Rainbows and reindeer in the land of the midnight sun: Cruise expert tests Viking Mars ship for adults to Norwegian fjords
After sailing down the Thames to Greenwich, Vikings pelted the Archbishop of Canterbury with cow bones before striking him with a fatal blow to the head.
Thankfully, 1,000 years later, my daughter Amy and I receive a much warmer welcome from the crew of Viking Mars. And after a 10-minute check-in at Greenwich Pier, we board the 930-guest ship moored on the Thames for our Into The Midnight Sun cruise to Norway.
There’s champagne waiting in our balcony suite to celebrate Amy’s 40th birthday, and a cabin steward calls to say that drinks from the minibar and the ironing service are free, so we empty our suitcases and have them freshly ironed. Lovely.
We set out to explore this elegant, adults-only ship, where light floods the vast, double-height atrium. Guests lounge on throw-covered sofas, reading and listening to the pianist as waiters bring drinks.
We stop for coffee, check our schedule and head to Mamsen’s snack bar for Norwegian open sandwiches loaded with salmon and prawns. During the midnight sail, tea clipper Cutty Sark and Christopher Wren’s Old Royal Naval College are bathed in a silvery glow and we point out landmarks to overseas guests.
Cruise expert Lesley Bellew boards the Viking Mars for an ‘Into the Midnight Sun’ cruise from Greenwich Pier to the fjords of Norway. Pictured above is a Viking cruise ship sailing through the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord
On board the ship, Lesley (left) finds ‘champagne waiting for her’ in her balcony suite to celebrate her daughter Amy’s (right) 40th birthday
In Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands, our guide Paul (jporkney.co.uk) treats Amy, a pastry chef, to a visit to Barony Mill, one of the oldest working flour mills in the UK. We set off with two bags of flour to test our baggage allowance on the return journey from Bergen Airport.
In Shetland we see seals sunbathing on a white sandy beach and the wildlife spotting continues near Honningsvag in northern Norway, where thousands of puffins paint the sea black – targets for circling sea eagles.
On the Arctic tundra, Amy outshines me. She spots an albino reindeer that the indigenous Sami consider the “magical leader of all reindeer.”
‘In Kirkwall (pictured above), the capital of the Orkney Islands, our guide Paul treats Amy, a pastry chef, to a visit to Barony Mill, one of the oldest working corn mills in the UK,’ says Lesley
‘In Shetland we see seals sunbathing on a white sandy beach,’ adds Lesley. Above – Atlantic grey seals on the Scottish coast
We feel the magic as we wake up in Tromso, overlooking the fjord and the Arctic Cathedral, but it’s the husky puppies on the island of Kvaloya that steal our hearts. A dynasty of Vikings once made their living from the rich catch of Norwegian cod in the Lofoten Islands, where we see the fish hanging on wooden racks to dry in the sun. The temperatures are 20 degrees or more and although it cools down at night, there is light 24 hours a day to enjoy the view.
Dining at Viking Mars’ restaurants is complimentary, as is wine, beer and soft drinks. To work off the calories, we take walks around the deck, and Amy opts to kayak in the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord while I wallow in the infinity pool.
One evening we win the main prize during a sailing trip near Bodo. The light blue sky turns to gold and a rainbow appears above the sea.
We are enchanted by what the Vikings thought was a burning bridge between Earth and the land of the gods. Viking legends are woven into our journey, but Amy tells me this is her “birthday pot of gold,” and her happiness is certainly mine.
‘Amy chooses to kayak in the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord (pictured above), while I lounge in the infinity pool,’ notes Lesley
