later that day, with the dramatic 

setting of Lofoten’s mountains 

behind and the beach to ourselves, 

I learned that one of my fellow 

riders hadn’t ridden a horse since 

she was in her twenties. She 

felt excited to be on horseback 

again and was so moved by 

the experience of riding in the 

beguiling seaside location. 

We also rode trails that showed 

us more of this wild island, from 

the fairy tale-like Norwegian turf 


Above: The 

charming fishing 

village of Ballstad, 

located on a small 

island off the 

tip of the island 

of Vestvågøya 

in the Lofoten 

archipelago 

torvtak roofs to the ancient wild 

trails, which 1,000 years ago were 

covered by Viking Chieftain Tore 

Hjort. Every single moment was an 

absolute pleasure. 

Afterwards, we were driven 

back to the ship and, still buzzing 

from my accomplishment and with 

slightly stiff knees, I treated myself 

to a Nordic spa ritual. I went 

from hammam to Snow Grotto 

three times – not 

only is it genuinely 

rejuvenating, but 

hot and cold bathing 

actually improves 

your immune system. 

Viking’s spa area is the most 

heavenly place to relax and focus on 

your wellbeing. 

I wasn’t sure how much time 

I should be spending in each 

environment, but the truth is 

that there isn’t a set number as it 

varies from person to person. The 

LivNordic Spa manager told me 

that some people can sit for 20 

minutes in a steam room before 

they start breaking a sweat, whereas 

others sit for five minutes yet 

sweat like they’ve been running 

a marathon. It’s the same for the 

Snow Grotto, some can stay for ten 

minutes, but others have chattering 

teeth after just 30 seconds. 

“We, at LivNordic, encourage 

you to always follow your inner 

voice – be present and when you 

feel enough is enough you go 

out from one source and straight 

into the opposite,” she explained. 

“It is supposed to be a relaxing 

The morning brought a panoramic tour 

of Lofoten, which included sightseeing to 

beautiful Haukland Beach 

experience, a sanctuary from 

the outer world where you can 

disconnect and just allow nature to 

cleanse your body, mind and soul.” 

Benefits include improved 

circulation, less stress and anxiety, 

and the release of endorphins, 

which reduces pain and promotes 

that feel good sensation. Rubbing 

snow into my knees even relieved 

their stiffness. I was hooked. 

That evening I wanted to 

connect more with the place that 

had found its way into my heart, 

and tried the Destination Menu 

at The Restaurant. The Norwegian 

haddock fishcakes were delicious 

and handsomely crowned with 

colourful raw vegetable strips. 

Reindeer patties with onion confit 

were also on the menu. 

I’ve always loved spending time 

with horses and dogs, which is 

why the first excursion I’d chosen 

on this trip was a husky-trekking 

session. We’d travelled 

to Kvaløya – known 

as Whale Island 

– to the Tromsø 

Villmarksenter where 

300 huskies live. Our 

mission was to walk them through 

the countryside so that they keep 

up their fitness levels for the 

forthcoming sledding season – but 

it hands down gave me a workout 

too. With their leads attached to 

waist belts, our group speedily 

hiked with seven dogs. We were not 

as helpful as quad bikes though, 

our guide told us, which can train 

14 dogs at a time, but it is far better 

for these dogs to socialise with 

humans in this way. 

Back on board, lunch out on 


TRAVEL 

PHOTOS: ISTOCK 

deck in the Arctic air at the World 

Café beckoned. With views of 

Tromsø Bridge across the waters 

to the gleaming white Arctic 

Cathedral – which resembled the 

shell-like roof of Sydney Opera 

House – there was nowhere else on 

earth I wanted to be. 

After an energising sushi lunch, 

I was ready to embark on my own 

adventure. Having read that you 

can travel by cable 

car up to Storsteinen 

(which is one of the 

best places to see the 

midnight sun), part 

of Mount Fløya, I 

wanted to run up the 671-metre 

mountain by myself and see how 

far I could get. The views were 

some of the best over Tromsø and it 

was invigorating exploring the town 

and the mountain on foot. 

I found that in Bergen the 

runseeing method worked well too. 

I mapped out a route that covered 

about 10km (6.2 miles) to take 

me past all the places I wanted 

to see. It included Bryggen (the 

colourful dock and UNESCO 

World Heritage Site since 1979), 

the famous fish market and the old 

Nordnes neighbourhood. This is 

my favourite part of Bergen and I 

visit it every time I’m in this city – I 

adore the pretty wooden houses 

and quiet neighbourhood streets. 

There are both active and 

cultural excursions available in 

Bergen, including flightseeing over 

fjords and glaciers, experiencing 

a local Norwegian farm and a 

We were so lucky to visit in sunny 

weather and cloudless skies, it meant we 

could soak up the awe-inspiring views 

group hike past the beautiful 

Skomakerdiket lake and up Mount 

Fløien for views over the town. 

I crave panoramic splendour 

and one of the most breathtaking 

moments of the trip had been 

at Eagle’s Bend viewpoint in 

Geiranger. We were so lucky to visit 

in sunny weather and cloudless 

skies, it meant we could soak up the 

awe-inspiring views of the harbour 

and S-shaped Geirangerfjord. As we 

cruised out our captain made sure 

that everyone on board got to see 

the gushing 400-metre Seven Sisters 

waterfall by turning the ship 360 

degrees in the fjord. It’s true what 

they say, that from a distance it 

looks like the hair of seven women. 

That night we dined at The 

Chef’s Table to experience more 

Norwegian delights. The reindeer 

consommé was paired with Pinot 

Noir and there was also fårikål 

(sheep in cabbage) - Norway’s 

national dish. Dessert 

was cloudberry soup, 

these highly prized 

amber fruits look like 

raspberries and grow 

in marshlands, for this 

reason some call them Arctic Gold. 

I’ve coined this term for my 

own use too. Since I returned from 

my trip to Norway, I’ve started 

horse riding again and ran my first 

marathon, so I am feeling more 

confident than I have done in years. 

Now, if I get asked to describe my 

experience on Viking’s Into the 

Midnight Sun cruise, I tell them 

it was pure Arctic Gold. 

A 15-day 2021 Into the Midnight 

Sun trip starts from £5,290pp. 


ON LOCATION 

with Karine 

Karine Hagen, Executive Vice President of Viking, 

shares her latest adventures and insights from her 

travels around the world 

Last summer, a few 

colleagues and I, joined 

by our Chairman, spent 

a spellbinding weekend 

in Svalbard. This spectacular 

archipelago under Norwegian 

sovereignty also boasts the 

closest settlement in the world to 

the North Pole. It was a magical 

and humbling experience amid 

majestic flora and fauna, and for 

the first time in my life I felt I was 

truly a guest of nature. With the 

launch of Viking Expeditions, we 

are now able to offer our guests 

phenomenal polar experiences 

in both the Arctic and the 

Antarctic. For more details visit 

vikingcruises.co.uk/expeditions 

STOP, LOOK & LISTEN 

Amid the absence of 

manufactured noise, we can 

discover the magical music 

of nature: the cacophony of 

crackling ice; the flapping 

wings of a passing bird; the 

gentle bark of a seal pup. 

These are a few of the sounds 

of nature that the extremities 

of the world offer us. 

In taking the time to stop, 

listen and look, you gain a 

completely new appreciation 

of our world. Perhaps a 

discipline we can apply not 

only on travel expeditions, 

but also in our daily lives. 


COLUMN 

DID YOU KNOW? 

