Lerwick

The Shetland Isles are the most northerly part of the British Isles, populated by around 22,000 humans but many more birds and mammals.

Mousa Island is a bird reserve.  Its 13 metre high Iron Age broch is considered the best preserved in the world.  Surviving more or less as built, it is thought that the many loose stones available meant that it was never plundered for construction material.

A mainland drive took guests to the Neolithic remains and settlements from the Bronze and Iron Ages found at Jarlshof as well as introducing Shetland culture and farming.

Now in the boutique, and featured in the evening Fashion Show new arrivals of colourful Helly Hansen outdoor wear. The story of Helly Hansen began in 1877. After many years at sea, Norweigan Captain Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Maren Margarethe began producing oilskin jackets, trousers, sou’ westers and tarpaulins, made from coarse linen soaked in linseed oil. This waterproof gear became an immediate success and still is today. 

Some Special Landscapes

Arriving in Arrecife to clear skies it was obvious that we were going to see the small island of Lanzarote at its best. Guests spread out visiting several sites around the island. In the charming city centre the Good Friday parade commenced from the Iglesia de San Gines.

The Canary Islands are the tallest tips of a vast volcanic mountain range beneath the Atlantic . Some of the most spectacular scenery is found in the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya. The massive ‘”fire mountain” eruption of September 1730 that created this area continued for six years. For a different viewing platform you can try camel back.

The local artist Cesar Manrique embraced the lava landscape when building his own home, using the natural spaces in lava as underground rooms. His love and lobbying for the protection of this environment prompted the government to restrict urban development. Today the entire island is declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

In agriculture, the moisture getting into the ground from the limited rains is retained by a layer of excavated volcanic ash over the fields. The local guides today describing to passengers how humidity is created for long enough to enable crops to grow. At the Museo Agricola El Patio, goats basked in the sun, cockerels were crowing in amongst the traditional buildings, hens pecking.  And then there came a rescue. One of Fram’s junior passengers ensured that a lost chick was returned to its mother via the safe hands of one of the farmers.

Sailing on … the Fashion show finished a fabulous day.