Renowned food writer, author and broadcaster, Jonathan Meades, joins Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Vistas programme

The award-winning former restaurant critic of The Times and acclaimed broadcaster on food and architecture, Jonathan Meades, will be the guest speaker on two Fred. Olsen cruises in 2012.  Both cruises are aboard Black Watch, the first to the Western Mediterranean and the second to the Baltic.

A writer on food, architecture and culture, as well as being an author and broadcaster, Jonathan Meades wrote reviews and articles for The Times for many years and was its restaurant critic between 1986 and 2001. Voted ‘Best Food Journalist’ in the 1999 Glenfiddich Awards, he has also presented a number of TV series on architecture, notably  ‘Abroad in Britain’ and ‘Further Abroad’ both taking a quirky and individual approach to the subject. His television work also includes two separate one-off documentaries about the architectural legacy of both the Third Reich, ‘Jerry Building’, and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union, ‘Joe Building’.

Jonathan promises to be a highly entertaining and knowledgeable Vistas speaker. The cruises he will be joining are as follows:-

Black Watch W1211 is a 13-night cruise to the Baltic, departing from Dover on 20th August 2012. The cruise calls at Warnemunde (Germany) for tours to Berlin, then Estonia’s pretty capital, Tallinn. A highlight of the itinerary is an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia’s rich storehouse of fine art and stunning architecture, founded by Peter the Great. The cruise then visits Helsinki, cosmopolitan capital of Finland, and the less well-known Finnish port of Turku. Next is the Danish capital, Copenhagen and finally Aalborg (also in Denmark) before returning to Dover.  The Vistas theme on this cruise is ‘Food and Drink of the North’ and is co-presented by Jonathan Meades and Stuart Walton. Prices for the cruise start from £1,919 per person, based on two adults, sharing an outside twin cabin, Grade ‘E’.

Black Watch W1216 is a 16-night cruise to Spain and Algiers, departing from Dover on 23rd October 2012.  This cruise calls at Cadiz, Castellon and Palamos (all in Spain), Ajaccio – Napoleon’s birthplace on Corsica – (France), Mahon, capital of the island of Menorca (Spain) and Algiers (Algeria), then returns to Dover. The Vistas theme, presented by Jonathan Meades, along with Nathan Manzaneque, is, appropriately, ‘Spanish: Language of Food and Romance’.  Prices for this cruise start from £1,619 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin Grade ‘I’, and include all meals and entertainment on board, as well as port taxes. There is no extra charge for taking part in Vistas activity.