There are some fascinating 

facts about the polar regions, 

and these are some of 

my favourites: 

THE WORLD OF FINSE 

Even if the Arctic and the 

Antarctic are a little extreme 

in terms of destinations for 

younger travellers, we can still 

inspire children with magical 

tales and interesting facts 

about the polar regions. Join 

Finse, my yellow Labrador, 

as she learns more about 

the world. The latest in the 

series is Finse Explores The 

Arctic and Antarctica, with 

beautiful illustrations by 

Suzy-Jane Tanner. finse.me 

How do polar bears keep warm 

in the Arctic? 

Polar bears are actually black, 

not white. Their jet-black skin 

is covered by translucent hair, 

which reflects white natural light. 

The bears depend on their fur 

for insulation during the harsh 

winter months. Dirty, wet and 

matted fur is less likely to keep 

the animals warm, so they roll in 

the snow to keep it clean. 

The Arctic is home to the 

largest seed storage facility 

in the world 

More than 800 miles inside the 

Arctic Circle lies the Svalbard 

Global Seed Vault, a storage 

facility run by the Norwegian 

government. Built into the 

permafrost, the building holds 

seeds for more than 4,000 plant 

species, including life-sustaining 

food crops. The seed vault has 

been created to keep the seeds 

safe in the event of a natural or 

man-made disaster. 

What time is Antarctic time? 

Just as at the North Pole, if 

you stand at the South Pole, 

you will find yourself in all the 

world’s time zones at once, as 

technically the lines of longitude 

meet at the North and South 

Poles. The people working in 

the Antarctic research stations 

generally tend to use the time 

zone of the port from which they 

departed, or the country for 

which they are working. 

Antarctica has a red waterfall 

Antarctica is full of natural 

wonders. In the east, hidden 

below the ice is a magical 

subglacial lake that is high in salt 

and iron. When the water comes 

into contact with the air, the 

iron oxidises giving the waterfall 

its deep red colour – and the 

reason for its name, Blood Falls. 

Discover our Top 10 fascinating 

facts about the Arctic and 

Antarctica online at 

vikingtop10.co.uk 

FLORA IN FOCUS 

When you travel with us on our expedition 

ships you’ll find plenty of binoculars on hand 

for appreciating the more distant wildlife and 

views. But you don’t have to look far to be 

awed by nature. With a field microscope in 

hand, an entirely new world will reveal itself. In 

a seemingly barren land, the tiniest Saxifraga, 

when observed through a field microscope, 

will display minute, yet spectacular details 

not visible to the naked eye. Discover the 

flora of the Arctic in our online video at 

vikingcruises.co.uk/expeditions/video/all 


PICASSO and PAPER 

Curator Ann Dumas joins us to discuss the new exhibition 

showcasing Pablo Picasso’s work involving paper, on at 

the Royal Academy of Arts in London 

Above, from 

top: The Royal 

Academy of 

Arts in London 

© Fraser Marr; 

exhibition curator 

Ann Dumas 

© Benedict 

Johnson 

Can you 

describe what 

visitors to 

the Picasso 

and Paper 

exhibition will 

be able to see? 

Visitors will be 

able to see works 

on paper of all 

types – drawings, 

prints, papiers 

collés, collages 

and even little 

sculptures – that 

Picasso made throughout the whole 

of his long career. The exhibition is 

displayed in chronological sections, 

beginning with his earliest works 

and ending with some of the great 

prints that preoccupied his final 

years. So the visitor can appreciate 

the whole of Picasso’s very varied 

development through about 

350 works, all selected from a 

specific angle – paper, an approach 

that, as far as I am aware, has never 

been undertaken on such a 

large scale before. 

What kind of paper did Picasso 

use and how did he elevate it 

to become art? 

Picasso was fascinated by paper 

and used all kinds, ranging from 

expensive historic papers from the 

French Revolutionary period to 

the most humble bits of wrapping 

paper, backs of envelopes and even 

blotting paper. In his hands, all 

kinds of paper could become the 

support for a great work of art. 

Although he often chose his papers 

carefully, he was not rigid. A scrap 

of paper could be used for a highly 

accomplished drawing. 

Picasso loved to incorporate 

a childlike approach to his 

work. Do you think his use of 

paper is tied into this desire 

somehow? 

Yes, I do. The earliest works we 

have in the show are a dove and a 

dog that he cut from cheap brown 

paper when he was only nine years 

old. And many years later, in the 

1940s, we find him doing child-like 

drawings in coloured pens on little 

sheets of paper. The informality of 

paper permitted the possibility of 

experiment and playfulness. 

From the cut-outs to the 

collages, sculptures to prints, 

the range of different ways 

that Picasso experimented with 

paper is extraordinary. What 

do you think it says about him 

as an artist? 

It is probably not an exaggeration 

to say that Picasso was the most 

experimental artist of all time. 

He was always pushing beyond 

the boundaries of convention in 

every medium, experimenting with 

many different printing techniques, 

for example, and combining 

techniques such as print-making 

with photography in new ways. 

The freedom that paper allowed 


CULTURE 

reinforced his never-ending 

quest for innovation. 

Alongside his artwork, 

Picasso was fascinated with 

printmaking techniques and 

sourced rare, antique paper 

from countries like Japan. To 

what extent was he inspired by 

other cultures’ use of paper? 

Picasso was certainly interested in 

the art of other cultures, notably 

African art which had such an 

impact on his seminal work, Les 

Demoiselles d’Avignon of 1907, 

but I don’t think he particularly 

sought out papers from other 

cultures. So-called Japan paper, 

although it originated in Japan, is 

a term used to describe a particular 

type of high-quality but widelyavailable 

paper renowned for its 

smoothness. Picasso, and other 

artists, favoured it for drawings, 

but he would have bought it in 

France and not imported it from 

Japan. Picasso particularly loved 

Japan paper, once commenting: 

‘By chance, I managed to get hold 

of a stock of Japanese paper. It cost 

me an arm and a leg! But without 

it, I’d never have done these 

drawings. The paper seduced me.’ 

As well as the works of art 

on show, you also have 

sketchbooks, letters, cards, 

illustrated poems and 

photographs on display. Did he 

ever discuss about his use of 

paper or various techniques? 

There are few recorded statements 

of Picasso describing his 

techniques. However, some of 

the master printers he worked 

with commented on his versality 

and virtuosic skill, and the speed 

with which he could pick up new 

techniques in which he had little 

formal training. 

The collage Women at 

their Toilette (1937-38) is 

monumental in size, measuring 

4.5 metres in length. Do you 

think his collages inspired 

other artists to use paper? 

Yes. Artists who were his 

contemporaries, such as Juan Gris 

and Georges Braque, with whom 

he invented Cubism, as well as 

many artists in the 20th century, 

especially the Dadaists such as Max 

Ernst, Joan Miró and especially 

Kurt Schwitters, were all inspired 

by his use of paper. The 20thcentury 

British artist Peter Blake 

experimented with cut papers, 

as did Robert Rauschenberg, and, 

of course, Matisse with his 

famous paper cut-outs made at 

the end of his career. 

Do you have a favourite piece 

in the exhibition? 

The coloured Minotauromachy 

etching of 1935. It is, of course, 

a well-known masterpiece and 

perhaps Picasso’s greatest print. 

I find this enigmatic and poetic 

work endlessly fascinating. The 

iconography is complex and 

draws in many threads that were 

important to Picasso: the minotaur 

theme (a sort of alter-ego for the 

artist), the bullfight, the innocent 

girl whose lighted candle suggests 

hope, and who may allude to his 

companion Marie-Thérese Walter. 

Technically, it is a tour de force of 

colour etching. 

Paper is such a delicate thing, 

yet some of the works of art 

seem so strong and sculptural. 

Was it this juxtaposition that 

drew Picasso to paper? 

