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Cumbria Times
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Phil Hopkins
Group Travel Editor & Theatre Correspondent
@philhopkinsuk
2:00 AM 20th August 2022
travel

Iceland’s King of Cool

 
Fred Olsen's Borealis ship docked in the shadow of Belfast's Titanic visitor experience.
Fred Olsen's Borealis ship docked in the shadow of Belfast's Titanic visitor experience.
An outing to the Titanic Belfast visitor experience may not be the most auspicious way to begin a journey to the Arctic Circle, however, it does serve to demonstrate how far cruising has come since that fateful day in April 1912.

Gone is third class where American-bound migrants filled with hopes of a new life, spent countless hours wondering whether their journey would ever end, and in are musical extravaganzas, saunas, massages, fine dining and sea days crammed with daily entertainments from ice carving to ballroom lessons, ukulele classes to killer darts!

Welcome to cruising 2022 style and Fred Olsen’s Exploring Remote Iceland & Greenland tour, a 14- day sail to some of the remotest areas on the planet.
We had departed Liverpool Cruise Terminal 48 hours earlier and, after picking up additional passengers in Northern Ireland – stop for our first ‘Titanic’ shore experience – we were seated in the silver service Aurora Restaurant on deck eight where me and my travelling companion were surrounded by cruise veterans: four people with accents thicker than Yorkshire pudding batter sat to our right.

Tom from Sheffield was quick to advise that food was beyond compare. “You arrive as passengers and leave as cargo,” he quipped, referring to Fred Olsen’s excellent, mouth -watering cuisine.

We were on board the Borealis, a majestic liner boasting 702 cabins and 695 staff from 26 nationalities, with a passenger capacity of 1360: it didn’t take long to appreciate that many of my fellow cruisers were as varied as the daily menus.
A family of four proudly displayed their Iron Maiden world tour tee shirts, whilst Mary from Winchester was celebrating her 80th birthday with a jive class.

Upstairs Filipino waiter Charpet had everyone in fits of laughter. “You probably won’t remember my name so think of the word ‘Carpet’ but with an H,” he advised. His well-rehearsed timing was impeccable, his largely British audience appreciative!

The hustle and bustle of life on the ship with its vibrant bars and restaurants, was juxtaposed with the ever-increasing isolation of the Atlantic ocean as we sailed further north. Outside the ship was a blip on the ocean, inside a veritable hotel full of life, laughter and anticipation.
It was early morning and by 9.30am I had breakfasted on a diet of yoghurt, nuts, fruit and seeds: would such restraint continue? Probably not!

Everyone was dressed to withstand the sub-zero temperatures of east Iceland but, within an hour, disembarked and with temperatures topping 12 degrees, layers were soon being peeled off as our four-wheel drive bus headed out of Seydisfjordur towards the Skalanes Nature Reserve, located on 1250 hectares of land and now home to more than 100 species of bird, arctic foxes and reindeer, the only place in Iceland where you will see the latter.
Seydisfjordur, established in 1900, sits at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name and with just 700 inhabitants and a string of brightly coloured buildings, was a veritable hive of activity compared to what was yet to come! Its picturesque ‘Blue Church’ is said to be one of the most photographed buildings in Iceland.
Seydisfjordur's famous Blue Church
Seydisfjordur's famous Blue Church
In these parts ‘troll’ folklore is a gift to local guides. “Is everyone back on the bus?” said ours. “If not the trolls will have something different to eat for lunch!” she laughed. And the bales of hay dotted all over the landscape and shrink wrapped in white plastic – clearly feedstock for animals during the harsh winters – they were “toilet paper for the giant trolls!”

This once tree lined country saw much of its timber decimated by early settlers and, these days, the challenge to re forest is very much at the front of people’s minds, ably supported by the introduction of Alaskan lupins, which promote soil quality, however, the joke goes that if you do get lost in an Icelandic forest simply stand up and you will find your way home easily!
We were at sea again and, as the coastline became increasingly remote, so the cuisine seemed ever more elaborate, especially in the private dining restaurants, Colours & Tastes, an Asian fusion option...
...and Vasco, so named after Vasco De Gama, one of the first European explorers to visit Goa in India.

