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!
Cologne, Germany offered some beautiful and festive Christmas Markets this past December 2019 during our Viking Rhine Getaway Christmas Markets cruise. My favorite market was the one adjacent to the Cathedral.
The city is an interesting mix of old and new with a nice blend of its Roman heritage in its city layout and ancient ruins. Cologne also offers modern plazas with the Hohne Strasse, a pedestrian only shopping zone. Great restaurants and boutiques line the streets.
It's also of note the famous Cologne Cathedral with its Gothic artistry and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fortunately, it was spared bombing during WWII. My husband ventured up to the top to some marvelous views. This was a highlight for him during the trip and he still talks about that today.
One additional excursion we took during the evening was the Cologne's Beer Culture and Dinner. It was a lively night and featured brews only made in Cologne.
Visiting Cologne was a delight and one that bears a return visit.
Traveling to Beverly Hills, California from Chicago provided quite a respite from our winter weather. A month or so ago a special invitation arrived from Viking inviting us to a very special private gala event! We weren't quite sure what was in store, but Viking was offering to fly us to Los Angeles and put us up at the Beverly Hills Hilton for two nights. And cocktail attired was requested.
How could we pass this one up? We quickly responded and Viking took care of all the details. We flew out on Southwest and were transferred to the hotel by private limousine. It was a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles. They were having a cool spell, but 55 degree temperatures were sure pleasing to me because we left a brisk 20 degrees in Chicago.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed warmly by the doormen and checked in quickly to our room. I was surprised the room was ready. We quickly dropped off our luggage, admired the room and view, and headed down to Circa 55 for lunch. It was pleasant sitting outside under the shade of an umbrella with fire heaters beaming nearby. I asked our server if it could be turned down or off. No need for heat here. The lunch was lovely and let me tell you that nothing is inexpensive here. But what an opportunity and we enjoyed it and took in the surroundings.
The Hilton provides a shuttle service within one mile of the hotel and we took advantage. We drove to Rodeo Drive and took in the sites and all the shops. We had a particular fun time in the Bulgari store. The staff and Patty Ryu, the Operations Manager, were wonderful and Justin was able to tell a few of his favorite stories about our travels.
We lunched at Croft and had a healthy meal which was recommended by the staff at Bulgari. Afterwards we called the driver from the hotel and he picked us up and brought us back.
Several hours to go before Viking's Gala event would begin. The hotel was a flurry of activity. Hotel personnel stood guard in front of the International Ballroom and the Wilshire Garden was being prepped for the cocktail party.
The time grew near and we headed down to the lobby all dressed up and found to our surprise our Captain! I wish I could remember his name, but he was our Captain on two of our Viking journeys. We met his wife on an excursion during our Into the Midnight Sun cruise and she remembered us. She is from Buffalo, NY and the Captain was from Norway. They live in San Diego.
Another highlight was meeting the artist who designed the Norwegian display, The Viking Prow: The Coiled Serpent. Aric Jorn describes himself as "a artist, storyteller, and myth maker." He's living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He described his sculpting and 3-D printing application that was used to create the three Viking Prows on display in different sizes.
One other interesting meeting was with a real Norwegian Viking. He travels with Viking for different events and you can see him wielding his battle ax in the video.
The evening progressed from the cocktail party to the evening program. Their new Viking Jupiter was formally named by its Godmother Sissel who also performed. We will be on the Viking Jupiter in February as we head south to Buenos Aires for Viking's South America and Chilean Fjords cruise. Watch for more on that next month!
Following the naming ceremony, Torstein Hagan presented an update on the company and officially announced their Viking Expeditions. Viking Expeditions has fourteen new itineraries with their two new ships, The Polaris and Viking Octantis. Not only are they traveling to the Arctic and Antarctic, but also to the Great Lakes! In addition during the off season, their ships will be traveling to the Northern Isles, Brazil, Caribbean, and an Atlantic and Equator Sojourn. It's exciting times for Viking and for travelers who are seeking new oceans and lakes to explore in these beautiful new specialty ships!
I was intrigued by their design and also by the outfitting of the ship. There are two 6-seater submarines, a fleet of military pro zodiacs, a fleet of 2-seater kayaks, and two 12-seater convertible ribs. Not to mention the "windows" and staterooms! Be sure to visit their website for more information and request their "Inaugural Voyages Expeditions" catalog. It's filled with information and very tastefully done.
Later in the evening, before dessert time at the extravagant table, Sissel, The Viking Jupiter's Godmother, performed two lovely songs that matched perfectly with Vikings travel message. You'll hear her in my video as well.
Of particular note, two special female guests were in the audience. Liv Arnesen, "a world-renowned Norwegian explorer, lecturer, author and educator who successfully led the first unsupported all-female trek across the Greenland ice sheet in 1992." Also, Ann Bancroft, who is "one of the world's preeminent polar explorers. She joined the 1986 Steger International Polar Expedition as the eight-member team's only female and became the first woman to reach the North Pole by sled and foot," according to the Viking event brochure.
At the end of the evening, a lovely Viking backpack was given to us. It was filled with new catalogs plus the book "No Horizon Is So Far" by Liv and Ann. Inspiring reading for sure.
What a lovely getaway filled with new ideas for travel and a company that is truly inspiring. Viking has come a long way and we're so happy we found them. Number 13 is coming up with three more planned. Now...what do I want to plan for 2022? It will have to be one on the new Expedition ships! No doubt about it!
One of our stops along the Rhine with Viking River Cruise, was the medieval village of Colmar. Their Christmas market was packed with people and traversing the booths was very difficult. I think it was the first day the market opened.
It is a charming city and has a "Little Venice" quarter. It was built during the 9th century and has 13th century Gothic churches and the original Old Town, Colmar seems torn from a storybook.
This would be a lovely city to visit, but I would not recommend it during the first days of Christmas Markets. Especially, if you want to avoid massive crowds.
Day 4 of our Viking Rhine Getaway journey put us in the little German town of Breisach. Breisach was built on a basalt rock outcropping in the Rhine plain and it opposite its French sister city of Neuf-Brisach. This is one of the warmest parts of Germany and is across the river from French Alsace. This is a very famous area for wine.
We walked from the ship up the steep hill to St. Stephen's Cathedral which was built between the 12th and the 13th centuries. The two towers can be seen throughout the city. It was a pretty windy and chilly day, but the views were worth the effort.
Walking down the hill we took a turn into the city and found a local market selling lovely items. Of course we had to do a little shopping. The flower shop was lovely and the we bought a lovely bouquet of roses for our cabin. Try the bakery, too. Very friendly townspeople and it was a very relaxed atmosphere.
Traveling with Viking is always an adventure. Our time in Lucerne was lovely and the Christmas Markets were fun to peruse. Traveling up the mountain to Mt. Pilatus provided gorgeous views not only from the gondola.
Lucerne is a charming city with stunning Alpine views. Strolling through town is an easy level walk. Lake Lucerne and overlooking snowcapped Alps provide beautiful views. Lucerne is filled with half-timbered burgher houses and cross the Reuss River via the Chapel Bridge. This is a very famous covered bridge that was built in the 14th century. Unfortunately, there was a fire in 1993 and it was reconstructed. Thirty of the 17th century interior paintings have been restored.
We had a lovely sunny day on our last day in Lucerne before we headed to the ship in Basel.