I think it was fundamentally 

drawing that kept bringing him 

back to paper, that and his love of 

the material itself in all its varieties 

and his need for experiment. 

Exhibition organised by the 

Royal Academy of Arts, London 

and the Cleveland Museum 

of Art in partnership with the 

Musée national Picasso-Paris. 

Above: Pablo 

Picasso, Head of a 

Woman, Mougins, 

4 December 1962. 

Pencil on cut and 

folded wove paper, 

42 x 26.5 cm. 

Musée national 

Picasso-Paris. 

Pablo Picasso 

Gift in Lieu, 1979. 

MP1850. Photo © 

RMN-Grand Palais 

(Musée national 

Picasso-Paris) / 

Béatrice Hatala. 

© Succession 

Picasso/DACS 

2019. 

Right: Pablo 

Picasso, Femmes à 

leur toilette, Paris, 

winter 1937–38. 

Collage of cutout 

wallpapers 

with gouache 

on paper pasted 

onto canvas, 

299 x 448 cm. 

Musée national 

Picasso-Paris. 

Pablo Picasso 

Gift in Lieu, 1979. 

MP176. Photo © 

RMN-Grand Palais 

(Musée national 

Picasso-Paris) / 

Adrien Didierjean. 

© Succession 

Picasso/DACS 

2019. 


In PICASSO’S 

FOOTSTEP 

Journalist Oonagh Turner discovers Pablo Picasso’s personal 

connections with the Spanish cities of Malaga, the artist’s 

birthplace, and Barcelona, where he spent his formative years 

Top to bottom: 

A panoramic 

view of Malaga 

and beyond; 

Pablo Picasso 

in his studio 

Making waves in 

the art world 

from the turn 

of the 19th 

Century, Pablo 

Picasso has long been regarded as 

one of the world’s most influential 

artists, playing a pivotal role in 

the Cubist movement and aiding 

the development of a plethora of 

fascinating artistic styles. While 

Picasso’s career inevitably took 

him, like so many other young 

artists of the time, to the then 

art capital, Paris, Picasso’s life also 

played out extensively in Spain. 

Picasso was born in Malaga before 

moving to Barcelona and living 

here from the ages of 14 to 24. 

The two cities were instrumental 

in shaping his art and even 

today, they continue to remain 

synonymous with his legacy. 

BARCELONA 

SALA PARÉS 

Established in 1877, Sala Parés 

remains one of the oldest art 

galleries in the world, and has 

long-standing connections to the 

thriving Barcelona art scene and 

to Picasso. The artist presented his 

first commercial gallery exhibition 

here in 1901 at just 20 years of age 

with a selection of delicate pastel 

drawings. The gallery went on to 

put on the joint exhibition with 

the Catalan portraitist, Ramon 

Casas, who documented the lives of 

Barcelona’s political and intellectual 

elite. The gallery sits in the heart of 

the Gothic Quarter and makes for a 

cultural break from wandering the 

district’s cobbled backstreets. 

ELS QUATRE GATS 

The Spanish answer to Paris’s Le 

Chat Noir, this late 19th century 

cultural cafe was initially a spot 

for artistic and intellectual liaisons 

and a meeting point for the city’s 

most prominent modernist figures. 


CULTURE 

PHOTOS: © ISTOCK/GETTY/ SALA PARÉS/ MUSEO PICASSO MÁLAGA 

The venue also offered its walls as 

a concert and exhibition hall and 

Picasso famously illustrated the 

poster and even held his first ever 

public exhibition here in 1900, 

when he was just 19. Hidden away 

in the heart of Barcelona’s old town, 

Picasso and his artist friends would 

socialise and while away the hours 

drinking – now the pastime of 

tourists and local Spaniards alike. 

MUSEO PICASSO, BARCELONA 

Housing an extensive collection 

of Picasso’s works spanning the 

entirety of his career, Barcelona’s 

Museo Picasso is a fantastic 

opportunity to truly understand 

how the artist developed his artistic 

style. Focusing on the artist’s early 

years – especially those up until the 

end of the Blue Period – helps paint 

a picture of Picasso’s connection 

to the city. Catch a glimpse of 

Retrato de la tía Pepa for an insight 

into the artist’s immense artistic 

maturity from the young age of 

15. Woman with Bonnet is also an 

important piece that chronicles his 

interest in capturing the povertystricken 

lower echelons of society. 

Aside from the art, the setting 

itself provides an idyllic break from 

the bustle of the metropolis, with 

tranquil courtyards offering up 

space to retreat and reflect on 

the artist’s genius. 

MALAGA 

MUSEO PICASSO, MALAGA 

An entire gallery devoted to 

Picasso’s connection to Malaga. 

Despite being the city’s greatest 

artistic export, the museum only 

came into fruition in 2003 after 

decades of planning. Today, the 

walls are hung with over 200 works 

donated by relatives of the artist. 

Of the gallery’s highlights, Picasso’s 

painting of his sister Lola from 

when he was in his early teens is 

a favourite and early example of 

his talent, as well as a selection of 

sculptures, ceramics and sketches. 

The museum is a stone’s throw 

from the seafront, and is housed in 

the 16th-century Buenvista Palace. 

MUSEO CASA NATAL 

Literally translating to birthplace 

museum, this tourist hot spot 

is an unmissable ode to Picasso, 

honouring his place of birth in 

the heart of the historic district. 

An official heritage site since 

1983, this is the optimum spot 

where tourists can gage a full 


bottom left: The 

Cathedral tower 

and fountain in 

Plaza del Obispo, 

Malaga; Sala 

Parés, the oldest 

art gallery in 

Barcelona; visitors 

enjoy the display 

at the Picasso 

Museum, Malaga 

understanding of who the young 

artist was in the 1890s. Visitors 

can browse a rotating collection 

and gain a valuable insight into the 

iconic artist’s childhood influences. 

The gallery has plenty of works 

on display by the artist and his 

father, José Ruiz Blasco, as well as 

personal artefacts from the Picasso 

family. The works have largely been 

donated from the private 

collections of the Picasso family 

and total almost 300 pieces. 

CENTRE POMPIDOU MALAGA 

Aesthetically similar in style to the 

iconic Parisian landmark gallery, 

and a branch of the world-famous 

Centre Georges Pompidou, this 

Malaga museum is artfully modern 

with a colourful pop art-style glass 

entrance. The museum is close to 

the Port of Malaga, making it an 

ideal cultural stop off after a day 

at the nearby beach. Primarily 

focusing on 20th and 21st century 

art, the likes of Frida Kahlo, 

Kandinsky and Francis Bacon can 

be seen on its walls, as well as the 

city’s son – Picasso’s. 


ITINERARY 

Marvellous Med 

Immerse yourself in Renaissance masterpieces, Tuscan art and 

iconic seaside treasures on this glorious voyage from Barcelona 

to the French Riviera to Florence 

Above: 

Considered 

one of Gaudí’s 

masterpieces, 

Casa Batlló 

is a must-see 

attraction in 

the heart of 

Barcelona 

DAY 1 / BARCELONA, SPAIN 

Your journey begins with an overnight stay in this 

endlessly enthralling city. You’ll have time to explore 

in the evening – feast on delicious tapas or catch a 

flamenco performance. 

DAY 2 / BARCELONA, SPAIN 

Awake in Barcelona for a day of sightseeing. Wander 

around the charming Gothic Quarter, stroll along 

the colourfully chaotic thoroughfare Las Ramblas 

and marvel at Antoni Gaudí’s architectural wonders, 

such as Casa Batlló, Park Güell and the iconic 

La Sagrada Familia. 

