Page 170 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID
P. 170
NO FRILLS JUST CHILLS
Sailing the British Isles on the Hurtigruten Expedition Cruise
Story and Photos by Sharon Whitley Larsen
“Where's our ship?” or Canada. Go figure. Three days later they
changed the regulation but we didn't feel com-
II panically asked my husband Carl as we fortable that they might flip-flop again.
trekked to the tiny tender pier on the Scottish
“What other Hurtigruten expedition cruises
Isle of Iona. I couldn't see it anchored where we
are offered?” I asked Carl as he scrolled the
had left it just hours earlier via a Zodiac RIB in website.
the nearby sea. The chilly April wind blew
He read me the British Isles
through me after tram-
itinerary, which was an inau-
pling around the island
gural cruise in mid-April, sail-
and visiting the restored,
landmark sixth century ing up Britain's west coast,
with stops at small, unique is-
abbey—which we had first
lands that most of us haven't
toured in 2007. Cold and
tired, I was ready for heard of--and I jumped on it.
some warm soup and a So that's how we ended up
glass of wine (maybe even at the port in Dover, waiting
a whisky!) once back on- patiently in line for our
board our ship, the Hur- COVID tests to board. An oc-
tigruten MS Maud, which togenarian couple in front of
we were sailing on for 12 us tested positive and were
nights. And which now denied boarding. Normally
was missing! the ship has capacity for 500
passengers; this boarding had
We originally had
planned to take the expe- 222 (mostly British—and only
17 Americans) on this inaugu-
dition ship in late March
ral sailing. (During the cruise,
up the coast of Norway,
leaving from Dover, Eng- four passengers and two crew
members tested positive for
land. A previously booked cruise in 2020 (you
COVID and were quarantined for five days in
know what happened with those plans) was can-
isolated cabins.)
celed and Hurtigruten offered us a 20-night
cruise (10 extra nights at no charge) which we As we gradually learned, this wasn't your typ-
excitedly booked. We had cruised the gorgeous ical cruise: Most of these remote tiny islands—
Norway coast in 2002 (and visited the country with picturesque towns--had no Costco, Mc-
again in 2018) and had always wanted to do an- Donald's, Starbucks, shopping malls or the-
other Hurtigruten cruise there. aters—and heavily rely on ferries for delivered
goods. Even medical care can be scarce (“If
But a couple of months before our cruise, the
Norwegian government notified us that they you're going to be sick, be sure it's on a
Wednesday,” my driver/guide on the tiny Scot-
would not recognize vaccine cards from the U. S.
tish Isle of Eigg told me in November 2019:
170 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
