Day 2 in Berlin

Hi all! We’re back after a very long day and over 15,000 steps later! A bit weary but wanted to get out the pictures of the day before my nightcap and snack downstairs. We had a delicious breakfast at the Hyatt. They put on a fabulous breakfast. Our morning was spent at the Topography of Terror and we visited the Watchtower. We saw some Christmas Markets just beginning to set up. 

Our afternoon and early evening was spent experiencing “A Taste of Berlin” as an optional excursion. We saw some interesting parts of the city and used local transit bus and trains to get to and from the area. We were in the Jewish quarter this afternoon and saw some old factories into apartments and shops. This area was not available on any other Viking tour. 

More later....time to relax and go get a Bailey’s! Enjoy and happy travels!

~ Cindy 

#MyVikingStory

First Day in Berlin...

We’ve arrived in Berlin after a long flight and connection in Frankfurt. Everything went just fine although our landing in Berlin was very rocky due to high winds. It felt like we touched down on one wheel before it righted itself! Viking was there to receive us and took us directly to the hotel where we met with our Cruise Director, a very nice young man from Prague. We weren’t able to get into our rooms so we left to eat lunch at a Bavarian restaurant down the street. After that we can came back to the hotel and Justin and I had to wait about 20 minutes for our room to be ready. We welcomed that news and proceeded to crash for a couple of hours before meeting up with the other pre-Berlin Viking people and our Cruise Director. He took us on a little walk to see the Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gates, and the Parliament building. There is a lovely park in the area which has monuments and gardens which we hope to explore bit. Dinner was delicious at a pub in the Sony Center. More on that tomorrow...time to get some zzzzz’s. More pictures tomorrow! 

Happy Travels! ~ Cindy 

Our Day in Barcelona...

During our Mediterranean Odyssey voyage with Viking Ocean, we visited Barcelona as our disembarkation point and spent a couple of days on our own in this lovely city. La Sagrada de Familia was a highlight of our day along with other interesting stops along our walking journey. Their markets are very colorful and how I wish we had markets like these in America!

We'll be returning to Barcelona next year and I can't wait to reunite with a few favorite spots and find new ones.

Happy travels to all!

~Cindy

#MyVikingStory #VikingOceanCruises

The Land of Corfu...

Mediterranean Odyssey was our first Viking Ocean cruise itinerary. We’d done a couple of river cruises with Viking and wanted to try one of their ocean voyages. We’d been on large ocean vessels with Princess and looked forward to a smaller vessel for our journey.

We really enjoyed it and found that the staff on our Viking Star were just as dedicated and attentive as those aboard our Viking River cruises. We were immediately sold on the smaller ship with only 938 passengers and vowed we would not return to the large mega ships. 

One of our stops was in Corfu. Needless to say, a return visit to the Mediterranean is on our vacation list. I hope you enjoy a brief look at our day in Corfu. 

For more about our Mediterranean Odyssey voyage, be sure to check out other video!

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Venice....Hidden Treasures...

Visiting Venice during a somewhat rainy season didn’t dampen our spirits as we toured the flooded St. Peter’s Square and explored the shops not only along the sea front, but back along the small canals. Beauty was found everywhere and the Vaporettos were so much fun as was our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, Hilton Molina Stucky. Enjoy a few moments of our trip.
For more about our Viking Ocean Cruise Mediterranean Odyssey, check out this video!

#VikingOcean #Venice #MediterraneanOdyssey 

Charming Getaway....Dinan France

Touring France wouldn’t be complete without a stay in the charming medieval town of Dinan in Brittany France. This medieval walled city is filled with half-timbered buildings, cute shops, and delicious dining options.

Two restaurants of note are the Le Cantorbery and La Fleur de Sel. Both offer delicious French cuisine and I highly recommend. You can read my reviews on Trip Advisor.

If you're seeking to add a few local delicacies, be sure to shop at La Craquanterie.

Hotel Arvor was our home base for nearly a week. Ideally located with easy accessibility to the Basilique St-Sauveur and the famous Chateau-Tour du Coetquen. Ask for a room that overlooks the courtyard. It's a beautiful view. My husband says that this is a great town to film a Frankenstein movie!

Beautiful Eglise Saint-Malo de Dinan is a short drive away and plan on spending the day in this beautiful seaside town. Winding streets and hidden treasures around every corner.

Dinan holds a very part of our heart and perhaps one day we will return. But in the meantime....new destinations ahead!

Happy travels to all!

~ Cindy

Cassis....a little bit of paradise...

A little bit of paradise....what more could one ask for? Traveling in France certainly was a big adventure for us last year and our brief stop in Cassis was as perfect a day as one could get. Cassis is located in Provence along the Mediterranean.

We'd flown into Marseille and booked a special private tour with a local guide. She took us to Aix En Provence for a walking tour and then to the lovely town of Cassis where we ate lunch along the ocean and took a boat ride through the Calanques. It was a glorious day! 

I invite you to take a ride with us as we view this treasured spot.

Happy travels!

~ Cindy