Traveling the world has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember. Thirteen years ago I retired from teaching and began my journey to destinations I never imagined I would see. My husband, Justin, and I decided we wanted to explore smaller ships. That's when we found Viking River & Viking Ocean. We do enjoy our road trips and you'll find those adventures featured here as well. Enjoy the road less traveled and adventure onward!
One of our items on our to-do list was to visit the Montmartre area and toured the Basilica. Again, we had perfect timing and got there early. We walked right in with no line. A quick bag check at the door and we enjoyed a lovely peaceful visit to this beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica. We had not been here before and were not disappointed.
When we left, the line was wrapped around the outer courtyard. Go early is my advice. Enjoy a tour and I even took a few videos with the choir singing - of course it was a recording, but it was beautiful.
The visit of the Basilica is free. It is open every day without exception from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Lunch at Le Jules Verne was a delightful way to celebrate our 54th wedding anniversary. The wait staff is the most attentive you will ever experience.
There was one funny moment when Justin went to pour himself some more water from the decanter and the waiter hustled over to take over that duty. We had at least three waiters watching over us and had prime seats at the window.
At the table to our right a young couple evidently knew the chef because he came out to chat with them.
We did the lunch menu with three courses, but they kept bringing out extra things we didn’t expect. I think I probably missed a few photos. We ended up not eating any dinner last night, but munched on a few baked goods we’d stored away from breakfast.
If you’re visiting Paris, and want great food, service, and beautiful skyline views from the Eiffel Tower, you must book in advance on their website. They even celebrated with us our 54th wedding anniversary with a very special dessert.
Sainte Chapelle was one or our first early morning visits. We had tickets for a 9:02 a.m. opening, the first of the day. I suggest that if you want to avoid the crowds, get tickets and go early.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see that all of the stain glassed windows on the second floor have been fully restored. The last time we were there years ago, a whole wall of them had been removed. It was a beautiful restoration.
Get your tickets easily online through their website Sainte-Chapelle de Paris. You can book audio phones as well. Best to do that early because sometimes they have big groups which snatch them up.
Next up today will be lunch Le Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy your day!
At long last we were able to do a little traveling and our first choice was to return to Paris and view Notre Dame Cathedral after the reconstruction phase.
We toured with Uncle Sam tours the exterior and interior of Notre Dame. It was a very interesting tour and viewing the famed Cathedral now after being mostly restored was such a blessing to us. We’ve been to Paris many times and have seen Notre Dame in its original state, during reconstruction, and now after it’s been restored.
They are still working on the spires as you can see scaffolding and workers up high completing their work. Our guide thought it would take a few more years to complete the outside restoration. It’s such an intricate job and our patience in waiting to see it was worth it. The interior as well as the exterior have been revitalized with painstaking care and precision. Another beautiful day in Paris.
What a wonderful excursion! We docked in Lerwick Scotland and joined Seabirds-and-seals.com for a thrilling adventure into the land of seabirds. @VikingCruises offered this excursion on their British Isles Explorer itinerary.
We started our journey from Victoria Pier where we boarded the boat. There were nine of us on this excursion which made for a delightful time and easy viewing of the wildlife and landscapes. Stunning backdrop of the Noss cliffs, this cruise took us around Noss and Breslau where we enjoyed the Shetland’s numerous seabirds. We saw a few seals and the scenic geological views were fascinating.
Our guide, Julie, and the boat tour guides Maria and Brian were very informative. I highly recommend this tour.
Enjoy our adventure and see these beautiful birds in flight. We even spotted a Puffin in the water. Watch for it closely.
Stirling Castle and Bannockburn Heritage Center are two great stops while in Edinburgh. Viking’s British Isles Explorer itinerary features a seven hour excursion to these two very historic spots.
Braveheart Country: Stirling Castle & Bannockburn Heritage Center was a very worthwhile excursion. Our guide was very informative and while there is a bit of a bus ride to and from the ship, there were some interesting features along the way.
Stirling Castle was home to the Stuart kings and birthplace of James II. It has controlled one of the main routes between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands for centuries. It sets upon beautiful volcanic rock about the Forth River. We learned about the bloody past and its place in Scottish history.
There is a nice cafe there where you can have sandwiches, quiche, and pastries. It made for a nice break. We had three hours to explore the castle and have a lunch on our own.
Following our time at the castle, we traveled about 15 minutes to Bannockburn Heritage Center near where the 1314 battle in which the Scots under King of Scots Robert the Bruce defeated the English army of King Edward II during the First War of Scottish Independence. The docent shared information about the battle and strategies in their interactive museum.
I spoke with him after the presentation and mentioned that I was the 7th great granddaughter of the 4th Earl of Argyle - Archibald. He told me that Archibald’s grandfather, I believe it was, helped Robert the Bruce during this battle. I have to continue my research on Ancestry.com. It’s fascinating to hear these stories and learning of your connection through family with them.
