Hanseatic Nature, Nordic Island Worlds ex Reykjavik to Hamburg – 21 Sep 2021

9 Night Cruise sailing from Reykjavik to Hamburg aboard Hanseatic Nature.

Please note that your choosen cruise is conducted in German only. All printed matters are available in German. Nevertheless our crew is fluent in English.

Mystic, majestic and mondaine: Europe’s island world is full of contrasts. Let your curiosity guide you as you explore the hidden places of the north, its natural treasures and its history.

Highlights of this cruise:

Reykjavik
Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, directly east of Greenland, Iceland is Europe’s westernmost country and the second largest island in the North-Atlantic ocean. Its capital, Reykjavik holds practically half of Iceland’s entire population, perhaps not surprising considering how little of the country is actually habitable. As such it is the country’s unrivalled cultural and economic centre surrounded by a vast wilderness of mountains and glaciers.

The city’s highlights are mostly found in central Reykjavik: lining Old Town and Lake Tjornin are attractive tin houses, some of the more historical buildings, and many of its restaurants and nighttime hotspots. Its nightlife is legendary, with all-night street parties in summer and a huge club scene year-round. The nearby surrounding wilderness offers walking trails at Videy Island or the lava area at Heidmork, is definitely worth a visit. At “Smoky Bay” you can see geothermal steam rising from the ground. Harnessed to heat the city, these smoke signals can be seen along with any number of natural wonders, half an hour out of town.

Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, an archipelago of islands some 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland. Founded around 1035 by Earl Rognvald Brusason, the City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall is the capital and administrative centre of Orkney. The name comes from the Old Norse, ‘Kirkjuvagar’ meaning ‘church-bay’ and refers to a much older church than the present day Cathedral.

The original town is one of the best preserved examples of an ancient Norse town. At the heart of the town stands St Magnus Cathedral, its tower and spire widely visible across both land and sea. It was founded in memory of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney 1108-1117 by Earl (later saint) Rögnvald Kali. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the former Bishop’s Palace and Earl’s Palace. The town has two museums: Tankerness House Museum, which is contained within one of Scotland’s best-preserved sixteenth century town-houses, contains items of local historical interest. The prehistoric, Pictish and Viking collections are of international importance. The other museum is the small ‘Wireless Museum’, dealing with the history of radio and recorded sound.

Kirkwall is one of the most attractive and well-preserved small towns in Scotland. Apart from the main historical buildings, mentioned above, there are many 17th-18th century houses and other structures in the local vernacular style. The ‘Kirk’ of Kirkwall was not the Cathedral (which was originally at Birsay), but the 11th century church of St. Olaf of Norway. One late medieval doorway survives from this church. An aumbry from the original church survives within the late 19th Century structure of the present-day St. Olaf’s Church (Anglican) in the town’s Dundas Crescent. Kirkwall also once had a medieval castle (destroyed in the 17th century).

Hamburg
Hamburg is a major port city and second largest city situated on the Elbe River in northern Germany. Two-thirds of Hamburg is occupied by parks, lakes or tree-lined canals, giving a refreshing rural feel to one of the country’s major industrial and media centres.

Sightseeing is concentrated in two main areas, the city center and the harbor. Hamburg’s historical center is mostly modern with only a few ancient houses and churches surviving the 1841 fires and WW2 bombings. The city center looks onto the Alster Lake, of which the outer section (Aussenalster) is particularly attractive.

The other principal sightseeing center is the harbor and the adjoining red-light district of St Pauli with its infamous main street, the Reeperbahn. St Pauli is the city’s leading nightlife area, with numerous theaters and respectable nightspots. The harbor is the second biggest in Europe and provides visitors with boat tours, museum ships, the Speicherstadt warehouse museums and the colorful comings and goings of any major port.