“There is even a city named after him,” our waiter informed us, a 25-year-old self-confessed Buddhist, wise beyond his years.

He was working on board and helping to pay for his younger brother’s education in between serving to-die-for food that left us waddling to our cabins!

“I joined Fred Olsen from Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel,” he informed us. It was wonderful hearing about people’s amazing lives and, sometimes, it simply required a searching question that said, ‘I’m interested, tell me’.

The answers always enriched and will inevitably play their part in changing your life for ever
It was early morning and yet another port. This time Akureyri, widely regarded as the capital of Iceland’s Highlands, and gateway to the Godafoss ‘Waterfall of the Gods’...
...……and the tranquil Mývatn Hot Springs...

….the latter providing a unique chance to relax tired limbs in pools of hot water as temperatures above the shoulder dropped to five degrees!

Within the hour, as we said goodbye to the countless nationalities relaxing in the sulphur pools at Mývatn, we prepared ourselves for the final push towards even remoter Greenland via Prins Christiansund (Prince Christian Sound) – rated by Fred Olsen guests as one of the line’s best cruising experiences.

This stretch of water in Southern Greenland separates the mainland from Sammisoq and other islands of the Cape Farewell Archipelago. It was given its name in honour of the prince, later king Christian VIII of Denmark.
There you will witness soaring mountains and weave between glistening glaciers until you finally arrive at Nanortalik, fascinating, established in 1790 but akin to a semi-abandoned goldrush town straight out of California but without the sun!
Nanortalik - est 1790
Nanortalik - est 1790
Here nine months of the year are lived beneath snow and ice and with just 900 residents – there were 1200 – one has to ask how long it will survive as a sustainable community.

Once home to traditional kayak fishing - there is still a modern sea-based economy - however, more and more people are increasingly drawn to bigger cities where jobs are more plentiful.
Nanortalik Port with the Borealis at anchor
Nanortalik Port with the Borealis at anchor
But, if Nanortalik was a one-horse town – that was the description I wrote in my daily diary – then Narsarsuaq, our next stop, had had its horse stolen! However, it has one unique selling proposition: the breath taking Qooroq ice fjord which is accessed via a high-speed boat tour.

It is a rare opportunity to see icebergs up close and personal, hear their echoing creaks and pops, and breathe in the fjord’s cool, fresh air whilst getting close to the icecap itself.
We were 11 days into our two-week trip as we left Narsarsuaq for the 48-hour sail back to Iceland and the country capital of Reykjavik, gateway to Gullfoss Waterfall and gushing Geyser hot springs, the Raufarholshellir Lava Tunnel and the amazing Hvergardurinn Geothermal Park, one of the few places in the world where the entire community is located on an active geothermal area.
Iceland may only have a population of 370,000 but is light years ahead of the UK in terms of the green debate, already has four geothermal power stations and has even figured out how to grow bananas in vast temperature-controlled greenhouses.

It had been a thought-provoking trip which our waiter in Borealis’ Vasco Restaurant summed up beautifully as we steamed into Merseyside: “The sea is like a human. Sometimes she is angry, other times sad and, yes, even happy. When you are happy you are the richest man in the world because money cannot buy such happiness.”

I disembarked at Liverpool Cruise Terminal. The people I’d met and the things I’d seen had changed my life, and viewpoints, forever. At that moment the sea was happy, and so was I.

KEY FACTS
Here’s a factbox for a similar cruise next year:
Borealis’ 14-night S2315 ‘Exploring Rugged & Remote Greenland & Iceland’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 4th August 2023. Prices start from £2,599 per person.

Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland – Reykjavík, Iceland – Ísafjörður, Iceland – Cruising Prins Christiansund, Greenland – Qaqortoq, Greenland – Narsarsuaq, Greenland – Nanortalik, Greenland – Liverpool, England

For more details visit: https://www.fredolsencruises.com/cruise/greenland-iceland-s2315