TRAVEL LOG

You Gentle Readers may have noticed recently that my blog posts have been short on words.

I've been doing this so long I lose my inspiration at times.

Fortunately I have a staff of thousands.

Well, not really but I do have friends who from time to time say or write something that deserves wider attention.

Such is the case today as I introduce a guest blogger, my friend of many years, Diane, who has just returned from a European river cruise.

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The following is my report on the Viking River cruise (plus some additional bus trips because of low water, insufficient to accommodate the long-boats Viking uses on the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers.) 

They have not had rain since May. One sees many sand bars visible. Locals say you could walk across any one of the three rivers.

Not required reading but am writing this in response to many requests (well, I think it might have been TWO requests).

We flew from Phoenix on the 5th via Philadelphia to Budapest and returned on the 20th from Amsterdam via London, non-stop from there to Phoenix. 

The flights were smooth and since we were in business class, were able to lie down and really sleep on the plane. Nice! 

The meals served on board were excellent and the over-all service superb.

The weather the entire two weeks was perfect every single day -- always sunshine (though  they need rain desperately) with temps in the hi 60's to low 70's.

We had a suite on the ship with a balcony. 

Viking makes one feel like royalty with your every wish immediately addressed and whenever possible granted. 

The food on board is so wonderful. Each morning was a buffet breakfast with lots of fresh fruit, pastries and the usual breakfast fare of eggs, sausage, bacon, sometimes salmon, herring, cheeses. One can eat oneself into oblivion on board. 

Also each lunch and dinner there were local dishes offered from which to choose on the menu. 

The food in that area is very heavy. Always lots of meat, potatoes, sauerkraut (which tastes nothing at all like what we find in a can here in the USA) red cabbage, applesauce, gooey desserts, especially apple strudel. 

Champagne with breakfast, wine or beer offered for the other two meals. 

We had several presentations on history, local customs etc. along the way. 

Also special music. One night we had German musicians (accordian along with an antique hand organ) -- rousing, loud and such fun! 

Other times there was just background music from a pianist and sometimes a singer as well.

Each day there were tours, some lasted 8 full hours and were exhausting while being very entertaining, informative and just so wonderful. 

We toured numerous castles, palaces, churches and cathedrals. Some hundreds of years old and several even a thousand years old. Lots of gold leaf everywhere it seemed. 

I keep thinking nothing that is being built in today's world will be here a thousand years from now and, living in Arizona where nothing (hardly) is earlier than the 20th Century, it amazes me seeing such antiquated structures.

At one point one of our guides referred to our trip as an "ABC Trip"....which stood for "Another Bloody Castle" or "Another Bloody Church"..………….most amusing!

There are cobblestones everywhere making walking very challenging. I could not use my walker on them, so had to use a cane and watch my feet with every step. I was terrified of falling. 

Lee was such a help. she is 16 years my junior, is a competitive ballroom dancer, so quite fit and always ready to lend me an arm when I needed it. 

She and I worked together at the TV station 40 years ago. She was my assistant when I was hosting & producing the morning talk show "Today in Arizona". 

She also went to Rhodesia with my daughter Linda the second time she went there and has been close to our family all these 40 years.

I particularly loved being in Vienna where we had a concert of chamber music in a hall where Mozart had performed and Strauss, Bach and others had created such wonderful music. 

Lee had a waltz lesson while there. She was determined to do a Viennese Waltz while in Vienna and did dance to "The Blue Danube" while I watched.

Lee and I made it a point each evening whenever possible to sit with new people and get acquainted. We met very interesting fellow passengers, most of them from the U.S. along with several from the U.K., Australia and Canada.

It was a fabulous time. I enjoyed it twice as much as the Viking cruise we took about 18 months ago. There was just much more to see and do on this one.

I feel so fortunate I was able to have this fulfilling experience.

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I would like to point out that my friend Diane hinted at her age a couple of times in her narrative.

I asked for permission to state her age and she graciously allowed it.

She is 86 years young and always ready for a new adventure.