LT59: Danube MSC Vanuatu

WALTZING DOWN THE DANUBE

By Roderick Eime Getting into the swing of a European river cruise, Roderick Eime finds it hard to hold back.

S

omething came over me. I grabbed Tracey by the arm, pulling her physically from her seat and next thing I remember I was hurling her around the room while she looked back at me, astonished at my brazen act of impulsiveness.

She didn’t seem to mind!

river cruise promises much more than just castles and palaces. The itinerary operates in both directions between Amsterdam and Budapest and cruises at a leisurely pace along this classic waterway with more than enough time to kick back and enjoy the panorama as it rolls past.

No, I wasn’t overcome by some devilish influence, in fact, quite the reverse. Here we were in the Family of Liechtenstein’s City Palace in the heart of Vienna and immersed in a recital by the accomplished chamber orchestra. We sat transfixed as the ensemble brought to life classic renditions of Mozart and Brahms but when they struck up Johann Strauss’s immortal ‘Blue Danube’… well, it was all too much.

For example in Budapest (you have to say BudaPESHT to sound worldly) the tour heads to Budapest Railway Station’s Royal Waiting Room for APT’s Signature Experience following in the footsteps of the Habsburg Empire aboard the Grand Empress steam train. The ornately adorned carriages are from the early 1900’s and the whole ensemble travels to Gödöllő Palace, Elisabeth of Bavaria’s favourite residence to inspect this monument of Hungarian aristocracy and architecture.

Whirling around the auditorium, flanked by baroque masterpieces, we quickly fell under the spell of historic Vienna and it was easy to conjure up images of the grand old days of Emperors and Heads of State, champagne flutes clinking, engrossed in all the pomp and ceremony.

While Vienna might have been the cultural climax for some, APT’s 15-day Magnificent Europe

Back in Budapest, there are still many Stalinist hangovers, and it’s great fun to wander around these former Soviet bloc streets. Some of the little alleyways, basements and side streets turn up curiosity shops brimming with bizarre paraphernalia. Stroll down Váci pedestrian mall in the centre of Budapest and past the racks of postcards and trinkets, you’ll be

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offered all manner of Russian and Hungarian militaria right down to a MiG-21 pilot’s equipment.

Budapest, let’s not forget, was the scene of some ferocious ‘last ditch’ battles between the advancing Russians and defending Germans.

The city suffered terribly in the first months of 1945 and some buildings still retain the scars, especially up at the citadel where the Germans made their last desperate stand.

European river cruising has firmly established itself as the in-demand tour option for travellers wanting to explore the great cities and cultures of both western and eastern Europe.

The days of bum-numbing coach tours must be numbered if you compare the obvious advantages.

Imagine arriving at a high-end hotel, unpacking and settling in just once, then towing it with you as you explore all the famous locations.

The few road journeys are a few hours at the most and head out to cities like Salzburg (“I am 16 going on 17”) and Český Krumlov (in the Czech Republic) not situated directly on the banks of the Danube.

UNESCO

World

Heritage-listed

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Český Krumlov hails from the late Middle Ages, where a princess called Eleonore Amalie von Schwarzenberg is supposed to have lived in the mid-18th century. Her ritually dismembered corpse was unearthed by archaeologists a little more than a decade ago, giving support to those who claim she was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for Dracula. Some suggest she was the first aristocratic vampire.

Elsewhere, the boat simply ties up to the wharf and we stroll ashore in cities like Linz, Passau and Melk and it’s world-famous abbey.

Built in 1089, and renovated sporadically since 1702, the abbey and its monastic school fall in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wachau Valley, a rich, historical landscape stretching along a length of the Danube between the villages of Melk and Krems in what was once the vast and powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire. Just how this enormous and strategically located palace withstood every hostile invader from Napoleon to RAF Bomber Command is truly miraculous. Especially when you

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The Majestic Danube 2020 1 5 D AY S B U C H A R E ST TO M U N I C H

A river cruise takes you through the Balkans, Hungary, Austria and Germany in style on our newest river ship, the MS AmaMagna.

