Well, we’re home. And I don’t know if anyone will still be reading … but I’m still thinking. So, it goes without saying … I’m still blogging.
The trip in a nutshell? Wonderful … I’d like to still be there, in a flat overlooking the Mediterranean, with my own bed, and my own bathroom, and a maid, and a cook. Okay, I can do without the maid and the cook. But if I’m dreaming …
Everyone asks us what we liked, what we didn’t like, our favorite part … the normal post-trip questions. Here they are … with answers. 😉
Our favorite part(s):
- The Normandy Beaches! Just overwhelmed.
- The beautiful scenery and fall colors going by as we floated along a peaceful river with homes and buildings interspersed – picture perfect.
- The breathtaking panorama of the Rhone River valley – you just couldn’t capture, in a photo, the breadth of the miles and miles of beautiful vineyards.
- Carol’s visit with a shop-keeper in the Old Town Nice – she learned that her mother started the shop 35 years ago, and they made everything in the shop together, by hand. Now everything in her shop is hand-made by her. They had the nicest (long) visit and in departing she told Carol she hoped she would see her again.
- The food on the Normandy leg – especially the Chef’s night – all the foods of Normandy, beautiful presentation, fantastic tastes.
- The water color class! We had so much fun.
- Our dinner with David and Mary (Carol’s cousin). It was just a great evening.
What’s great about Viking:
- They take care of you from beginning to end … luggage, transfers, you.
- They provide a broad range of experiences for their guests – included excursions at every port.
- A floating motel room – it’s so nice to unpack and not worry about it for a week.
- The lounge – not because I drink or even need a lounge – it was just a really nice, quiet place to read and relax during the day.
- And they saved us when we were on top of a hill in Lyon at the basilica miles from the ship and couldn’t get a cab back (we were pathetic – they sent us a cab).
What didn’t we like about our trip:
- The room was spacious for a longship or any ship, really, but pretty tiny for us.
- Sometimes we got a little weary of all the forced socializing. We’re pretty private people, and a lot of these folks are professional travelers and partying is their thing.
- People drink too much.
- We weren’t into the game night, trivia night, music night, dance contest … too much drinking and very loud.
- Doesn’t matter how nice they are, I still hate buses – a holdover from school life.
What I learned:
I was sure I’d still have to deal with the fat lady issue, since I didn’t get thin. Better, certainly, but not thin. And here’s the surprise – the French folks were never rude, and in-fact, fairly kind. The only time I felt the slap of fat prejudice was from other Americans.
I had one truly embarrassing experience with one of our cab rides. We had planned to take a cab with another couple in what was supposed to be a mid-size … but it was not so mid … and I couldn’t get in. It was humiliating, the driver was very nice, the other couple felt sorry for me, and I had to walk away. We ended up taking an Uber, which worked out great, but I still felt awful.
Traveling when you’re broken is hard. Okay, I already knew that. Living life when you’re broken is hard. But add cobblestones and uneven walking to the mix, and it ups the level of hard. I had to do a lot of walking looking down! I walked 5000+ steps nearly every day, but that was about my limit before pain blighted any desire to be a tourist.
Despite all that, I love to travel. I loved seeing France in a whole new way. I loved meeting some really nice people. Especially the couples from Wisconsin and New York, and our Michigan ladies. I loved trying new foods. And although some people complain about it, I absolutely loved the churches, all of them. Not just because I’m Catholic, but because of the history they hold in their walls. They are exceptional tributes to the passing of time.
Sometimes Carol and I both feel like we belong in Europe (Carol specifically in France). We both said if we could bring our friends, families, and creature comforts along … we’d live there – maybe for just a part of the year? Carol connects her feelings to a time in her life when she lived in Paris, was learning and growing as a person, and developed a deep love for the country and its people. I don’t know why I feel such a connection when I’m there – but I feel it every time I’m in these places whose history goes back centuries. I just feel something – it’s hard to explain – but I feel I’m at home.
Do we want to travel Viking again:
Hmmm … we don’t know. We loved most of it. If we’d experienced the same feeling on the Buri as we did on the Rolf (food, program director, steward), we’d probably be saying YES! We truly loved everything about the first leg. We had great meals, great service, a really fabulous room stewardess, and the best program director. Â There were good things on the second leg, too, but not the euphoric feeling of the first. The best part was the people we met on the second leg. Anyway, we’re just not sure this is the best mode of travel for us.
We ARE thinking an actual stay might be worth looking into. A nice little villa for a couple of weeks? Or an ocean cruise is still a possibility. Or just a regular old vacation. We’re thinking …