Traveling the world has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember. Fifteen 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!
Whale watching was a definite success today under sunny skies and cool temps. Several Humpback families were present. It was about an hour out before we found the whales and we stayed there for about an hour. There was limited seating up on deck. Justin and I had to stand at the railing by the time we could get up there after the safety briefing downstairs in an enclosed room. (Sit at the back by the steps if you want to get out sooner and up the steps to the deck seating.)
But that gave us great views of the ocean and first up to take pictures until the rest of those seated crowded around. Be sure to stand your ground as with any crowds.
Qaqortoq, Greenland is a small town that is a “repository of Viking, Inuit, and Danish history.” It’s one of the largest and best preserved Viking settlements and was established by Erik the Red’s uncle in the 10th century. Soon after, the Inuit’s arrived and fortunately left behind many artifacts from their early years. The historic buildings reflect the Danish colonial period including an 1804 blacksmith shop and a black tar log building from 1797.
The excursion we took was with locals in their boats for an Iceberg Safari! We sped quickly out to view three very large icebergs. Two were from Greenland and one came from the North Pole! Some of the occupants in our small boat sampled some iceberg pieces. Justin and I did not. Highly recommend this excursion for a very close up view of these beautiful icebergs and getting to know the locals.
This was our first time being able to tender into L’Anse aux Meadows. On a previous Viking journey, the seas were too rough for the tender boats. However, today was a very smooth ride and the weather has been wonderful! We finally hit cooler temperatures which is a favorite of mine when traveling.
L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, is a unique site. We were able to walk on the mounds where Vikings settled in the late 10th century by nearly 500 years prior to Columbus. Leif Eriksson’s voyage to Greenland put this location on the map.
There were local park guides available to explain more about the history and life of this settlement. Further down from the mounds was Norstead. This was constructed as a reenactment settlement and locals were there to show us how the Vikings lived and worked.
Highly recommend visiting on our Viking Iconic Iceland, Greenland, and Canada cruise.
This May we ventured back to the Great Lakes with Viking. We really enjoyed their Expedition Ship Polaris and decided to explore our "backyard" a bit more. The Viking Octantis was our ship and the cruise itinerary was Great Lakes Treasure.
Our itinerary began and ended in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We visited Mackinac Island, the Georgian Bay, Fathom Five National Marine Park, The Benjamin Islands, Sault Sainte Marie, Door Peninsula, and Chicago.
The weather was usually crisp and cool which is my favorite weather for traveling. We did experience a good bit of fog and drizzle during our trip, but it did not dampen our spirits.
One of the highlights of our cruise was the weather balloon launch! Viking works with NOAA and sets off the balloons and collects weather data in real time. Be sure to set your cameras and mobile phones on video for the best capture of this exciting launch.
Some excursions we enjoyed and would recommend: Mackinac by Horse-Drawn Carriage; Anishinaabek of the Great Lakes; Fathom Five National Marine Park by Boat; Soo Locks; and Chicago for Pizza Lovers!
Be sure to take advantage of the Scenic Sailing by Special Operations Boats and Zodiacs. These itineraries do not overlap and you can gain difference perspectives of your environment. Suggestion: don't sit at the back of the Zodiac. You may get your britches wet! There is no special clothing required here.
We did do the Fish Fry Lunch and would not recommend. The fish was dry and overcooked and not worth the price in general. The best part of the fish fry were the desserts. Although it was a scenic location, I would suggest trying something else.
Even though Chicago is part of our backyard, and we've had pizza in the city many times, the locations our guide took us were new to us. We experienced several different types of pizza and Uno's and Due's were not on the stop. Give this one a try and see which pizza you prefer! You'll see some photos of those stops on my video. Plus there was a stop at Eatlly for some shopping!
Living near Chicago affords us a lot of opportunities to view this beautiful city and all it has to offer. This summer we took advantage again with Wendella Boats and took their River & Lake Architectural tour with family members visiting with us. We've done the river cruise a few times before, but this time we took their new Lake & River cruise! We went through the lock this time and had a glorious ride along the Chicago skyline. The day was beautiful and the temperature was perfect. We'd been having a lot of rain and storms recently and it was a nice break for us.
Check Wendella Boats out at https://wendellaboats.com. It's the original architectural tour boat company.
It was a lovely four days and now Justin can mark it off his bucket list!
We stayed at the Douglas House which provided easy access to the attractions we wanted. It was easy walking and the suite was very accommodating. I highly recommend. The staff was very helpful and friendly.
Our first dinner meal was at the Moondog Cafe & Bakery. The food was good and the wait staff very nice. We enjoyed our first meal there.
Be sure to check out the Key West Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour! I'd always wanted to try one of these when we traveled abroad. So glad that I did. We were able to jump on and off at different locations and see so much more of Key West. Very convenient. Buy a day or two day pass. Worth it.
Breakfast was just so-so at the La Grignote. I had a ham, egg, and cheese croissant. Justin had a small waffle. We found a better place for breakfast!
La Creperie French Cafe was another breakfast place we enjoyed. That's where I got my favorite Croque Madame and it was very tasty. Check this place out.
Art of Duval Street provided an interesting walk with some art work. But there was an art shop that really had some wonderful pieces. There were a few pictures in my video.
The Banana Cafe was our favorite breakfast spot, plus they do lunches as well. Be sure to check them out!
Our final dinner meal was at the Southernmost Beach Cafe. Justin's pork chop was very dry and my surf and turf was okay. Lobster tail was very small. I would have to say the dinner wasn't worth the price.
We did eat at a nice Pasta Italian place. The New York Pasta Garden provided ample portions and you should go with a hearty appetite.
All in all, it was a lovely getaway and I would recommend a stay of 2 or 3 days. You can
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.
