Latest news with #VikingStar
Travel Weekly
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Travel Weekly
Curated ship libraries offer a literary voyage for cruisers
For book lovers (like me) who devour multiple titles per week, travel presents a packing challenge: sacrifice valuable suitcase space for reading material or risk running out of books midjourney. (Yes, I could move to an e-reader, but there's absolutely nothing like turning the pages of a book.) Luckily, a handful of cruise lines solve this dilemma with thoughtfully curated shipboard libraries that go far beyond the typical collection of abandoned paperbacks. I first noticed this trend aboard the ocean vessel Viking Star. Perusing the library, I spotted a brand-new novel I'd been dying to get my hands on. How did the Viking Star have a copy of a book that hadn't even made it into my local bookstore? The discovery led me to investigate the surprising renaissance of shipboard libraries. The intimate library space aboard the Viking Star. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Viking A growing trend at sea Cruise ships with thoughtfully curated libraries represent a growing trend in the industry, as operators recognize that intellectually curious travelers seek literary enrichment. "Cruise ship libraries offer guests a rare blend of quiet sophistication and intellectual escape," said Lainey Melnick, luxury travel professional and owner of Dream Vacations. "These refined spaces let travelers unwind with a classic novel or delve into destination guides, elevating the journey with both comfort and cultural enrichment." Viking Ocean Cruises has elevated the shipboard library experience through a partnership with London's legendary Heywood Hill bookshop, which also serves the British royal family. Several vessels in the fleet sail with a unique collection where every title has been hand selected to complement the ship's itineraries. Each Viking vessel features thoughtfully organized library spaces distributed throughout the ship. Contemporary fiction and classics populate the Living Room, and Arctic exploration books fill the shelves in the Explorers' Lounge, while on the Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter, passengers find space-travel titles in the Explorers Dome. The Celebrity Solstice features a cozy, thoughtfully designed library space with beautiful floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Celebrity Literary sanctuaries at sea Other major cruise lines have recognized travelers' desire for literary sanctuaries at sea, investing in impressive collections that serve as quiet retreats amid the bustle of shipboard activities. The Queen Mary 2 houses perhaps the most impressive maritime library afloat, a stunning space featuring over 10,000 carefully selected volumes. "A library on a Cunard ship is not just a place for books -- it's a sanctuary at sea," said Liz Fettes, senior vice president for commercial, North America. "It reflects Cunard's long tradition of enriching the mind as well as the journey, offering guests a quiet haven to explore, reflect and escape through the written word." Holland America Line maintains curated libraries with up to 1,700 volumes on each of its 11 ships. Vessels feature rotating Feature Sections of bestsellers and hand-picked books related to upcoming destinations. The cruise line has expanded its literary offerings through a partnership with the audiobook and podcast service Audible. Celebrity Cruises brings contemporary elegance to its library spaces across its Solstice- and Edge-class vessels. Ships feature cozy sitting areas and beautiful floor-to-ceiling bookcases housing large collections of fiction and nonfiction books. The National Geographic Endurance library serves as what the line calls an "intellectual anchor" on its cruises. Photo Credit: Oivind Haug Expedition vessels, too Small-ship and expedition operators have embraced the library trend with equal enthusiasm, often creating collections that deepen passengers' connection to remote destinations. National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions' vessels feature libraries that serve as what the line calls "intellectual anchors" for each voyage. These collections complement expert-led lectures with resources that help guests connect more deeply with their surroundings. The Star Clipper tall sailing ships -- the Royal Clipper, Star Clipper and Star Flyer -- have Edwardian-style libraries that are meant to capture the romance of the golden age of sail, the cruise line said. Silolona Sojourns takes an educational approach to its library collections aboard its two traditional sailing phinisi yachts in Indonesia. Founder Patti Seery personally curated these intimate libraries, filling shelves with books about local culture, marine conservation and history. Silolona also shares a comprehensive recommended reading list with all travelers before their trip. Aqua Expeditions' vessels showcase region-specific collections tailored to their exotic destinations. The Aqua Mekong offers literature about Southeast Asia, while the Aqua Blu provides titles about Indonesia's biodiversity and cultural heritage. Ecoventura's luxury expedition yachts Origin and Theory in the Galapagos. Their intimate libraries stock evolutionary texts including Darwin's "On the Origin of the Species" alongside modern fiction. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ecoventura For those exploring the Galapagos with Ecoventura aboard its luxury expedition yachts, intimate libraries stock "special, including rare editions -- all about the Galapagos, wildlife, evolution and beyond," said Doris Welsh, senior vice president of sales and marketing. "The collection ranges from 'On the Origin of the Species' by Darwin himself to fiction novels like 'Wish You Were Here' by Jodi Picoult." Ambassador Cruise Line's ships feature libraries themed around the Bronte sisters, complete with dresses from Bronte film adaptations on display and regular book clubs. While digital entertainment options proliferate, the quiet sanctuary of a well-stocked library continues to draw passengers seeking intellectual stimulation or just a quiet spot to curl up with a book. Libraries filled with carefully selected volumes that connect to destinations and spark curiosity not only add to the cruise experience, but for travelers like me, means not having to jam a suitcase full of books.
