Latest news with #Geraint
Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Fred Olsen offers action-packed bucket-list cruise from UK city
Cruising into the heart of the Norwegian Fjords has always been on my travel bucket list. Mesmeric green cliffs, dazzling blue waters, thundering waterfalls – and with many of the best views obtained from the deck of a ship, what could be more thrilling? Last summer my partner Geraint and I embarked on a nine-night sailing from Liverpool to Norway and around the towns and villages of Kristiansund, Hellesylt and Olden with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Planning every day to maximise the experience at all of the ports of call, we booked a hike to a glacier, a cable-car ride for some wow-factor aerial views, and kayaking in a web of craggy fjords, so we had lots to look forward to. Not only that, we had four blissful days at sea where we had time to relax, eat, drink and make the most of what MS Bolette had to offer. The company's flagship, Bolette – named after Fred's great-grandmother – heads up a fleet of ships that are relatively smaller than some cruise vessels and built this way to manoeuvre easily through the fjords. Bolette has 690 cabins and carries around 1,300 passengers and 645 crew. So if one of your reservations about cruises is that the ships seem overwhelmingly huge, I can confirm this is very manageable. Car free holiday islands in middle of World Heritage site that no Brits know about Our first stop was our room, a suite, with a living area and a lovely balcony. The space was light, airy and open and the outdoor area was perfect for relaxing, breathing the fresh, clean air and taking in the rolling views of all that beautiful scenery. Bolette boasts an array of lovely bar areas and tea rooms, where sandwiches, scones and cakes are served daily. The Botanical Room and Earth Room lounges are decorated with the influences of the natural world in the former and the latter was teeming with books about our planet. Both are conveniently close to the Bookmark Cafe where you can keep topped up with coffees and sweet treats. Nearby is the piano bar with luxurious, comfy seating and, yes, some ivories to tinkle. If traditional pubs with screens for live sport and games are more your style, The Morning Light Pub, named after one of the largest sailing ships owned by the Olsen family back in 1892, is ideal. We loved the shuffleboard and became quite hooked. From buffets at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and late-night feasts, to the Observatory Lounge table-service restaurant, the food is fabulous when cruising with Fred. Vegan, dairy free, gluten free, you name your dietary requirements and the service team will go out of their way to accommodate. The Terrace and Bloomsbury restaurants are more traditional and it feels like a nice treat to dress up for the formal nights and sample their a la carte menus. But don't worry if casual dining is more your thing. The buffet is more relaxed in atmosphere and cuisine – with a mix of British choices, dishes from the region you're sailing in, and, as a lot of the staff on the ship are from across Asia the choice of Pan-Asian food is amazing. We booked into the two speciality restaurants, Colours and Tastes and Vasco. The latter is aimed at spice fans, serving delicious seafood to traditional curries and perfectly grilled meats – everything is cooked fresh and to order by the Goan team. Colours and Tastes is perfect for those who love Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Filipino dishes. Also tasty for me was the chance to wake up surrounded by the natural wonders of Norway's fjords and waterfalls. Our itinerary took in the Atlantic Ocean road, an impressive structure built across islets on the edge of the ocean which featured in 007 flick No Time to Die and HBO's Succession. My other favourite trips, booked through Fred Olsen, were to the Briksdal Glacier and kayaking on a fjord near Hellesylt. Both days we enjoyed fantastic weather which meant we could really make the most of the breathtaking views. A short bus ride from Olden takes you to the Briksdal location for a decent hike, where there are some inclines that shouldn't be a challenge for a regular walker. Make sure you pack some decent walking shoes/boots. You won't want to be worrying about your shoes and miss the waterfalls and natural beauty en route. At the other end of our trip at Hellesylt, a cute little town with a raging waterfall running right the way through it, we spent a morning out kayaking on UNESCO world heritage site, the Geirangerfjord. A beautiful location and a tranquil two hours on the water, it was one of the highlights of our week. There was plenty of time to explore the village ports, too, once the activities were over. We visited Kristiansund, Andalsnes and the Troll Wall with lots of mooching about and navigated the top of the Romsdalsfjord, in Andalsnes, after a fun cable-car trip. There are often trips available to book on shore as you disembark – but if convenience is for you, booking via Fred Olsen before you go, or during a sea day, will put your mind at ease. And the ship will wait for a delayed Fred Olsen tour. Cruising to Norway is a brilliant way to see many fab locations. Being aboard Bolette also gives you the chance to relax. We had a ball doing the activities and the exertion level of the hiking and kayaking suited us well. We certainly always felt like we'd earned our delicious dinner by the end of the day. Book the holiday