DAY 3 / MONTPELLIER (SÈTE), FRANCE 

Stylish, sophisticated and a scholarly hub for centuries, 

Montpellier impresses with its elegant buildings and 

stately boulevards. Explore the vibrant Place de la 

Comédie, the art-filled Musée Fabre and striking 

Cathédrale St-Pierre. 

The Prince’s Palace and St Nicholas Cathedral are two 

must-sees in the medieval part of the principality while 

the Casino de Monte-Carlo is the most celebrated 

gambling mecca on the planet. 

DAY 6 / FLORENCE/PISA, ITALY 

Witness the splendours of the Renaissance in two 

of Tuscany’s renowned cultural centres. An included 

tour of the ancient city of Pisa takes in its famous 

leaning tower, part of the Roman Catholic cathedral 

which is located in the magnificent, UNESCO-listed 

Square of Miracles. 

DAY 7 / FLORENCE/PISA, ITALY 

A ride through picturesque countryside takes you to 

Florence, the utterly irresistible home of world-class art 

and gourmet Tuscan cuisine. Don’t miss the stunning 

marble-clad Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the 

medieval Ponte Vecchio and Basilica di Santa Croce, the 

resting place of Michelangelo. 

DAY 4 / MARSEILLE, FRANCE 

Discover the timeless treasures of Marseille, France’s 

oldest city. Top sites include the atmospheric Old Port 

looked over by two 17th-century fortresses and 

the grand Notre Dame de la Garde, built in the 

Roman-Byzantine style in the mid-1800s. 

DAY 5 / MONTE CARLO, MONACO 

Live like the rich and famous for a day in Monaco. 

DAY 8 / ROME, ITALY 

Today you’ll wake up in Civitavecchia, the port of 

Rome, where you’ll depart your ship. You could 

spend a few extra days exploring some of the famous 

landmarks of this magical city in more detail on a 

post-cruise extension. 

The 8-day 2021 Iconic Western Mediterranean trip, 

from Barcelona to Rome, starts from £2,190pp. 


58 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | WINTER 2019

Discover a different view 

of Spain 

Roman ruins and Moorish palaces. Revered cathedrals and renowned art. 

Enchanting hilltop villages and exciting cites. Epic pilgrimage trails and 

spectacular natural beauty. Tempting tapas and wonderful wines. No country 

stirs the soul like Spain. 

Viking offers a number of ocean journeys on which you can experience the real 

Spain, its people and traditions. From the historic treasures and tranquil beauty 

of Cartagena and Murcia province to Granada’s magnificent Alhambra Palace 

and the brilliance of Barcelona, our journeys give you a different view of this 

passionate and colourful country. 

Join us as we explore this beautiful land, on board a Viking ship that offers the 

last word in comfort. 

2021 ocean journeys from £2,190pp 

Call 020 8780 7900 or visit vikingcruises.co.uk 

Prices & availability are correct at the time of going to print but are subject to change. From prices are based on two people sharing the lowest grade stateroom on an 

Iconic Western Mediterranean ocean cruise on 6 January 2021. Single supplements 100%. Gratuities included on board ship only. For more information please visit 

vikingcruises.co.uk/terms-conditions or call us. 

VC_EM_Spain_Dec2019_A4_v6.indd 1 03/02/2020 17:19:14

A taste of Spain 

Follow these simple recipes to recreate 

the irrestible flavours of Spain 


RECIPES 

More so than any other 

European cuisine, 

Spanish gastronomy 

is influenced by the 

culture, society, geography and 

climate of its different regions. 

In Andalucia, home to Seville and 

the flamenco, Serrano ham and 

Iberico ham are both popular. 

Valencia is the place to try paella, 

while Barcelona is known for 

its Catalan cuisine. 

ALBÓNDIGAS 

CON TOMATE 

SERVES 4 

• INGREDIENTS: 

• 9 oz (255g) minced beef 

• 9 oz (255g) minced pork 

• 1 Spanish (red) onion 

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed 

• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs 

• 2 tbsp Cheddar cheese 

• 2 tsp smoked sweet paprika 

• 1 tbsp fresh oregano 

• 1 egg 

• Salt and pepper 

FOR THE SAUCE: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 

• 1 Spanish (red) onion 


• 1 red chilli, chopped 

• 1 tbsp fresh basil 

• 6 large tomatoes 

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

• Salt and pepper 

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley 

FOR THE GARLIC CROUTONS: 

• 1 small baguette 

• 2 oz (55g) butter 


• 1 tbsp fresh parsley 

METHOD: 

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. To 

make the meatballs, combine the 

beef, pork, chopped onion, garlic, 

breadcrumbs, grated Cheddar 

cheese, paprika and oregano in a 

bowl together with the egg. 

Season generously. 

2. With wet hands, shape the 

mixture into meatballs, weighing 

around 1¾ oz (50g) each. 

Refrigerate for half an hour. 

3. Meanwhile, make the garlic 

croutons. Melt the butter in a 

saucepan and add the crushed 

garlic and chopped parsley. Cut 

the bread into cubes and toss the 

cubes in the butter mixture. Spread 

out on a baking tray and bake 

for 20 minutes or until crisp and 

golden. Keep warm until needed. 

4. Next, heat the oil in a large 

frying pan and cook the meatballs 

in batches, turning frequently, 

until they have browned all over. 

Transfer to a baking tray and place 

in the oven for 10 minutes. 

5. To make the sauce, add the 

onion to the pan and cook until 

just soft and translucent. Add the 

garlic, chilli and basil and cook for 

30 seconds, then add the chopped 

tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. 

Bring to the boil and season well 

with salt and black pepper. 

6. Remove the meatballs from 

the oven and add them to the 

tomato sauce. Cover and simmer 

for 10 minutes. Serve with the 

garlic croutons. 

Above: Rich 

meatballs, 

served in a spicy 

tomato sauce, 

often feature on 

traditional Spanish 

tapas menus 

SPRING 2020| VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 61


RECIPES 

PAELLA CATALUNYA 

SERVES 4 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 pinch saffron threads 

• 2 pints (950ml) fish stock 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 

• 7 oz (200g) monkfish, in pieces 


• 1 large red onion, chopped 

• 1 tsp paprika 

• 2 red peppers, chopped 

• 9 oz (250g) paella rice 

• 4 large fresh tomatoes, chopped 

and de-seeded 

• 5 oz (140g) frozen peas 

• 1 lb (450g) squid, cleaned and 

sliced 

• 9 oz (250g) mussels, scrubbed, 

beards removed 

• 1 tsp salt 

• 1 tsp pepper 

TO GARNISH: 

• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 


METHOD: 

1. Place the saffron threads into a 

large, wide, heavy-based pan over 

a medium heat and stir constantly 

until they just begin to give off their 

aroma. Add the stock and bring to 

the boil. Transfer to a saucepan, 

cover and set aside. 

2. Return the pan to the heat and 

add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the monkfish 

and fry until lightly browned. 

Remove the fish and set aside. 

3. Add another tablespoon of oil to 

the pan. Add the garlic, onion and 

paprika and cook over a moderate 

heat for two minutes, stirring 

occasionally. Stir in the red peppers 

and cook until all the vegetables are 

soft but not brown. 

4. Add the rice and stir well, 

ensuring all the grains are well 

coated. Bring the saffron-infused 

stock to simmering point and add 

half of it to the rice. Stir, and then 

bring to the boil. Lower the heat 

and simmer for five minutes or until 

almost all the liquid is absorbed. 

5. Add the remaining stock, then 

stir in the tomatoes, peas and 

reserved monkfish pieces. Add the 

squid and simmer for five minutes. 

Arrange the mussels around the 

dish, pushing them into the rice. 

Simmer for a further 15 minutes or 

until the rice is tender and all the 

liquid has been absorbed. Season 

with salt and pepper. Remove the 

pan from the heat, cover with foil 

and leave to stand for five minutes. 

