The Explorers’ Lounge on the Viking Mira. Photo / Supplied
Borrow from countless little libraries
Did I arrive on Viking Mira with four books to read in just eight days? Yes. Did I also intend to beeline for the onboard library just in case there was something else to read? You bet. But here’s the delightful surprise: Viking Mira’s library isn’t confined to one room. Instead, bookshelves are scattered everywhere (and I mean everywhere): at the entrance to the World Cafe, in the hallways beside the Wintergarden, beside the fresh towels by the indoor swimming pool and along the walls of the lounge. “I’ve been on board for two weeks and just found a new bookshelf yesterday,” Katie tells me, and I don’t doubt her.
Bookshelves in The Explorers’ Lounge on Viking Mira. Photo / Supplied
Titles are relatively high-brow and most seem to fall under literary fiction, memoir and history, as well as a healthy amount of crime and classics. They also, rather playfully, seem somewhat organised by their location; chef memoirs, cookbooks and fiction with foodie titles near the restaurants, beach reads by the pool and epics of adventure and expedition in the Explorers’ Lounge.
Encouragingly, the books aren’t merely decorative. Every day I pass people sprawled on loungers, tucked into ocean-facing couches or tanning on the top deck with a book or e-reader in hand and it feels deeply wholesome to be surrounded by fellow book lovers.
Learn from resident historians
Parked up front, eyes glued to the PowerPoint, it feels like I’m back in the Auckland University lecture hall. Except this time, I have a glass of wine in hand and the Norwegian Sea beneath my feet.
That Viking has a fulltime resident historian tells you a lot about the cruise line. That Dr Juan Garcia, PhD’s lectures were near-full every night tells you a lot about the cruisers.
While my husband admittedly would have preferred to have his negroni on deck eight, with sunset views across the edge of Norway, we steal away for 45 minutes for a lecture on Vikings. Lucky we do, because in that lecture we learn (or rather, unlearn) a treasure trove of Viking lore.
No, they weren’t all war-loving raiders or burly, rugged men. In fact, the average Viking was 5”7, fastidiously clean, and had a slender but strong build. And those horned helmets we always imagine them wearing? Also fiction. They would’ve worn metal egg-shaped hats in battle, Dr Garcia reveals. The horned helmets came much later, when costume designer Carl Emil Döpler wanted his Norsemen actors to appear larger on stage.
Other talks explored the geography of Norway’s magnificent fjords, and all met the need so many discerning travellers have: to deeply understand a place rather than observe the highlight reel during a day stop. Inspired, my husband and I continue the habit post-cruise; each night before travelling to a new city, we watch an hour-long video on the history that shaped the destination, from Amsterdam and Brussels to Paris and London.
Want to learn even more? Just visit the ship’s onboard museum. Yes, you read that correctly. Set inside glass cabinets on deck three, ancient relics and displays offer a glimpse into Nordic history and way of life.
Cruising through Aurlandsfjorden in Flam, Norway. Photo / Supplied
Dig deeper with free destination tours
On land, I’m thrilled to discover one doesn’t need to spend more money to dive deep into our destinations, be it Ulvik, Stavanger, Oslo or Kristiansand. If you’re cynical of anything free, join the club; I’ve attended many “free” excursions where you get what you paid for. So, strolling towards Stavanger’s city centre with our local guide Lars, I was cautiously hopeful the two-hour walking tour would be worthwhile. Within minutes, I knew it was a winner. Polished and astute, with that classic dry Norwegian humour, Lars brought the fishing town to life, delivering facts and folklore seamlessly into our headsets as we swiftly moved through the streets – no painfully slow ambling here. “We had the best guide,” we told our cruise friends later that day, certain we’d bagged the best of the bunch. “Oh no, our one was fabulous,” they replied. Wins all round, it seems.
Find quiet spots around every corner
When space is at a premium, as it is on a ship, what is given space reveals what is valued. For some cruise lines, it’s entertainment: cinemas and stages, or dining with countless bars and restaurants. On Viking Mira, yes, there is space for an indoor pool and Nordic Spa, a small theatre and a handful of restaurants, but it seems most free space isn’t designed around entertainment or consumption, but simply existing. Perhaps with a book, a conversation or your own thoughts. I can hardly walk a minute without encountering comfortable chairs with a side table or bookshelf close by, whether it’s the always-humming Captain’s Lounge, cosy lounge or sunny loungers on the top deck. It’s a dream scenario for an ambivert or, as in my case, a pair with different dispositions. Feeling social? It’s easy to strike up a conversation. Feeling internal? Lean back with a book or close your eyes for some quiet time. It’s also what creates the subtle yet deeply affecting atmosphere on board, one free from noisy distraction, where you can finally let your mind unravel and playfully wander.
Musicians performing in the atrium of a Viking ocean ship with Edvard Munch’s, The Scream, displayed on the stairway monitor. Photo / Supplied
See priceless art for free
Standing in the atrium, I spot a framed sketch of a ghoulish face that tugs at my memory. “Surely not,” I mutter before spotting the plaque that confirms my hunch; the face is a relative of The Scream and an original by iconic expressionist painter (and Norwegian) Edvard Munch. It’s one of five Munch works on Viking Mira alone, part of Viking’s private collection. However, his works are far from the only art on board. Alongside artful decor, Viking Mira has its own commissioned art collection that spans classic and contemporary Scandinavian artists, from a painting by the famous Norwegian-American painter Ida Lorentzen to a work by 28-year-old self-taught watercolourist Axel Thorenfeldt. The result is interiors that feel as much like a gallery as a hotel. One with diverse works of art, from sculptural stone or wood pieces to classical abstract paintings or large archival photographs. Plus, each evening, while the ship’s classical musicians play, crystal-clear digital copies of Munch’s work are projected in the lounge thanks to Viking’s partnership with Oslo’s Munch Museum.
“Second Descent” by Jørn Olaf Jøntvedt on a Viking cruise ship. Photo / Supplied
So, does Viking deliver for the thinking traveller? If you enjoy a holiday spent immersed in books, art, history and culture, you’ll certainly be in good company.
Details
Viking’s eight-day Viking Shores & Fjords voyage sails from Bergen to Stockholm or vice versa. Prices start from AUD$9795 for a Veranda Stateroom.
New Zealand Herald Travel travelled courtesy of Viking Cruises.