Our visit to Ullapool Scotland was very picturesque and we were able to view remnants of several historic features along the way. Beautiful and dramatic mountain landscapes and coastal scenery of the North West Highlands Geopark were a highlight.
As we continued further north, the terrain became more rugged and we watched for wild red deer and other animals. We stopped for pictures at the ruins of the Calda House and Ardvreck Castle and continued on to the small village of Lochinver.
We had a nice stop at their local cafe for pastries and drinks. Several shops were open, but the port was not really busy. It was a lovely day and our guide was very informative.
One other guide in Lochinver had a map of the clan locations. I told her about my Scottish ancestry with the Campbells and saw their area of the country. It’s been a fascinating journey as I discover a bit more about my Welsh and Scottish connections.
This excursion is with @Viking’s British Isles Explorer itinerary and is called Scenic Assynt.
The majority of the time was on the bus and it was about 4 hours.
Belfast Northern Ireland has a rich history and Viking’s British Isles Explorer itinerary takes us on a panorama included excursion of the its main sights. The Grand Opera House, Albert Memorial Clock, Queen’s University and Botanic Gardens are just a few of the locations viewed. Watch for the Titanic Memorial erected to commemorate the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. There are a number of political murals which provide a unique cultural touch.
Justin took this tour and here are some photos of his experience.
Viking Neptune docked in Belfast Northern Ireland under mostly sunny skies. The temperatures were in the low 60’s for most of the day. A lovely combination for our Belfast Food Trail with Rae, our local guide. We walked through historic neighborhoods and sampled Champ (like our mashed potatoes) and hard and non-alcoholic apple cider.
We also stopped at a local specialty food store, Sawers. It was quite a unique place and they provided samples of their cheeses and smoked salmon on a hearty bread along with drinks and specialty jams. I purchased some specialty tea and chocolate.
Our third stop was at Daisies where we sampled delicious hot chocolate that has won many awards. This was a fun shopping experience as we sampled a few liquor filled truffles.
Born and Bread was a quick stop to check out novelty items.Two Irish tea towels will now be in my kitchen.
Our last stop was at Morning Star. This neighborhood pub and restaurant featured some delicious seafood chowder and Irish Lamb Stew. Guinness was a favorite beverage by many.
If you’re seeking a very special food tour with an engaging guide, try Viking’s Belfast Food Trail.
Viking Neptune is our ship and our itinerary is British Isles Explorer from London to Bergen.
Port Sunlight is a delightful community founded by the “Soap King” W. H. Lever in 1888. The village is surrounded by beautiful parklands and has all the charm of a Victorian village. Lever needed housing for his 10,000 employees and created a safe and unique opportunity for his employees. He built housing for them and even today some are still occupied by descendants of the workers or their families.
This portion of the tour was a panoramic tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. We drove all around the village and learned of his vision. He even created a hospital and work days included an hour for lunch for men, and an hour and ten minutes for women because they had further to walk to eat lunch. I seem to recall they had an 8 hour workday.
The village housing has been listed as a #2 in the UK and historical restoration must be maintained. No double paned windows, must keep wood trim, etc. It can be a costly expense for those that inhabit these homes.
This is the Port Sunlight & Ness Botanic Gardens excursion with Viking’s British Isles Explorer itinerary. Highly recommend!
Ness Botanic Gardens is a stunning collection of a variety of landscapes. Ness was created by Arthur Kipling Bulley who was a wealthy cotton merchant who had a passion for plants. He died in 1942 and his daughter has continued to follow his aspirations to make the gardens available to all. Ness Botanic works with the University of Liverpool and the Royal Horticultural Society in order to maintain its upkeep. This facility is an approved center for education.
It would be easy to spend hours here and the staff are so friendly and informative. Justin and I came across two gardeners tending to the grounds and had a few questions for them. You could tell they were very passionate about their jobs and enjoyed sharing their knowledge.
This is a very worthwhile excursion with Viking on their British Isles itinerary. Port Sunlight & Ness Botanic Gardens is highly recommended.
Holyhead, Wales was one place that I did not want to miss. Ancestry.com has really given me much insight into my heritage and when I learned I was 30% Welsh, well, this was a no brainer.
Our Viking excursion choice was Caernarfon Castle. I highly recommend Caernarfon Castle with their British Isles itinerary. Viking Neptune docks in Holyhead, Wales and this excursion was a fascinating exploration of the fortress which is dated back to 1283. This castle was one of four castles built by King Edward I. The guide was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of free time to explore. Enjoy!
ZamsZanyTravels is cruising on the Viking Neptune and we arrived in Holyhead, Wales which is located on Holy Island. British Isles is our itinerary and we had mostly clear skies and temperate weather which works very well for me.
This region has a strong Roman Empire presence and there is a great concentration of ancient burial chambers and standing stone in Britain which suggest that prehistoric settlements thrived here.
Holyhead is contained in a three-walled Roman fort and is protected on the fourth side by the sea. Justin took a little walkabout prior to our excursion and here are some photos in and around Holyhead.