Discard any mussels that have not 

opened. Garnish generously with 

parsley before serving. 

CHURROS 

SERVES 4 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 8 fl oz (235ml) milk 

• 2 oz (55g) butter 

• 4 tbsp sugar 

• Pinch salt 

• 9 oz (255g) plain flour 

• 3 eggs 

• Vegetable oil for deep frying 

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR: 

• 2 ½ oz (70g) granulated sugar 

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE: 

• 8 ½ fl oz (250ml) whipping cream 

• 9 oz (255g) dark chocolate, 

chopped 

• 2 tbsp hazelnut (praline) paste 

METHOD: 

1. Place the milk, butter, sugar 

and salt in a saucepan and bring 

to a simmer. 

2. Add the flour to the pan and mix 

well to combine, cooking gently 

and stirring until the mixture forms 

a soft dough. Take the pan off the 

heat and beat in the eggs. 

3. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer 

to 190°C. (Alternatively, you can 

use a deep saucepan.) Test the 

temperature with a small 

amount of dough. 

4. Spoon the mixture into a piping 

bag with a star-shaped nozzle and 

pipe the mixture carefully into the 

hot oil, snipping each churro off 

with a pair of scissors. Fry until 

golden brown, then drain on paper 

towels. Toss the churros in the 

cinnamon sugar while still hot. 

5. For the chocolate sauce, heat 

the cream in a small saucepan 

and then pour over the chopped 

chocolate, stirring continuously 

until the sauce is smooth. Stir in 

the hazelnut paste and serve 

with the churros. 

Discover more online at 

exploringmore.com/video/tapas 

SPRING 2020| VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 63

Malaga 

The birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga has reinvented itself 

over the years, blending a bustling modern city with a rich 

ancient history, sunny beaches and fine art scene 

One of Spain’s most 

southerly cities, 

Malaga sits at 

the base of the 

Montes de Malaga, 

and, with a smart harbour, is the 

gateway to the Costa del Sol. 

Dating back to around 770BC, 

the city is awash with historical 

intrigue. A Roman amphitheatre 

and the Moorish citadels Gilfarbaro 

and Alcazaba are all worth a visit, 

and offer panoramic views across 

the city to the mountains. Malaga is 

easy to navigate via bus and metro, 

although most of the key tourist 

sites are within walking distance. To 

make the most of the city’s seafront 

location, you could rent a bike and 

cycle to the Playa Pedregalejo for 

a stroll along the beach. Dive into 

one of the fabulous fish restaurants 

after stopping off at the iconic 

Pompidou gallery; home to Spain’s 

esteemed modern artists. 

Undoubtedly popular with 

tourists, the elegant Museo Picasso 

charts the career of the city’s most 

famous son. For a more relaxed 

view of modern art, visit the 

Contemporary Art Museum or 

wander the pretty paved streets 

of the Soho district to view some 

striking street art, with a stop at a 

characterful local café. For a break 

away from the busy streets, try 

the impressive botanical gardens 

La Concepcion, or close to the 

port, the Paseo del Parque. 

Don’t miss 

•Malaga Cathedral (which the 

locals fondly call the one-armed 

lady) never gained its final tower, 

giving it a slightly off-balance 

appearance. The 200 steps to the 

restored rooftops offer wonderful 

views of the city. 

•Relax in the pretty Turkish baths 

of the Hammam Al Andalus, 

with thermal pools surrounded 

by lanterns. Visit the steam room 

or enjoy a massage followed by a 

soothing mint tea. 

•There are several bustling markets 

in Malaga, but the most colourful is 

the Mercado Central de Atarazanas 

with a stunning stained-glass 

entrance and a 14th-century 

Moorish arch. 

•The Pier 1 Port of Malaga 

neighbourhood is vibrant for 

nightlife where visitors can stroll 

the promenade, gaze out to sea or 

enjoy views over the Alcazabar and 

Castillo de Gibralfaro. 

•Malaga offers some unusual 

museums including the 

Aeronautical Museum, the Museo 

Automovilistico, housing almost 

100 restored classic cars, the 

Fast 

Facts 

The striking 

central bullring 

Plaza de 

Toros de La 

Malagueta 

was built in 

1874 and seats 

around 14,000 

spectators. 

Malaga is 

home to an 

annual film 

festival, wholly 

dedicated to 

promoting 

Spanish 

cinema and 

up-and-coming 

producers. 

Dating back 

around 2,800 

years and 

founded by the 

Phoenicians, 

Malaga is one 

of the oldest 

European 

cities. 

Museo del Vidrio y Cristal de 

Malaga, charting the history of 

glass and ceramics, and the Museo 

Interactivo de la Musica where 

visitors can play the instruments. 

Eating & Drinking 

Traditional dining is tapas – small 

hot and cold dishes for sharing. 

Favourites include succulent lamb, 

cured hams, tuna, prawns, local 

cheese and juicy padron peppers. 

MARISQUERIA JACINTO ££££ 

This crisp if slightly staid restaurant 

offers the region’s best fish direct 

from local markets. Beautiful plates 

of prawns and langoustines, oysters, 

clams in garlic and white wine, 

monkfish and red mullet make for a 

mouth-watering meal. 

VEGETARIAN EL CALAFATE ££ 

Tucked away in a charming 

backstreet, the menu at this quaint 

and cosy restaurant includes falafel, 


TRAVEL 

Clockwise 

from top: A 

palm tree-lined 

promenade in the 

seaside town of 

Nerja, Malaga; a 

window display 

of Empanadas; a 

flamenco dancer 

in traditional 

dress; churros 

being sprinkled 

with icing sugar; 

the spectacular 

entrance of the 

Mercado Central 

de Atarazanas 

samosas and a roasted vegetable 

salads. Don’t miss the lemon tart. 

MESON IBERICO £££ 

Highly recommended for tapas, 

booking is advised in this local 

jaunt. Soak up the atmosphere over 

dishes of calamari, and pork plus 

mini bocadillos (crispy sandwiches). 

Insider Tips 

PHOTOS: ADOBE STOCK 

EL DESCORCHE SORBOS & 

MORDISCOS £££ 

This quirky restaurant resembles a 

classroom, but the tapas is delicious 

and a little different from the 

norm. Try the cigarrales, patatas 

mar y montaña (sea and mountain 

potatoes) and crispy croquetas. 

RESTAURANTE MONTANA ££££ 

Beautifully presented fine dining 

in a 19th-century Mediterranean 

palace. Tasty seabass, goat and 

juicy suckling pig dishes are the 

recommended choices, or try 

the tasting menu. 

SWEET TREATS 

You can’t visit Malaga 

and not try churros, the 

delicious deep-fried long 

doughnuts dipped in 

warm chocolate sauce 

and sprinkled with icing 

sugar. Look out for fresh 

ones in local cafés. 

DANCING SHOES 

Catching a traditional 

flamenco performance 

makes for a fantastic 

night out on the town 

and the often improvised 

show at Kelipe Centro 

de Arte Flamenco is a 

wonderful experience. 

GREAT ON THE GO 

Empanadas are a 

traditional flaky pastry 

with sweet or savoury 

fillings. Watch them 

being made at high 

speed and eat them 

fresh from the oven 

at Empanadas Viste. 



top: Gaudi's 

Sagrada Familia 

looming over the 

city; Barceloneta 

Beach at sunrise; 

an aerial view 

of La Rambla; 

Spanish street 

food; beautiful 

wrought iron 

balconies 

overlooking the 

city streets 

Barcelona 

Proud city of the Catalans, Barcelona offers everything 

from Mediterranean beaches to Michelin-star dining and 

that renowned eclectic architecture 

Spain’s second largest city, 

Barcelona, could seem 

daunting to visitors, 

but besides being largely 

built in a highly navigable 

grid pattern, it has a whole heap 

of public transport options, 

including trams, funicular railways 

and cable cars, making it enjoyable 

to get around. 

