The Explorers’ Lounge on the Viking Mira. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Borrow from countless little libraries<\/p>\n
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\u2019s the delightful surprise: Viking Mira\u2019s library isn\u2019t 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. \u201cI\u2019ve been on board for two weeks and just found a new bookshelf yesterday,\u201d Katie tells me, and I don\u2019t doubt her.<\/p>\n
Bookshelves in The Explorers’ Lounge on Viking Mira. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
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\u2019 Lounge. <\/p>\n
Encouragingly, the books aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Learn from resident historians<\/p>\n
Parked up front, eyes glued to the PowerPoint, it feels like I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
That Viking has a fulltime resident historian tells you a lot about the cruise line. That Dr Juan Garcia, PhD\u2019s lectures were near-full every night tells you a lot about the cruisers.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
No, they weren\u2019t all war-loving raiders or burly, rugged men. In fact, the average Viking was 5\u201d7, fastidiously clean, and had a slender but strong build. And those horned helmets we always imagine them wearing? Also fiction. They would\u2019ve worn metal egg-shaped hats in battle, Dr Garcia reveals. The horned helmets came much later, when costume designer Carl Emil D\u00f6pler wanted his Norsemen actors to appear larger on stage.<\/p>\n
Other talks explored the geography of Norway\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Want to learn even more? Just visit the ship\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Cruising through Aurlandsfjorden in Flam, Norway. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Dig deeper with free destination tours<\/p>\n
On land, I\u2019m thrilled to discover one doesn\u2019t need to spend more money to dive deep into our destinations, be it Ulvik, Stavanger, Oslo or Kristiansand. If you\u2019re cynical of anything free, join the club; I\u2019ve attended many \u201cfree\u201d excursions where you get what you paid for. So, strolling towards Stavanger\u2019s 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 \u2013 no painfully slow ambling here. \u201cWe had the best guide,\u201d we told our cruise friends later that day, certain we\u2019d bagged the best of the bunch. \u201cOh no, our one was fabulous,\u201d they replied. Wins all round, it seems.<\/p>\n
Find quiet spots around every corner<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s the always-humming Captain\u2019s Lounge, cosy lounge or sunny loungers on the top deck. It\u2019s a dream scenario for an ambivert or, as in my case, a pair with different dispositions. Feeling social? It\u2019s easy to strike up a conversation. Feeling internal? Lean back with a book or close your eyes for some quiet time. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Musicians performing in the atrium of a Viking ocean ship with Edvard Munch’s, The Scream, displayed on the stairway monitor. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
See priceless art for free<\/p>\n
Standing in the atrium, I spot a framed sketch of a ghoulish face that tugs at my memory. \u201cSurely not,\u201d 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\u2019s one of five Munch works on Viking Mira alone, part of Viking\u2019s 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\u2019s classical musicians play, crystal-clear digital copies of Munch\u2019s work are projected in the lounge thanks to Viking\u2019s partnership with Oslo\u2019s Munch Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond Descent\u201d by J\u00f8rn Olaf J\u00f8ntvedt on a Viking cruise ship. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
So, does Viking deliver for the thinking traveller? If you enjoy a holiday spent immersed in books, art, history and culture, you\u2019ll certainly be in good company. <\/p>\n
Details<\/p>\n
Viking\u2019s eight-day Viking Shores & Fjords voyage sails from Bergen to Stockholm or vice versa. Prices start from AUD$9795 for a Veranda Stateroom.<\/p>\n