Viking Cruise Trip Notes and Pix - Christmas on the Seine

We are home from our Christmas Cruise on the Seine.

Everything we've ever heard about Viking Cruises was proven to be completely on target.

We loved it.

My long time dream of spending some of our Christmas holidays in France can now be crossed off our list.  It was worth the wait.

Our first day in France started out a little rocky.

We took our time getting off the plane, letting folks go ahead of us only to be confronted with a lot of steps to get down at CDG, only to be confronted by a young lady telling us to hurry, hurry, there was a bus full of people waiting for us.  Who knew?!  

Sure enough, the bus we didn't know was waiting to take us to the terminal was jammed packed full.

Found our Viking guide, who escorted us to the shuttle that got us to our ship.

Explored a little and decided to take a nap.

Were awakened by a man in our room telling us to wake up, wake up!

We needed to get to the lounge with our life vests to hear the Captain's safety talk.  

People were waiting on us!

Sure 'nuff, we walked into the lounge where 200 people wearing life vests were all watching as we entered - 😫

Dinner was the beginning of a very fun friendship.

We met sisters Virginia and Arleen, talked a lot, laughed even more. 

Day 2 - 

We took a walk into Paris.

During a stop in a pharmacy, a nice Frenchman asked me if I was with ZZ Top.  😊

Enjoyed spotting our first Paris carousel.

Dinner with Arleen and Virginia.

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Aside from the fact we seemed to have unintentionally kept people waiting, life is good.

More to come - stay tuned . . .

We are home, happy, tired, and

sick.  

We are among the latest Covid victims; it's rough.

I'll be posting pictures and trip notes over the next few days as my energy level allows.  Those periods of time when I'm not sleeping are rare and random, but improving every day.

Annabelle fans - not to worry, she's feeling fine and will have an updated Christmas pic of her very own pretty soon.

Abbreviated trip recap:

Viking Cruises rock.  The Christmas on the Seine cruise gets high marks; a dream come true.  The ship staff cannot be beat.  The food is truly to die for.

People met and tribes formed on Viking Cruises are fabulous ❤ and we are missing our little tribe of "laugh a lots."

More to come . . .

Wishing you all a Healthy, Happy Holiday

and a

Peaceful New Year

Honfleur, FR



🍾 ❤ 🎄 

Sometimes dreams do come true . . .

And when they do . . .




I don't know about anyone else, but when i have a dream come true, I squeal.




Loudly.




And then, when the wish involves travel, I start planning.




Even when the wish trip is over a year away.




Donald and I are taking a Christmas on the Seine river cruise.   Next year.




Plenty of time to plan.




And to be excited!




We won't be cruising during Christmas, but we will be cruising during the season, and (from Viking) will be able to  "Embrace the holiday season with a taste of Joyeux Noel. Explore Paris, France’s twinkling “City of Light.” Sail through the snow-covered landscapes of Normandy’s countryside and admire the scenes of fairy-tale villages along the way. Enjoy the scented aroma of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts amid a festive backdrop of Christmas markets. Onboard festivities include regional dining specialties, seasonal treats and more to celebrate the holidays."




Squeeee!




I know some of you hate winter, hate snow, and this cruise would not interest you in the least.  Might even sound like a circle of hell.




Donald and I, however, are tickled pink and excited. This is a dream trip for us.




So.




Anyone who has taken a winter river cruise - we're accepting all suggestions. Especially on clothes we should be prepared to take with us. Thankfully, living in the mountains means we're used to cold weather and are fairly well stocked with winter gear. Still, packing for an 8 day winter cruise with a few stops for excursions along the way will present challenges.

In the meantime . . .

Squeeeeeeeee!!!!!