Catalans are so proud of their 

distinct language, culture and 

heritage, that it’s hard to miss. 

Start with a stroll around Europe’s 

best-preserved Gothic Quarter 

(Barri Gotic) and visit the Museu 

d’Història de Catalunya where 

a rooftop bar offers views of the 

harbour. Wander the medieval lanes 

and stop at the gothic Barcelona 

Cathedral to see the stunning 

vaulted ceiling and cloister with its 

13 ornate geese. Spend some time 

in the attraction-packed Montjuïc 

to find the Palau Nacional, home 

to the Museu Nacional d’Art de 

Catalunya, as well as the Magic 

Fountain which some nights offers 

spellbinding light shows. Ride the 

funicular to the top of the hill for 

panoramic city views. 

A short metro ride takes you to 

the La Sagrada Familia – Antoni 

Gaudi’s most famous work – a 

church for the people. Buy a ticket 

online to bypass the queues. The 

carved, colourful interior resembles 

a fairy tale structure. Take a quick 

detour north to see the stunning 

Art Nouveau Recinte Modernista 

de Sant Pau before making the 

short walk down tree-lined streets 

to the Passeig de Gracia. Here you’ll 

find the iconic Gaudi house Casa 

Batlló and also Casa Mila with its 

fascinating rooftop walk, as well as 

other Modernista architecture. 

Don’t miss 

Take a tour of the flamboyant 

Palau de la Música Catalana. 

Its spectacular interiors helped 

it become a UNESCO World 

Heritage Site. 

The first home designed by 

Gaudi – Casa Vincens – opened 

to the public in 2017. One of the 

earliest examples of Art Nouveau, 

it blends beautiful tiled exteriors 

with Arabian and Oriental 

influences inside. 

Ride the lift to the top of the 

Mirador de Colom to the viewing 

gallery (60m up) for 360-degree 

views of the Gothic Quarter, Parc 

de Montjuïc and the harbour. 

The reasonably priced Museu 

d’Historia de Barcelona details 

the ancient and medieval history 

of Barcelona, particularly Roman 

artefacts and architectural remains. 

Fast 

Facts 

More than 30 

million tourists 

visit Barcelona 

annually, 

prompting 

officials to pass 

laws curbing 

the numbers. 

Founded as a 

Roman city, 

Barcelona 

is a leading 

international 

economic, 

cultural and 

trade hub. 

Barcelona 

fields one 

of the 

world’s most 

renowned 

football teams 

at Camp Nou, 

the largest 

football 

stadium in 

Europe, seating 

100,000 fans. 

Trading since 1836, the huge 

and famous Mercat de la Boqueria 

is an assault on the senses and a 

great place to sample a range of 

international edible treats. 

Eating & Drinking 

Although tapas is commonplace, 

Catalan cuisine has its own 

distinct style and cosmopolitan 

Barcelona offers some of Europe’s 

finest dining. 

LAB RESTAURANT ££££ 

This restaurant, as its name implies, 

likes to experiment with food and 

produces a tasting menu with a 

twist. Exquisite looking dishes 

made from local ingredients are 

served with a flourish. 

AGUT ££ 

Popular with locals in the Barri 

Gotic, this restaurant serves 

traditional Catalonian dishes 

overlooked by paintings from 


TRAVEL 

classical, local artists. Try the 

bouillabaisse (fish stew) and pig 

trotters stuffed with pork sausages. 

CAN ROS £££ 

A long-established rustic restaurant 

specialising in seafood and rice 

dishes. Try the black rice with 

cuttlefish and artichokes and the 

traditional cod fish. 

Insider Tips 


TAPAS 24 £££ 

Arrive early or prepare to wait 

as there’s no booking at this 

popular tapas restaurant, offering 

a gastronomic twist on traditional 

favourites. Highly recommended 

are the toasted ham, cheese 

and truffle sandwiches and the 

boquerones al limón (lemonmarinated 

anchovies). 

RESTAURANTE LASARTE ££££ 

Book ahead as diners flock to this 

place, the first local restaurant to 

achieve three Michelin stars. 

STREET-SIDE BITES 

The hip Gracia 

neighbourhood is distinct 

from other parts of 

the city. By day, sample 

varied street food and 

tasty tapas. At night, 

find cool and classy bars 

playing live jazz. 

EVENING AMBLE 

Las Ramblas is the most 

popular street in the city, 

with shops, restaurants 

and cafes. You'll find 

locals and residents alike 

out enjoying the treelined 

strip way into the 

golden evenings. 

TO THE BEACH 

Although most visitors 

are lured to Barcelona 

for its plethora of 

attractions, the beach, 

Playa de La Barceloneta, 

is a great spot that comes 

to life in the evenings 

with buzzing beach bars. 


Viking 

BOOK CLUB 

If you’re looking for reading recommendations for the year 

ahead, look no further. Here we select a few of 

our favourite novels… 

JOIN OUR 

BOOK CLUB 

www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk/why-viking/community/book-club 


BOOK CLUB 

COOKING FOR 

PICASSO BY 

CAMILLE 

AUBRAY 

Ballantine Books, 

£12.18 

An evocative 

tale whisking 

readers away 

to the French 

Riviera on the cusp of springtime. 

The story begins in the 1930s – the 

young Ondine is helping out with 

her family café when a curious 

character disturbs the norm. The 

mysterious customer is one Pablo 

Picasso, who at this point in his 

life is at a crossroads similar to 

the recently broken-hearted 

Ondine. The tale flashes forward 

and the reader is transported to 

modern day New York. Celine, 

a makeup artist, learns of her 

grandmother Ondine’s close 

connection with the artist and, 

spurred on by her discovery, seeks 

to unravel the truth about her 

fascinating family connection. 

RIVER GOD, BY 

WILBUR SMITH 

Macmillan, £9.99 

The first book 

in a series of 

Egyptian epics 

by Wilbur Smith, 

this story tells of 

the fate of the 

ancient Egyptian 

Kingdom through the perspective 

of a bright slave named Taita. An 

expert in art, poetry and medicine, 

Taita is a precious possession 

of Lord Intef, but when Intef’s 

daughter is married off to the 

Pharaoh, Taita’s fate is sealed and 

he becomes a dedicated slave to 

the newlyweds. Taita consequently 

finds himself tangled in a web of 

deception amidst a tumultuous 

backdrop of a divided ancient 

Egypt. With twists at every turn, 

this is a romp packed with death 

and intrigue in the mysterious 

Valley of the Kings. 

THE BLUE 

PERIOD BY 

LUKE JEROD 

KUMMER 

Little A, £8.99 

A fascinating 

depiction of 

Pablo Picasso’s 

uprooting from 

the gritty streets 

of turn-of-the-century Barcelona to 

bohemian Paris, where the young 

artist navigates a relationship 

with the mysterious muse, 

Germaine Gargallo. The comingof-age 

tale follows the determined 

artist and his poet accomplice, 

Carles Casagemas, running riot 

in the streets of Montmartre, 

experiencing all the excitement of 

this artistic quarter of the capital at 

a time of heightened debauchery. 

The artists’ passion for Gargallo 

intensifies and exposes a rift in 

their relationship, but amid the 

despair, Picasso discovers a colour 

palette to inspire a wave of artistic 

creativity. 