The Guardian
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Geraint Jarman obituary
Geraint Jarman, who has died aged 74, was an influential figure in the arts in Wales, as a musician, poet, actor and film-maker, as well as a mentor to younger artists. He always performed and wrote in Welsh, his mother tongue, but he brought influences into his work from European poetry, new wave, reggae, country, rock and beyond, keen to demonstrate that Wales was part of a broader cultural world. Starting with Gobaith Mawr Y Ganrif (The Great Hope of the Century, 1976), for which he was shot in denim on the cover, in monochrome, like a hip singer-songwriter, Jarman released nine albums in 10 years on the independent Welsh language record label, Sain, several with his multicultural band, Y Cynganeddwyr (its name a playful reference to an ancient Welsh poetic form, still used in eisteddfod competitions), and eight more over the next 30 years. His singing, and approach to his subjects, could be sweet, spiky or playful. Tracks on Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers, 1978) include a cover of the Welsh national anthem, slathered in feedback by his bandmate, the guitarist Tich Gwilym, as well as Ethiopia Newydd (New Ethiopia), inspired by rastafarianism, and an impish love song, Merch Tŷ Cyngor (Council House Girl). Reggae also features prominently, a genre for which Jarman's passion grew in the 1970s through the Casablanca Club in Cardiff (which he discussed, in a rare English interview, on a 2021 Radio Wales documentary), and later he recorded two all-reggae albums, Cariad Cwantwm (Quantum Love, 2018) and Cwantwm Dub (Quantum Dub, 2020). Jarman influenced Welsh bands, including Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Ffa Coffi Pawb (members of which formed Super Furry Animals, for whom Jarman directed a documentary of their first global tour, Poptastic, in 1997). Both acts featured on Fideo 9, the music show Jarman co-produced with his TV company Criw Byw (Live Crew) between 1988 and 1992, for the Welsh-language channel S4C. Welsh language bands were paid to make videos for the show, using state-of-the-art equipment, which were then broadcast at prime time on Thursday evenings. Cerys Matthews also sang on Jarman's 1994 cassette release Y Ceubal Y Crossbar A'r Quango (The Ferryboat, the Crossbar and the Quango), shortly before Catatonia's mainstream success. The Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys praised his 'cultural curiosity … he brought a new critical and urban outlook to Welsh-speaking culture.' Born in Denbigh, north Wales, Geraint was the second of three children, and the only son, of Emrys, an accountant and Myfanwy (nee Owen), a primary school teacher. The family moved to Cardiff when he was four, and Geraint went to Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Bryntaf, the city's first Welsh language primary school. With his older sister, Tanwen, he sang with the Pontcanna children's choir, and they performed often on the ITV Welsh music programme Gwlad Y Gân (Land of Song). At Cathays high school, he was in the same class as the future football manager Terry Yorath. However, Jarman was often to be found skiving in local cafes, he admitted in a 2015 interview with Wales Online, writing verse inspired by the poets Pablo Neruda and Constantine Cavafy. After leaving school, he met Heather Jones, a singer, and they married in 1969. He wrote songs for her, and with the singer-songwriter Meic Stevens, the couple formed a pastiche folk-rock group Bara Menyn (Bread and Butter). Its name was a reference to their need to make money so they could pursue other projects. They were signed by Lupus Music, alongside T-Rex and Pink Floyd, and released two EPs in 1969. Jarman published a first volume of poetry, Eira Cariad (Snow Love), in 1970, which was followed by Cerddi Alfred St (Alfred Street Poems, 1976) and Cerbyd Cydwybod (Vehicle of Conscience, 2012). The editors of the 2017 Welsh literature anthology The Old Red Tongue, Gwyn Griffiths and Meic Stephens, described his writing as 'freewheeling … both whimsical and enigmatic, [with] a wide range of feeling which gives his work a serious, lyrical and haunted note'. He also co-wrote a folk-rock opera with Stevens about environmental issues, Etifeddiaeth Drwy'r Mwg (Inheritance Through the Smoke), which was broadcast on HTV in 1970 as 'an experiment for St David's Day'. As an actor, he worked in fringe theatre and TV, appearing in 1977 as PC Gordon Hughes in the BBC Wales police station comedy-drama Glas Y Dorlan (Kingfisher), and as a student in the 1978 BBC drama Off To Philadelphia in the Morning. He was also the voice of Superted in the original Welsh language version of the children's cartoon. His autobiography, Twrw Jarman (Jarman's Noise) was published in 2011. In 2017, he won a special contribution award from the Welsh music magazine Y Selar. He collaborated widely through the years, working with the experimental dub/hip hop group Llwybr Llaethog, the folk singer Gareth Bonello, and his three daughters, as singers, both live and on record. His marriage to Jones ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife, Nia Caron, whom he married in 1987, and their daughters, Hanna and Mared; by his daughter Lisa, from his first marriage; and by his sisters, Tanwen and Catrin. Geraint Rhys Maldwyn Jarman, musician, writer, actor and film-maker, born 17 August 1950; died 3 March 2025
