Chess Master Viking Jupiter
I was very lucky to have been invited, for the second time running, as Chess Master to Viking cruises. I love ships and I love chess, they go hand in hand as it is all about exploration, one of the mind of ones opponent and the other of fascinating places. The voyage was incredible, out of this world even (as this ship was called Jupiter, after one of the stars in our beloved solar system!) The Viking company started twenty years ago, as river cruises, mainly along the Danube. Eventually they had sixty of these and then progressed onto Ocean liners, of which they now have four.
Viking Cruises is a expanding shipping company and it has commissioned ten more ocean ships. Each ship is built exactly like the last, combining great quality materials with exquisite taste. It is more like a floating 5* hotel with the bonus of wonderful lectures, excellent activities and a miscellany of different things to see and do.
I have done three shakedown cruises with the marvellous Viking Cruises and every time I have embarked on a new journey, my mind expands and I learn new a fascinating skills as the university of life is always around me. I love being a honorary Viking as I love Viking history and admire these brave raiders.
We started in Bologna, Italy, where we saw the old university of Bologna and the awesome the Cathedral. I was very pleased to have seen the law courts of the oldest university of the Western World. It started in about 1088 and many universities copied this structure. We visited the Anatomical Theatre, or Archiginnasio, where people cut up bodies for the purpose of research. What I liked most about Bologna was the pasta, as they made wonderful spaghetti which I devoured. I loved seeing the Saint Peter Basilica, which inspired Raphael to paint the Sistine chapel.
From Bologna, we took a private bus to Ravenna. I was looking forward to seeing the brand new ship, which has all manner of beautiful, state of the art equipment on board. When we arrived, the ship looked tranquil on the waters of the Adriatic. It was a fantastic sight to behold, as it had cost a hundred million to build. (If you are struggling to picture it, try and imagine a hundred town houses all crammed together!) I believe that it looked slightly happier to have me on board as their chess master and I could almost imagine the ship whispering in my mind "welcome chess master!" as I boarded.
The Crew of these ships are often overlooked, and yet the 900 members of staff on board Jupiter were the best of the best. Although they are meant to be invisible but visible at the same time, they were always on hand to help with any query of request my mother and I had.
We were to be on the ship for ten days and I was determined to make the most out of the facilities that were being offered.
The first port we were to visit was on the beautiful coastline of Croatia. I was thrilled to be able to discover Croatia and all its historical secrets. I learnt that Split started predominately as Diocletian's Palace, and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. I loved exploring this beautiful palace that was built for the last Roman Pagan Emperor at the turn of the 4 century BC. Diocletian's palace more resembles a large fortress rather than a palace. Nowadays it holds concerts in its vaulted cellars and hosts markets throughout. I loved the view from the Palace looking at the Adriatic.
When I got back from the walking tour of the breathtaking Diocletian palace. I was eager to discover about Dante's Inferno by Professor Bruscagli, where I learnt more about heaven and hell. I love these enrichment lectures which take place in the Star Theatre which sits at the heart of the ship on the second floor. . One never knows, perhaps I shall be giving lectures on such a stage as a Resident historian in my own right one day.
I learnt a lot of new information about Dante from this fascinating lecture. Firstly, that he was born 14c. Sadly, there are not many original works written by Dane about the Divine Comedy left. The Church exiled him from his home town in Florence. Dante wrote the Divine comedies as to exact revenge on his hometown and the Church. Dante writes extensively about the nine levels of hell which the poet Virgil guides him through. We must remember that this is just his idea of hell, whether it is accurate or not, we have to wait and see. The Church did decide to back Dante's version of heaven and hell because it became a widespread popular notion within the courts of Italy at the time.
Our next port of call was the beautiful coastline town of Dubrovnik, which we were fortunate enough to visit during a Saint's day of celebration. I loved seeing the old town in this way as it was crowded with people. I got a real sense of awe as I walked all along the walls of the old cit and listened to the noise below. I loved the baroque styled houses, the wonderful old limestone streets, and of course the view of the Adriatic which was a crystal blue and inviting.
Of course, during my stay on Jupiter I also played some chess games the most memorable of which was loosing to the amazing Habib Amir (who I only managed to beat once). I played against this amazing world cup champion every day and I lost most times. The trick with chess is never to give it up. I also learnt to lose gracefully which is a important factor in chess. I was very lucky as I did beat him once which was a huge achievement for me. I liked the way in how his mind worked.
One other moment which sticks out, was being interviewed for the Cruise ship TV station. I was extremely nervous about speaking on live television for the very first time. My mother said that my knuckles tightened in fear when the light went green. I was very self conscious of my voice, however, I admired Mark immensely as he had had speech impairment and worked through it with speech therapy. I had a Eureka moment when remembered the King's Speech and in the film Colin Firth learnt to speak very slowly. With that in my mind, I realised that if I did not speak that much and spoke slowly and clearly the main message would be understood. It was a success and I managed it in one take. Over a thousand people watched me talking on live TV about chess. I became famous over that night, for instance after the debate I was having dinner in the Italian restaurant and somehow they knew my name - extraordinary!
I liked the Black Mountains of Montenegro, in the mist they were captivating. The Venetians owned Montenegro for a long time and the achieved a lot when they were there from 1382 to 1792. The Venetian nobles who lived there were high achievers and they were very resourceful. They held of the Ottomans Empire and they also fought off famous Pirates. The Venetians were tactfully clever as they realised that Montenegro was a important harbour with important trade links.
We then visited Corfu where I learnt that Prince Philip was born. I liked Corfu and learning about the beautiful island with its wonderful views of the ocean. When I got back from the ship that evening I met for the first time the godmother of the ship Sissel Kyrkjebo who was a wonderfully kind human. She put on a special concert that night which I would never forget. In her captivating voice she put a spell on everyone on the ship. She was enchanting to listen to and she managed to get everyone to click there fingers along to the song.
Olympia running track in Greece is one of the oldest in the World. I was extremely fortunate to have run five feet on one of the oldest race tracks in the world for which I thus obtained my laurels It was created in 776 BC . When I visited this wonderful old site it was during February which I think is the best time to visit as there are not so many tourists.
Jupiter's final port of call was Athens, and I remember the last night very well indeed. It was where I attended a wonderful lecture in the Star theatre by the Resident Historian Prof Charles Doherty, where I learned all about ancient Greece. I shall share with you one important fact. I had no idea that the Persians had successfully invaded Greece. Fortunately, the Greeks grew the courage to push them out in 480 BC. The Persians were pushed out from Greece the main battle being the very famous battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The Persians underestimated the strength of the Greeks.
Overall, I loved my third shakedown cruise with Viking it is a wonderful privilege to be their Chess Master at the ripe age of twenty five. I would love to a honorary Viking and have always admired their gusty past. I loved the two days we spent in Athens where I saw the awe inspiring temple of Zeus. I liked seeing the statues in their main museum. I also liked learning about the conflict between Poseidon and Athena about who would have their name on this city. Athens is a remarkable city with a extraordinary history and thanks to Viking Cruises I was able to soak it all in. What an incredible experience for which I will be forever grateful!