THE 

DISCOVERY OF 

SLOWNESS BY 

STEN NADOLNY 

Viking Penguin, 

£9.99 

Sten Nadolny’s 

masterpiece 

recounts the 

life of Sir John 

Franklin, a British Royal Navy 

officer and explorer of the Arctic. 

Franklin famously made three 

attempts to find the Northwest 

Passage – a sea route to the Pacific 

Ocean though the Arctic Ocean. 

His final voyage in 1845 ended 

in notorious tragedy for him and 

his men, becoming the worst 

disaster in the history of British 

polar exploration. But the work 

of Franklin paved the way for the 

discovery of the Northwest Passage 

and Nadolny’s thorough historical 

research is an labour of love and 

testament to this fascinating man. 

THE NORTH 

WATER BY IAN 

MCGUIRE 

Simon and 

Schuster, £8.99 

A riveting 

murder mystery 

set onboard a 

whaling ship 

bound for the 

Arctic in the mid-19th Century, at 

a time when the whaling industry 

was on its last legs. Having left the 

British Army, Patrick Sumner joins 

the ship as its surgeon as the crew 

heads for the Arctic Circle on a 

doomed voyage. In the midst of the 

journey, a cabin boy is discovered 

dead. Patrick finds himself faced 

with more than he signed up 

for on the expedition, battling 

human relationships tested in 

close proximities and the inevitable 

harshness of mother nature. 

THE VISITORS 

BY SALLY 

BEAUMAN 

Little, Brown 

and Company, 

£7.99 

Dive into Sally 

Beauman’s 

fascinating 

fiction for a 

taste of the trail for Tutankhamun. 

Set in Egypt in the 1920s, this 

novel sifts through Carter’s long 

years of toil in the Valley of the 

Kings, reimagining the story of 

Carter and Carnarvon’s hunt for 

the elusive tomb. The adventure 

is cleverly retold through the eyes 

of an eleven-year-old English girl, 

Lucy, who has been sent to Egypt 

to recover from typhoid, a fever 

to which she has lost her mother. 

Lucy is caught up in the excitement 

that surrounds the search, making 

friends with the daughter of an 

American archaeologist. Years later, 

the book switches to London in 

the present day and we catch 

up with a Lucy haunted by the 

ghosts of her past. 



Treasure hunt 

Journalist Rachael Funnell joins Viking on a whirlwind 

tour to uncover Egyptian artefacts and artworks 


CULTURE 

The rooms revealed a spellbinding collection of 

furniture, ornaments and jewellery, each one 

more opulent than the last 

PHOTOS: ALAMY; © THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM; 

As an aspiring 

Egyptologist, you 

can imagine my 

excitement when last 

year I was invited to 

attend the Viking’s pre-Nile Cruise 

experience. Having been waiting on 

tenterhooks for the opening of the 

Saatchi’s Tutankhamun exhibition, 

it was a real thrill to have such an 

extensive reintroduction to the 

short but impactful life of the Boy 

King and the bizarre events that 

unfolded when two Englishmen 

went in search of his remains. 

Starting at the British Museum, 

I felt a pang of shame as it emerged 

what a rich and insightful collection 

of ancient Egyptian treasures are 

housed here, considering I couldn’t 

recall when I’d last visited despite 

living just 30 minutes away. Led by 

our knowledgeable guide, we learnt 

about the complex process of 

ancient Egyptian burial among the 

very rich, who would be laid to rest 

with their prized treasures to assist 

them on their journey through to 

the afterlife. The number of each 

item was listed in a chart carved 

onto the interior walls of the tomb, 

like man’s earliest version of an 

excel spreadsheet. 

Next, we moved on to the 

Saatchi Gallery to see the groundbreaking 

Tutankhamun exhibition. 

Having smashed records in France 

for the highest footfall of any 

exhibition, with over 1.3 million 

visitors over its six month run, my 

expectations were high and I did 


top left: The 

British Museum’s 

Great Court, the 

largest covered 

public square in 

Europe; a mummy 

cartonnage of an 

adult man bearing 

the name Djeho; 

Rachael outside 

Highclere Castle, 

home to the 

Canarvan family; 

the exterior of the 

Saatchi Gallery 

not leave disappointed. The rooms 

revealed a spellbinding collection of 

furniture, ornaments and jewellery, 

each one more opulent than the 

last, climaxing, in my opinion, in 

one of the upstairs rooms where the 

Pharaoh’s canopic jars are displayed. 

Next, we were on our way to 

Oxford to benefit from the 

knowledge of the incredible 

academics at The Griffith Institute. 

We saw original artworks by 

Howard Carter, squeeze casts taken 

from tomb walls (before they 

realised the paper damaged the 

walls) and, most excitingly of all, 

Carter’s personal diary. 

After a relaxing evening we 

awoke bright and early the next day 

to explore the Ashmolean Museum 

which has an extensive collection of 

Egyptian artefacts. Many of them 

were sent here by the father of 

archaeology, William Flinders 

Petrie, after he had a falling out 

with the British Museum, and were 

protected during World War II as, 

for reasons which aren’t entirely 

clear, Oxford was completely spared 

from any bombing. 

Our final stop was a visit to 

Highclere Castle, recognisable to 

many as the location of the hit TV 

show Downton Abbey. To this day 

the castle is home to the Carnarvon 

family, descendants of Lord 

Carnarvon who funded the 

excavation in search of 

Tutankhamun. After a tour of the 

rooms we headed to the wine cellar 

which has been converted into a 

devoted Tutankhamun museum. 

My favourite story from the visit 

was that, in 1987, the fifth earl’s 

now-retired butler was asked by his 

son if they had seen everything in 

the house during an inventory with 

Sotheby’s. The butler responded, 

“yes, except for the Egyptian stuff,” 

as it was revealed that a stash of 

ancient Egyptian artefacts had been 

sitting in a blocked off cupboard 

for years. If only such treasures 

were hiding in my cupboards! 

For more about Privileged 

Access tours around the world 

visit vikingcruises.co.uk. 


Seal of approval 

For travel writer John Wilmott, a visit to Tutankhamun: Treasures of 

the Golden Pharaoh and the discovery of a long-forgotten stamp 

sparks memories of his childhood 

Clearing out one of 

several junk-stuffed 

cupboards a few 

months ago, I came 

across something I 

had not set eyes on for years. 

It is a square envelope with a 

strange printed seal on the front 

and a hieroglyphics puzzle on the 

back. Inside is a smaller envelope 

on which there is a Royal Mail 

stamp depicting the famous boy 

king Tutankhamun. 

The postmark says ‘First Day Of 

Issue’ with the date of April 26, 

1972. The day of my 11th birthday. 

I had long forgotten that this 

had been a gift. The stamp’s value 

is three pence – this was a year 

after decimalisation. 

Contained within the small 

envelope was a card. It turns out 

this little package was a rather 

sophisticated (for the time) 

promotional vehicle for Wiggins 

Teape, a manufacturer of speciality 

writing paper. 

The blurb draws a parallel 

between the papyrus used by 

ancient Egyptians and the 

company’s fine papers – the 

document is printed on timeless 

Conqueror Vellum. 

I don’t know if my rediscovery of 

this little prize was an omen, but 

just a few days later I received an 

email stating that Viking was to be 

the Presenting Sponsor for a major 

new exhibition, Tutankhamun: 

Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, at 

the Saatchi Gallery in London. 

When this exhibition finishes 

touring through several countries, 

we will be on the cusp of the 100th 

anniversary of the discovery of 

Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s 

Valley of the Kings in 1922 by 

archaeologist Howard Carter. 

My 1972 first-day cover was 

produced to mark the 50th 

anniversary of the discovery and was 

part of the enormous hype 

surrounding a major Tutankhamun 

exhibition in the UK that year. 


