Archive Of The Week : Sail Away

You know what it is like when you are certain that you are going to hate something just as soon as someone first suggests it. I was like that with cruising. The idea of being shut away with a couple of thousand stuffed shirts aimlessly drifting over leaden-grey waves and eating your way through enough food to build an edible battleship just did not appeal. But this was twelve or so years ago, it was our 25th anniversary and the GLW (Good Lady Wife) quite fancied the idea and so off we went aboard the old P&O Arcadia around the Mediterranean. You know how some times you can be wrong. I was wrong. I fell in love with a type of holiday that allowed me to laze in the sun working my way through a mini-library of books whilst having endless cold beers delivered to my reclining deck chair. I fell in love with the pace-less days and the stress-less nights. And in consequence, I now find it difficult to survive much more than six or eight months without jumping on a ship and sailing off somewhere warm.

It is still four months until our next cruise but we had the first meeting of the little party who will be holidaying together over the weekend and we discussed things like anti-malaria pills, mosquito repellent and available supplies of tropical shirts. And with the anticipatory taste of salty sea-spray still caressing my lips I went in search of my Archive of the Week. And I found a little gem.

The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives are one of the largest private archives of historical steamship and ocean liner documents, photographs, and passenger lists. Even if your tastes are more inclined to family history rather than family holidays the site is still worth a visit as they maintain many passenger lists from the days of the great trans-Atlantic liners and these are freely available. As well as passenger lists there are collections of steamship tickets and illustrated brochures. There are menus and recipes and guidance on what to wear for the fashion-conscious travelling of 100 years ago. You can happily browse for hours and pretend that you are far from land on the high seas.

I will provide you with just one little sample here and that is the breakfast menu from the Cunard Line R.M.S. Berengaria from Friday, 9 August 1927 on an Eastbound Voyage from New York to Southampton. Enjoy!

FRUITS

Grape Fruit

Oranges

Apples

California Figs in Syrup

Compote of Prunes

Baked Apples with Cream

CEREALS

Oatmeal Porridge -- Cream of Wheat -- Fresh Milk

Force Whole Wheat (Flakes)

Puffed Rice

Breakfast Bran

Post Toasties

Corn Flakes

Post's Bran Flakes

Grape Nuts

Shredded Wheat

FISH

Boneless Codfish—Cream Sauce

Fried Lemon Sole

Kippered Herring

EGGS AND OMELETTES

Eggs Fried, Turned and Boiled

Poached Eggs on Toast

Shirred Eggs—Portugaise

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Omelettes Various

ENTREES

Calf's Liver - Piquante Sauce

Chicken Hash

Smoked Beef in Cream

GRILL

American and Wiltshire Smoked and Pale Bacon

Cumberland Ham

Cambridge Sausage

Mutton Chops

Devilled Beef Bones

Potatoes— Mashed, French Fried, Steamed Jacket

Cold Meats Assorted

Spring Onions

Tomatoes Cucumber Radishes

CAKES

Griddle and Buckwheat Cakes—Maple Syrup

Waffles

VARIOUS BREADS

White and Graham Rolls

Toast

Hovis Bread

French Toast

Cottage Loaves

Vienna Bread

Pulled Bread

Toasted Muffins

Scotch Oat Cake

Corn Bread

Currant Buns

Sally Lunns

Swedish Bread

Triscuit

Parkerhouse Rolls

Soda Scones

French Crescents

Marmalade

Preserves

Tea—Ceylon, China and Blended

Coffee

Cocoa

Horlick's

Malted Milk

Buttermilk