Saudi Gazette
11-02-2025
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
Strongest earthquake yet hits Santorini amid seismic crisis
ATHENS — Santorini has been hit by a powerful, shallow 5.3 magnitude earthquake, which is the strongest to strike the Greek island during recent seismic activity in the tremors were felt in Athens on Monday evening and measured a focal depth of 17km (10.6 miles).Residents of the neighboring island Amorgos remain on high alert after the latest tremor, which followed a moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake between the islands on Sunday tourist hotspot has been rocked by seismic activity since January and more than 12,800 quakes have been detected by the University of Athens' Seismological residents have been seen patrolling dangerous areas to deter tourists from taking photos on have occurred in many parts of Santorini due to the frequency and intensity of the tremors and experts have not ruled out a major were optimistic about the intensity of the quakes starting to subside, but are now concerned they are worsening.A state of emergency will remain in place on Santorini until at least 3 quake was preceded by three smaller ones of more than 4.0 magnitude, while the three on Monday morning were also more than found no damage to buildings in Santorini or injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes, which have numbered in the thousands since 26 January, but more than 11,000 people have left the will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday.A team of the Special Disaster Response Unit has set off for Amorgos from Patras with a special earthquake rescue vehicle, and technical teams are expected to inspect the electricity network on the Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told Greek broadcaster ERT that the authorities had to allow for the situation to continue for most or all of February."Let's hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation," he said."We will have to be a little patient and see. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside."He said the possibility of a major earthquake had not been completely ruled the cruise ship Viking Star, with 893 passengers and 470 crew, docked at the port of Souda in Crete early on Monday was due to be the first cruise ship of the season in Santorini. The ship changed its route mainly to avoid cable car overcrowding in Santorini during the seismic previous strongest quake since the activity started was a 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. Six and above is considered is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are puzzled by the current "clusters" of quakes which have not been linked to a major is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, which is a chain of islands created by volcanoes, but the last major eruption was in the authorities have said the recent tremors were related to tectonic plate movements, not volcanic cannot predict the exact timing, size or location of earthquakes. From 26 January to 8 February 2025, the Seismology Laboratory (SL) of the University of Athens registered more than 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini-Amorgos zone. — BBC
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
More quakes hit Santorini and surrounding islands
Santorini has been hit by a powerful, shallow 5.3 magnitude earthquake, which is the strongest to strike the Greek island during recent seismic activity in the area. The tremors were felt in Athens on Monday evening and measured a focal depth of 17km (10.6 miles). Residents of the neighbouring island Amorgos remain on high alert after the latest tremor, which followed a moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake between the islands on Sunday evening. The tourist hotspot has been rocked by seismic activity since January and more than 12,800 quakes have been detected by the University of Athens' Seismological Laboratory. Some residents have been seen patrolling dangerous areas to deter tourists from taking photos on cliffs. Landslides have occurred in many parts of Santorini due to the frequency and intensity of the tremors and experts have not ruled out a major earthquake. Seismologists were optimistic about the intensity of the quakes starting to subside, but are now concerned they are worsening. A state of emergency will remain in place on Santorini until at least 3 March. Sunday's quake was preceded by three smaller ones of more than 4.0 magnitude, while the three on Monday morning were also more than 4.0. Inspections found no damage to buildings in Santorini or Amorgos. No injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes, which have numbered in the thousands since 26 January, but more than 11,000 people have left the islands. Schools will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday. A team of the Special Disaster Response Unit has set off for Amorgos from Patras with a special earthquake rescue vehicle, and technical teams are expected to inspect the electricity network on the island. Kostas Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told Greek broadcaster ERT that the authorities had to allow for the situation to continue for most or all of February. "Let's hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation," he said. "We will have to be a little patient and see. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside." He said the possibility of a major earthquake had not been completely ruled out. Meanwhile the cruise ship Viking Star, with 893 passengers and 470 crew, docked at the port of Souda in Crete early on Monday morning. It was due to be the first cruise ship of the season in Santorini. The ship changed its route mainly to avoid cable car overcrowding in Santorini during the seismic activity. The strongest quake so far was a 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. 6.0 and above is considered severe. Greece is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are puzzled by the current "clusters" of quakes which have not been linked to a major shock. Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc - a chain of islands created by volcanoes - but the last major eruption was in the 1950s. Greek authorities have said the recent tremors were related to tectonic plate movements, not volcanic activity. Scientists cannot predict the exact timing, size or location of earthquakes. From January 26 to February 8, 2025, the Seismology Laboratory (SL) of the University of Athens registered more than 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini-Amorgos zone. Santorini rocked by more earthquakes as uncertainty grows Tourists leave after earthquakes rock Santorini, but resilient locals remain How long could the Santorini 'seismic crisis' last?