CULTURE 

My 1972 stamp was produced to mark the 

50th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s 

tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter 

PHOTOS: THE SAATCHI GALLERY 

After its opening by the Queen, 

more than 1.6 million people 

visited the British Museum to see 

the remarkably preserved artefacts 

from the tomb, with many queuing 

for hours – this was decades before 

online booking! 

Years later, the well-known 

cartoonist Michael Heath recalled 

to the Telegraph: “The whole 

country had gone Tutankhamun 

mad: there were Tutankhamun 

stamps, Tutankhamun pencilsharpeners, 

Tutankhamun vacuum 

flasks, Tutankhamun cocktails…” 

At the Saatchi Gallery, the 

well-spaced and carefully-lit 

exhibits showcase the incredible 

richness of the pharaoh’s 

possessions. With more than 

150 items on show, visitors will 


top left: John’s 

original 1972 

stamp; Gilded 

wooden compound 

bow with glass 

and calcite inlay; 

Tutankhamun’s 

Wishing Cup in the 

form of an open 

lotus; Wooden 

statue of the King 

in the white crown 

Opposite page: 

Wooden guardian 

statue of the Ka of 

the King wearing 

the Nemes 

headcloth 

sense the wonder that prompted 

Carter to exclaim “wonderful 

things!” when he first peered 

through a hole into the tomb. 

Undisturbed for more than 

3,000 years, the collection of 

statues, furniture, jewellery and 

weaponry, which accompanied the 

18-year-old into the afterlife, is 

in as-new condition. 

After studying it, I think I’ve 

worked out that the image on my 

stamp is a close-up of the ‘gilded 

wooden figure of Tutankhamun on 

a skiff, throwing a harpoon’, 

which is on display. 

What struck me was the 

incredible craftsmanship of the 

antiquities – the delicate use of 

gold and glass, the immaculate 

etching on wood and leather. The 

artisans of the time were as skilled 

as those two millennia later. 

If I was allowed to take one item 

home with me, it would be the 

Wishing Cup, shaped like an open 

lotus flower and made from 

travertine – a stunning piece which 

seems to cast a glow from within. 

When the exhibition finishes 

touring, it will be housed in the 

new Grand Egyptian Museum in 

Giza, never again to leave Egypt. 

An good reason, then, to put a Nile 

cruise with Viking on my travel 

bucket list so I can once more gaze 

upon the gleaming golden treasures 

and agree that they are indeed 

“wonderful things”. 

For more information 

about the exhibition visit 

tutankhamun-london.com 


TRAVEL 

My THAILAND 

Viking’s Head of PR Bryony Gammon, who spent three years 

living in Bangkok, shares her tips for visitors to the city 

One of the things I 

loved most about 

living in Bangkok 

was the people. They 

are some of the friendliest and 

most hospitable people I have 

ever met, but what I appreciated 

most was their sense of sanuk 

(pronounced ‘sanook’), which, 

roughly translated, means fun. 

As a sprawling metropolis, 

Bangkok can feel like an 

overwhelming place. However, 

I would encourage visitors to 

get off the well-trodden tourist 

path, hone in on one particular 

neighbourhood, meet the locals and 

embrace the frenetic pace. 

Instead of taking a taxi, take the 

Skytrain or a tuk tuk, or if you are 

feeling really brave, ride side-saddle 

on a motorbike taxi. Learning a few 

words of Thai is much appreciated 

by local people, even if it is just 

Sawadee ka (hello). 

There are more green spaces in 

Bangkok than you might think. In 

Benjakitti Park near my favourite 

neighbourhood Asoke, you can hire 

paddle boats or bikes and, in the 

evenings, the skyline lights up with 

the glow of rooftop bars. 

It is definitely worth getting up 

early to explore Lumphini Park, 

where you can join local people for 

one of the free aerobics classes or a 

morning jog. Watch out for one of 

the free outdoor concerts and take a 

picnic – a magical way to spend an 

evening. Don't be afraid if you spot 

one of the giant monitor lizards 

ambling along the path – they are 

perfectly friendly. 

No visit to Bangkok would be 

complete without going on the 

Chao Phraya river – take a boat 

from the pier near Saphan Taksin to 

one of the five star hotels or book 

a river tour. It is fascinating to see 

how local people live along the 

khlongs (canals). 

On many of the Viking shore 

excursions and onboard in The 

Restaurant, you will have the 

chance to sample Thai dishes. 

My favourite discovery was som 

tam – spicy papaya salad. On 

the Southeast Asia & Hong Kong 

itinerary, guests can join the 

Executive Chef on a tour of a local 

market and then participate in a 

cooking class once back on board. 

Viking guests can also opt to 

visit Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World 

Heritage Site just outside Bangkok. 

The trip includes a visit to Bang 

Pa-In Summer Palace, a collection 

of pavilions in a variety of Thai, 

Chinese, Italian and Victorian 

architectural styles set in a very well 

manicured garden. 

If you time your visit to coincide 

with a Thai festival, you will be able 

to gain a fascinating insight into the 

local culture. Songkran is Thailand's 

most famous festival. It marks the 

beginning of the Thai New Year 

and people celebrate by splashing 

water on each other 

– like a nationwide 

water fight. My advice 

is to leave everything 

at home and put 

your possessions in a 

watertight bag – you 

never know who is 

hiding just around 

the corner to throw 

water all over you! 

Such sanuk... 


below: Som Tam 

Tai, a popular 

and favourite 

Thai food dish; 

Vendors selling 

produce at 

Damnoen Saduak 

Floating Market; 

Bryony makes 

friends with an 

elephant 

PHOTOS: © ADOBE STOCK; GETTY 


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the Arctic and Antarctica. 

To enable you to best explore the Great Lakes, we have assembled a world-class expedition 

team to lead you on engaging shore landings and esteemed scientific partnerships to deliver 

enriching programmes. 

The expedition ship perfected, Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis are home to just 378 guests 

and guild on our legacy of exploration with many industry firsts. Availability is limited and we 

are new taking bookings for our 2022 itineraries. Join us on the ultimate adventure aboard 

an expedition ship that offers the ultimate in comfort. 

Find out more about our extraordinary expedition ships and our 

equally extraordinary journeys to the Arctic, Antarctica and the 

Great Lakes. Call 0800 014 7538 or visit vikingcruises.co.uk 

VC_Oceans_Lakes_Jan2020_A4_v6.indd 1 03/02/2020 17:26:51

Embark on the ultimate adventure 

to the Arctic or Antarctica 

Discover the true Arctic on a journey to the top of the world, where polar bears reign 

and blue ice floats serenely on the horizon. Or explore Antarctica, the Last Continent, 

that is covered in ice and teeming with penguins, seals and whales. 

Our new expedition journeys Arctic Adventure and Antarctic Explorer reveal a 

breathtaking view of the planet in its purest state, and take you to pristine landscapes 

to see wildlife in its natural habitat. 

To allow you to best explore these unrivalled destinations, we have assembled a 

world-class expedition team to lead you on engaging shore landings, and esteemed 

scientific partnerships to develop enriching onboard programmes. 

The expedition ship perfected, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are home to just 378 

guests, and build on our legacy of exploration, with many industry firsts. Availability is 

limited and we are now taking bookings for our 2022 voyages. Join us on the ultimate 

adventure aboard a ship that offers the ultimate in comfort. 

Find out more about our extraordinary expedition ships and our 

equally extraordinary journeys to the Arctic, Antarctica and the 

Great Lakes. Call 0800 014 7538 or visit vikingcruises.co.uk 

VC_Expeditions_Dec2019_A4_v7.indd 1 03/02/2020 17:25:15

Explore More_UK_Spring Issue_2020

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