Looking forward to Iceland’s Natural Wonders

In Just a few days time (Monday to be precise), I will be boarding MV Voyager (Voyages of Discovery) for a two-week assignment to Iceland, and hopefully to experience a total solar eclipse off the coast of the Faroe Islands on the 20th of March.

This is a new ship to me, which fills me both with anticipation and anxiety in equal measure. My mission on all cruises that I work on is the same; to entertain passengers by providing them with interesting and absorbing watercolour workshops. All cruise ships work slightly differently, however; the Voyager is smaller than the Marco Polo, so I’m hoping for a relaxed and enjoyable experience…

A Summary of the voyage is described on the ‘Voyages of Discovery’ website as follows:

‘From the intriguing Faroe Islands set sail for Iceland, witnessing a thrilling total eclipse en route. Admire impressive volcanic craters, lava lakes and spectacular waterfalls in Iceland and discover Belfast’s historic and cultural gems before arriving in historic Portsmouth.’

As a landscape artist, I’m sure you’ll appreciate why I was so keen to sign up for this one!

I’m currently gathering all my gear together for the trip, which kicks off in Portsmouth on Monday afternoon. The thermals need to be dug out again (it’s Iceland, after all), and good walking boots. We’ve also invested in a pair of funky ‘Solar Eclipse Specs’… check these out if you will…

Pretty daft-looking huh? I’m guessing, with a total solar eclipse in progress that no-one will be worried about how cool they look – we’re just keeping fingers crossed for clear skies on the day.

So… I’m back to my packing… see you on ‘The Voyager’