Sussex Exclusive Magazine Issue 6 2023

HEALTH TRAVEL
TRAVEL
A cruise around Iceland
The Viking explorer Garðar Svavarsson
is credited with being the first person to
circumnavigate Iceland by boat. In 870.
Nowadays, from June to August, a sevendeck,
113m, 160 passenger, two-suite
MS Seaventure (which was built in 1990
in Japan) cruises around Europe’s most
sparsely populated country. It is a very
well-organized, luxury field trip. And very
sinful. A full-board expedition with far
too much cake.
And after sailing around Iceland on a
cruise ship, you’ll be left with a happy
glow.
Your Icelandic itinerary
Leaving and disembarking Reykjavik
harbour beside the city’s Harpa concert
hall, Iceland Pro Cruises 10-day,
1280 nautical mile (1380 land mile)
“Circumnavigation of Iceland” cruise
sails clockwise, taking in the ports and
fishing villages of Stykissholmur on
the Snaefellssnes peninsula, Isafjordur,
Siglufordur, north coast Husavik (the
whaling capital), Seydisfjordur and
Djupivogur on the east coast and the
Vesmannjaer islands off south-east
Iceland. Buses are waiting for you all the
way round Iceland.
The cruise introduces you to glacier
tongues and fingers, whales, dolphins,
seals, a glacial lagoon, guano-splattered
cliffs, countless waterfalls, petrified trolls
and other impressive lava formations,
basalt outcrops and columns.
You’ll also discover Arctic chard hotel
lunches, the islands of Flatey and
Grimsey, various seismic hotspots, the
34-40 degrees Myvatyn nature baths in
north Iceland (a 288-mile drive from
the capital) and Vok’s floating bio-active
thermal spring pools and freshwater fields
of Alaskan lupines and dwarf birch.
If that’s not enough look out for the
Bjarnarhofn shark museum with
“hakarl” fermented Greenland shark
tasting included (think cheese), the fjord
containing Iceland’s Loch Ness monster
(The Lagerflyot Wyrm) and the country’s
only arboretum. It’s quite a trip.
The singing sailor
Not many, if any cruise ships, can boast
a resident professional opera singer and
a pianist who studied under the Vatican’s
chief organist. But our tour guide and onboard
lecturer, Arndís Halla Ásgeirsdóttir,
studied at the Söngskólinn (Reykjavik
Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts). She
has recorded six albums and performed in
Prague, Monte Carlo, South Korea and
Venice. As well as performing regularly
on-board, accompanied by keyboards
maestro Ingimar Palsson.
And (sea conditions permitting) she’s also
performed in a Zodiac inflatable dinghy
in the acoustic caves of the Westmann
islands where she gives a recital of
“Amazing Grace”.
Your captain, crew and serving
suggestions
The captain is Croatian (the charming Ivo
Botica), the crew Filipino and Balinese
and the menus include Lambaframpartur
Icelandic slow braised lamb shoulder,
Steiktur lambalæri-Icelandic Braised
Lamb shank, pan-seared duck, guinea
breast, “Humarsupa” lobster soup, panseared
fresh Icelandic ling and a sinful
array of highly calorific and dangerously
moreish desserts.
Desserts include Icelandic-style date cake,
Skyr (curdled milk and strained yoghurt)
cake and chilled yoghurt-peach cream pie,
poached pineapple coupe and too much
vanilla ice cream.
Wine on board is $33-37, a G&T $10
Thermals
Snaefeksnes Peninsula
Siglufjörður
Dynjandi Waterfall
and cocktails $8. Also laid-on are chef
Rufino’s afternoon tea gateaux.
The coastline slides by.
Excursions
You have to watch your weight on the
SeaVenture. The Icelandic horse-trekking
trip (never call them ponies) has a
maximum weight limit of sixteen stone.
The shore excursions (two Zodiac
landings and the rest from pier side)
are brilliantly organized by cruise
expedition leader Hermann Helgussn
who wakes you every morning over
the Tannoy with “Good morning,
dear ladies and gentleman, welcome to
another beautiful day.”
Along with his team of experts,
Hermann gives multi-lingual lectures
in the Expedition Lounge auditorium
on everything from knitting, geology,
ornithology and political history. He
even shows you his own dramatic
drone film footage of the 2021
Fagradalsfjall eruption.
Highlights
Among many highlights (including the
Cyprus-registered ship slowly pirouetting
mid-fjord surrounded by whales), was
the Crossing The Polar Circle party for
which you get a certificate to remind you
of Latitude 66 58’N, Longtitude 16 28’W
and the amount of “brennivin” (Icelandic
caraway-infused aquavit) you consumed
and the knees-up you had.
You learn a lot cruising around Iceland.
You learn that a herring reaches sexual
maturity at the age of three. That
reindeers are relative ruminants-comelately,
arriving in 1771. That there are
10,000 waterfalls there. That there have
been eight major eruptions since 1980.
And that the pastry chefs don’t stint on
the sugar and whipped cream.
And that there is far more to Iceland than
blue eyes, puffins and roll mops.
There is nothing polarizing about Iceland.
Everyone loved it.
Booking your trip
In 2024, they will be offering a “Hot
Springs and Eternal Ice” combined
Iceland Circumnavigation and Natural
Wonders of Greenland.
Circumnavigation of Iceland cruises
begin at $4,415 (£3,372) per person,
exc. Flights. Greenland cruises start
at $9,970.
www.icelandicprocruises.com
ICELANDAIR
(www.icelandair.com) flies daily
to Keflavik which is a 45-minute
shuttle to the harbour.
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