Page 74 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

Bottom: An iceberg off the coast of Nanortalik,
Greenland
Left: A mouthwatering Iceland Hot Dog
Right:A house in Lerwick, Shetland Islands
featured in the popular series “Shetland”

(which are actually closer to Norway than to
Scotland). We fell in love with the charming
capital town of Lerwick (pop. 6,700), where
much of the series is filmed, even joining a cou-
ple of other tourists snapping a photo of the
seaside house used as the home of the series'
star detective, Jimmy Perez. There's also a nice
bookstore in town, shops, restaurants, jewelry
and dress stores, a maritime museum, and sev-
eral pubs. A fan of the RNLI (Royal National
Lifeboat Institution), Carl was thrilled that
their small shop was open to purchase some
nautical gifts. And, of course, many passengers
chose “The Shetland Pony Experience” shore
excursion to see the island's famous ponies.
Another treat for Carl and me—huge “Down-
ton Abbey” fans—was attending two evening
performances in the ship's theater featuring
Mary-Jess, known for singing the theme song
of the popular British series. We were lucky to
pose for photos with her. Another treat was
sampling the executive chef's international
cuisine, especially the mouth-watering Iceland
Hot Dog!
This westbound cruise brought some other
comforts: a facial and massage in the ship's
spa--and being able to turn the clock back an
hour every few days for some extra sleep—and
arriving in Montreal with no jet lag!

IF YOU GO

Viking Cruises: vikingcruises.com
VisitBergen: visitbergen.com
Norway In A Nutshell: norwaynutshell.com
Shetland Islands: shetland.org
Greenland: visitgreenland.com

74 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023