Natural wonders, cobblestone streets, historic vineyards and medieval towns are all waiting to be discovered. Food and wine, history, culture, the arts; there’s nowhere like Europe for indulging the senses.

CZECH REP. Passau Vilshofen Český Krumlov SLOVAKIA Dürnstein Vienna GERMANY Linz Gödöllő Melk MUNICH Salzburg BratislavaBudapest HUNGARY AUSTRIA ROMANIA Pécs Mohács 14 MS AMAMAGNA Vukovar Novi Sad BUCHAREST CROATIA Ilok Iron Gates BelgradeDanube Svishtov Giurgiu River Vidin Rousse SERBIA Belogradchik Veliko Târnovo Trip Name & Code: Majestic Danube EUMDC15

BULGARIA

All-Inclusive. All taken care of. So you can Live Fully.

APT’s Brand New MS AmaMagna.

• Experience holiday freedom. Do what you want, when you want.

• Cruise through the Iron Gates and experience one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders.

• Journey aboard the Grand Empress steam train from Budapest with a private discovery of Gödöllö Palace.

• Visit Vienna’s City Palace for a cocktail party and private concert.

• Celebrate Bavarian culture during an evening of festive food, music and dancing in Vilshofen.

This luxurious ship features some of the largest suites in river cruising with full outside balconies, multiple dining venues, a sun deck with heated pool, Zen Wellness Studio, as well as an intimate Sundowner vessel and leisure platform.

Departs 14 June 2020 - one departure only From $12,295* pp twin share. Fly for $495* CA L L 0 8 0 0 7 78 4 49 O R S P E A K TO YO U R T R AV E L AG E N T A P TO U R I N G .CO . N Z / E U M D C1 5

*Conditions apply. SEE: aptouring.co.nz/SpecialDeals for full conditions. Price is based on per person (pp), NZD, twin share. Prices are correct as at 10 December 2018. Price based on EUMDC15: 14 June 2020 (Cat E) departure. ALL OFFERS: Limited seats and offers on set departures are available and are subject to availability. DEPOSITS: A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 pp is due within 7 days of booking.

Australian Pacific Touring Pty Ltd. ABN 44 004 684 619. ATAS accreditation #A10825. APT7518

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consider the nearby and culturally significant river port of Linz was singled out for special treatment by the RAF due to its links with Hitler who called it his ‘home town’.

We are welcomed at the gates of the abbey by Father Gustav, resplendent in his robes and crucifix.

The mild-mannered monk displays exemplary calm and patience as he stands for umpteen photos with our curious horde. Inside the cavernous chambers, the gilded walls are bedecked with exquisite paintings and tapestries, while glass cases display jewel-encrusted ecclesiastical artefacts. Necks crack as we crane our heads backwards to take in the expansive frescos painted by master, Paul Troger around 1730.

Back aboard we enjoy another one of the superb 41 meals included in the 15-day journey.

Anyone who has travelled aboard one of these vessels will know exactly what I’m blathering on about. Sure, it has a premium price tag, but some things are just worth the extra money even if it’s just to avoid the tedium and discomfort of long coach trips and hotel scrums at check-in and check-out.

facts: APT Magnificent Europe - 15 Days (Inclusions): • • • • • • • •

Experiences in 15 destinations Freedom of Choice Inclusions in 10 locations Luxury dining - a total of 41 meals A wide range of onboard beverages Expert cruise director Butler, room service and laundry (select suites) Transfers, port charges and gratuities The Grand Empress steam train operates on all cruise departures between May and September only

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MSC Cruising: It’s a Family Affair

By Roderick Eime As the glitterati pirouette on the red carpet and the flashbulbs flash, MSC’s latest superstar is set to take to the oceans in fine style.