MTV Lebanon
10-02-2025
- MTV Lebanon
More quakes hit Santorini and surrounding islands
Three more earthquakes have occurred near the Greek island of Santorini, causing continuing concern in the tourist hotspot. Residents of neighbouring Amorgos remain on high alert after Monday's tremors, which followed a moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake between the islands on Sunday evening. The area has been rocked by seismic activity for the last two weeks, and experts have not ruled out a major earthquake. A state of emergency will remain in place on Santorini until at least 3 March. Sunday's quake was preceded by three smaller ones of more than 4.0 magnitude, while the three on Monday morning were also more than 4.0 on the Richter scale. Inspections found no damage to buildings in Santorini or Amorgos. No injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes, which have numbered in the thousands since 26 January, but more than 11,000 people have left the islands. Schools will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday. A team of the Special Disaster Response Unit has set off for Amorgos from Patras with a special earthquake rescue vehicle, and technical teams are expected to inspect the electricity network on the island. Kostas Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told broadcaster ERT that the authorities had to allow for the situation to continue for most or all of February. "Let's hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation," he said. "We will have to be a little patient and see. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside." He said the possibility of a major earthquake had not been completely ruled out. The strongest quake so far was a 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. 6.0 and above is considered severe. Greece is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are puzzled by the current "clusters" of quakes which have not been linked to a major shock. Meanwhile the cruise ship Viking Star, with 893 passengers and 470 crew, docked at the port of Souda in Crete early on Monday morning. It was due to be the first cruise ship of the season in Santorini. The ship changed its route mainly to avoid cable car overcrowding in Santorini during the seismic activity.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
More quakes hit Santorini and surrounding islands
Three more earthquakes have occurred near the Greek island of Santorini, causing continuing concern in the tourist hotspot. Residents of neighbouring Amorgos remain on high alert after Monday's tremors, which followed a moderate 5.0 magnitude earthquake between the islands on Sunday evening. The area has been rocked by seismic activity for the last two weeks, and experts have not ruled out a major earthquake. A state of emergency will remain in place on Santorini until at least 3 March. Sunday's quake was preceded by three smaller ones of more than 4.0 magnitude, while the three on Monday morning were also more than 4.0 on the Richter scale. Inspections found no damage to buildings in Santorini or Amorgos. No injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes, which have numbered in the thousands since 26 January, but more than 11,000 people have left the islands. Schools will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday. A team of the Special Disaster Response Unit has set off for Amorgos from Patras with a special earthquake rescue vehicle, and technical teams are expected to inspect the electricity network on the island. Kostas Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told broadcaster ERT that the authorities had to allow for the situation to continue for most or all of February. "Let's hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation," he said. "We will have to be a little patient and see. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside." He said the possibility of a major earthquake had not been completely ruled out. Santorini rocked by more earthquakes as uncertainty grows Tourists leave after earthquakes rock Santorini, but resilient locals remain How long could the Santorini 'seismic crisis' last? The strongest quake so far was a 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. 6.0 and above is considered severe. Greece is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are puzzled by the current "clusters" of quakes which have not been linked to a major shock. Meanwhile the cruise ship Viking Star, with 893 passengers and 470 crew, docked at the port of Souda in Crete early on Monday morning. It was due to be the first cruise ship of the season in Santorini. The ship changed its route mainly to avoid cable car overcrowding in Santorini during the seismic activity.