T

he wo r l d ’s l a rg e s t p rivate ly- own e d cr uise company’s new flagship, MSC Bellissima, was named in a glamorous, if somewhat blustery, maritime ceremony in the port of Southampton recently in front of luminaries that included the incomparable icon, Sophia Loren. It was the grand dame’s 14th naming ceremony for MSC. MSC Bellissima is the second Meraviglia class ship entering service.

These 171,598 GT, 4,500-passenger ships are designed for all seasons and are rich in guest features including the very latest guest-friendly technology such as the world’s first virtual personal cruise assistant, ZOE. This revolutionary new voice-enabled artificial intelligence (AI), similar in function to Amazon’s Alexa, is taking guest service to a new level and is available in every one of her 2,217 cabins.

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A n oth e r key h ig h lig ht will b e th e t wo n ew ‘Cirq u e d u S ole il at S e a’ sh ows , exclusive to M SC C r uises .

Yet while this splendid vessel be dazzles all who look upon h e r, th e re’s a lot g oing o n that the c asual obser ver will n ot se e . En h a n ce m e nt s th at se a m l e ssly e n rich th e g u e s t experience, but also raise the bar for environmentally friendly features.

As with her sister ship MSC M e raviglia , which e nte re d service in 2017, Bellissima is equipped with such devices as an exhaust gas cleaning system for minimising emissions and advanced wastewater treatment processes that all but eliminates waste entering the sea. There’s also smart heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC)

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to recover heat from machinery spaces as well as energy efficient LED lighting and various smart devices to further reduce power consumption.

“We build our ships to exceed all the most stringent regulations,” says CEO Gianni Onorato, “The sea is our environment and all of us at MSC bring a personal commitment to protecting it.”

Hence, it can be argued that despite the size of MSC’s new ships, the environmental impact per guest is less than many of the current (regular-sized) cruise ships with older, less sophisticated technology.

At a glance, MSC Bellissima offers 10 different types of cabin and 12 exciting dining venues with more than 20 bars and lounges, including a new French specialty restaurant L’Atelier Bistrot. Acclaimed pastry chef J ean - Philippe Maur y ’s Chocolate & Café is dedicated entirely to exquisite chocolate creations and desserts. Your diet will have to wait.

All In The Family: MSC Cruises is the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line and a market leader in Europe, South America and South Africa, sailing year-round in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Cuba. The company also operates the world's secondlargest container shipping line in terms of capacity with more than 500 vessels at sea.

Owned by the Aponte family whose maritime tradition can be traced back 300 years, MSC Cruises also offers seasonal itineraries throughout Northern Europe, the West Indies, South America, South Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Under its ambitious and unprecedented €10.5 billion

investment plan, the MSC fleet is set to expand to 24 mega-cruise ships by 2026. To date, MSC Cruises has designed six new ship classes, all prototypes at the forefront of marine architecture and design. At the time of writing, 13 future vessels are either under construction or in planning with the next launch scheduled for November this year when the Meraviglia-Plus class MSC Grandiosa joins the fleet. While similar in concept and design, she will be 15m longer and have 2,444 cabins compared to 2,217 on Bellissima.

While MSC is unashamedly Italian in flavour, the brand is truly international with deployment across all five continents and with 170 nationalities sailing aboard the ships either as guests or crew.

At 80 metres, it’s the longest LED Sky Screen at Sea and encompasses a stunning 96-metre Mediterranean-style promenade, designed as the social hub of the ship.

Bellissima begins with a season in the Western Mediterranean, before repositioning to the Arabian Peninsula in November of this year, providing weekly sailings out of Dubai. In spring 2020 it is planned to deploy her to Asia.

Mediterranean Northern Europe Arabian Peninsula Caribbean & Cuba USA & Canada South America

South Africa Far East

MEDITERRANEAN Sophia Loren

France MARSEILLE (Provence)

GENOA (Portofino)

Italy

In 2017, all MSC Cruises ships made a grand total of 3,060 port calls in 144 cruise destinations around the world. The entire fleet spent a total of 797 days at sea. Most visited ports were Genoa, Italy with 172 calls, Havana, Cuba with 151 calls, Marseille, France with 131 calls, Barcelona, Spain with 105 calls, and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy with 104 cruise arrivals.

IBIZA (Balearic Is.)

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Cayman Islands GEORGE TOWN

COZUMEL Mexico

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MSC Bellisima: Delivery date 27 February 2019 Gross tonnage 171,598 GT Lower berth capacity 4,434 Max. passenger capacity 5,686 Crew members 1,536 Number of cabins 2,217 Length / Beam / Height 315.3 m / 43 m / 65 m Maximum speed 22.7 knots

Croatia DUBROVNIK

COMBINE FOR

NAPLES (Pompeii)

PALMA DE MALLORCA (Balearic Is.)

Spain

MIAMI (Florida)

Repositioning Cruises

CARIBBEAN Atlantic Ocean

USA

VENICE

LIVORNO (Florence)

facts:

www.msccruises.com

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2020-2021 SUPERSAVER SAVE UP TO $700 PER CABIN*

MSC continues the award-winning family offering with children’s activities and services from partners LEGO and Chicco on a dedicated family deck area.

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*Conditions apply.Valid for sale until 31 August 2019.Valid on new bookings only. Prices are per person NZ$ twin share, based on Mediterranean MSC Divina 24Oct20 & MSC Orchestra 31OCT20, Caribbean MSC Seaside 10Oct20 & MSC Seaside 17Oct20, Northern Europe MSC Meraviglia 3May20 & MSC Meraviglia 10May20, Arabian MSC Seaview 5Dec20, Grand Voyage 14Nov20, subject to availability at time of booking. Surcharges apply to other dates and cruises. Valid on selected departures. Advertised price includes discount per person including port charges. Discount has already been applied to web-site prices. Supersaver discount is a saving off Brochure prices; Inside Bella & Fantastica AU/NZ$200pp. Oceanview Bella & Fantastica AU/NZ$250pp. Balcony Bella & Fantastica AU/NZ$300pp. Suite Aurea AU/NZ$350pp. Yacht Club Aurea AU/NZ$350pp. Valid on cruises minimum 7 nights. Save up to $700 per cabin based on twin share Suite Aurea or Yacht Club. Supersaver discount valid for first 2 passengers only. No discount for additional guests. Children under 12 years cruise free when sharing with two adults in one cabin, only paying port charges, subject to availability & seasonality at time of booking. FREE 1 way Med transfer between Genoa & Venice (vice versa) avail. on selected 14 or 21 night cruises for first 2 adults only. Children, 3rd & 4th adults must pay transfer cost 1 way ($150pp).**Selected cabins may have restricted views. Not combinable with any other offer, special, discount or deal available with MSC Cruises.

Combinable with MSC Voyagers Club Loyalty www.letstravelmag.com 105discount where Business, Hotels applicable. All details, maps, inclusions and prices are correct as at 13Mar19 however subject to change or withdrawal at any time without prior notice. For full T&Cs please visit www.msccruises.co.nz E&OE MSC Cruises (Australia) Pty Limited ABN 55 003 526 725. General Sales Agent for MSC Cruises S.A | ATAS Accredited No A10954.

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Destination Pacific Islands, Vanuatu

Rite of Plummet

By Roderick Eime

© Christopher Hogue Thompson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

There’s something almost suicidal about Vanuatu’s famous land divers.

Bungy jumpers have the benefit of an elastic cord to cushion their fall, but not so the legendary N’Gol (land-diving) natives of Pentecost Island.

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©Vanuatu Tourism Office

T

he origin of this dangerous ritual is clouded in tantalising mystery. One of the more romantic tales tells the story of the abusive husband Tamalie who, in pursuit of his recalcitrant wife, followed her up a tall tree as she fled from him. She, whose name seems to have been mislaid in the passages of time, refused to come down knowing that another beating was in store. Driven by pride and rage, Tamalie lunged at her, but she jumped. Tamalie, intoxicated by fury, lunged after her not knowing she had tied vines to her legs and he plunged to his death while she survived.

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REDRET064

The ‘rite of plummet’ is performed annually in the southern region of the island of Pentecost around April, May and June as the yam harvest begins. The enormous 30-metre towers are built immediately prior to the event and can take up to five weeks to construct. Jumpers will sleep on the ground the night before to ward off any evil spirits.

They attach carefully selected vines to their legs being careful to approximate the length required.

Wet vines will stretch and dry vines will snap, so the selection process is critical and is often left entirely in the hands of a trusted village

©David Kirland

What is clear today is that the death-defying feat is the sole domain of the men and is equally believed to usher in a bountiful yam harvest as it is to ensure the jumper is never accused of cowardice or lacking manliness. Boys as young as seven or eight may jump, albeit from a much lower level, and then work upward as they get older.

© 2018 Hailey Bartholomew Photos

Some liberal doses of artistic license may have embellished this tale, but it remains as intriguing as ever.

Apparently, the village men began to re-enact the nameless wife’s heroic plunge to prepare themselves for a similar challenge from their own wives. A slight variation says she repeated her stunt, along with other women, presumably to mock the incompetent men, but was ultimately forbidden to perform the dive along with any other women who might attempt it.

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elder. Beside the vines, there are no safety measures whatsoever With vines attached, the almost naked jumper will make a short speech before throwing himself off the platform. The assembled crowd listen intently knowing these words may be his last. All the while the village men sing, chant and stomp to create a trance-like atmosphere.

Then he jumps.

Like a rag-doll, his body flies toward the ground and, at the last minute, the vines tighten and arrest his otherwise fatal fall. A properly executed jump will result in the man’s head and shoulders gently caressing the tilled soil beneath the tower. Such a landing is considered lucky (no kidding) and is a good omen for the yam harvest. He staggers to his feet, assisted and congratulated by attendants at the base. A new hero is born.

"If you come and the two vines break, it means you break your neck, or your backbones, or maybe your legs," said village leader, Luke Fargo, in an interview with US network ABC. But Fargo says they have to do it, despite the dangers. "It's our traditional thing, so we must do it from year to year."

more often than not. The injury toll mounted and one diver later died.

This, apparently, is the only such fatality in recent memory.

Westerners were first introduced en masse to this hair-raising spectacle via the camera of the celebrated documentary filmmaker, Sir David Attenborough. In the 1950s, his BBC crew were bringing the strange and mysterious animals and people of the world into the living rooms of the English-speaking world.

The Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club claim to have performed the first ‘bungee jump’ modelled on this ancient spectacle and it wasn’t long before it became commercial thanks to the ebullient Kiwi entrepreneur, AJ Hackett. His headline-grabbing stunt on the Eiffel Tower in 1987 ensured the new extreme sport’s success and by 1988 he was in operation in Queenstown New Zealand. Even James Bond has bungee-jumped (Golden Eye 1995).

Only in recent years has the event been regularly witnessed by visiting western travellers.

Images this page: ©David Kirland

www.vanuatu.travel www.airvanuatu.com

If you think this sounds like fun, think again. Foreigners are expressly forbidden to participate, presumably because of the inherent danger, but also to preserve the allure for the islanders whose sacred rite this is.

"They tried to ask us to do it, but we don't allow them, because if they miss, maybe they get injured and sometimes they die," said Fargo.

And if you don’t believe it’s dangerous, just ask our Queen.

During the 1974 Royal Visit, the islanders were keen to put on a show for the visiting royalty. The only problem…it was the wrong season and the vines were dry.

Not wishing to disappoint, they dived anyway, with vines snapping

Discover how beautiful Samoa truly is. Explore untouched landscapes and dive among tropical fish in warm, crystal clear waters. Self drive, surf, bike or hike through the wonders that make this island life one to cherish just like us locals do.

Find beautiful around every corner in Beautiful Samoa.

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