Ness Botanic Gardens with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

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.

Happy and safe travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyvikingStory 

Caernarfon Castle with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

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!

Happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory

In & About Holyhead, Wales with ZamsZanyTravels

 

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.

Happy and safe travels to all,

 Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Cooking School with Catherine Fulvio: Viking Neptune British Isles

 

The Viking Neptune tendered into Dublin under somewhat rough seas and fortunately we were able to visit with Catherine Fulvio of Ballyknocken fame. 

Catherine is a delightful and very personable young woman who has a TV show in Dublin/UK and appears on Hoda and Jenna on NBC on St. Patrick’s Day as well as VikingTV. She mentioned they often request her to make Corned beef and hash which Catherine insists is not an Irish dish, but an American-Irish one. 

Her cookbooks look amazing and we chose two (Italian cooking & A Taste of Home at Ballyknocken along with two small little books). Her energy was infectious and tips for creating soda bread and sweet scones were so helpful. I think her personality will shine through this brief video.

I highly recommend this excursion: Ballyknocken Farmhouse Baking with @Viking on their British Isles itinerary. 

Happy and safe travels to all,

Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Viking Neptune Cooking School: Italian Luncheon

 

Cooking school aboard the Viking Neptune featured an Italian meal during our British Isles cruise.  We created Wild Mushroom risotto, Saltimbocca Romana Style, and Tiramisu! Delicious and very interactive. And very delicious. 

Highly recommend but you have to sign up immediately when you get on board down in Guest Services. They offer this experience on sail days and limited to 12 guests in the Kitchen. The cost for us this time was $59pp. 

Enjoy and safe travels to all!

Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Viking Cruises: Britain at War Excursion Highlights

 

Britain at War was our excursion in Dover, England. We visited the front lines of WWII, including the Battle of Britain. Our first stop was at the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at the RAF Manston. We took a self-guided tour of this free museum and saw the Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes used in the war. We had one hour here, which in my estimation 30 minutes would have been enough. It’s a very small museum. 

Then we traveled to Ramsgate Harbor and spoke with locals in the tunnels during their 10 year reunion. Lots of historical information given. 60,000 Brits and others were housed in the tunnels during the war. 4200 “Little Ships” departed from this harbor to rescue Allied Troops who were stranded in Dunkirk. 

Our next stop was at JackDax for a delicious fish & chips lunch with apple crumble for dessert. Very nice service and they used haddock for their fish. Worth a stop!

By far the best part of this excursion was the Battle of Britain Memorial in the village of Capel-le-Feme. This is a very well done immersive and interactive museum. There was a 5 minute video portraying the “Scramble Experience” where we could get a better of idea of what life was like during the war. 

This excursion could use some fine-tuning, IMHO, especially given the price of it.

Enjoy and happy and safe travels to all!

Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Viking’s British Isles Cruise: Shakespeare’s Globe Theater Excursion

 

British Isles Viking cruise is our latest adventure. We cruised with the Viking Neptune and had a great private tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.

Our first tour was a private of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. The original theater was build in Southwark in 1599, however a fire destroyed it in 1644.  Reconstruction and reopening began in 1997 and continues the same theatrical traditions of Shakespeare’s productions. 

It has the only thatched roof in London. Sprinklers are there to preserve it since the original had a fire which destroyed the building. Our guide was a great storyteller. She is actually deaf and had a sign reader with her relaying questions. A new play had just arrived the night before and there was a lot of building scenery still going on. 

Very entertaining and informative and highly recommend. 

#MyVikingStory

Monet's Gardens ~ A visit to Giverny with Zam's Zany Travels!

 

Zam's Zany Travels headed to Europe once again this past spring with Viking River Cruise's Paris & Heart of Normandy. One of my favorite spots to visit is Giverny and Monet's gardens. This was our second visit to his lush gardens. This time everything was in bloom and it was a feast for the eyes! Enjoy the blooms!

Happy and safe travels to all ~

Cindy

#MyVikingStory    #MyVikingJourney    #ZamsZanyTravels

ZamsZanyTravels.com: WÜRZBURG Bishops' Residenz & Franconian countryside

 

ZamsZanyTravels.com explores Kunta Hora, St. Barbara's Cathedral, & Sedlec Ossuary!

 

Viking's Cities of Lights River Cruise POST extension in Prague did not disappoint. One of our options was to visit Kunta Hora as well as St. Barbara's Cathedral, and Sedlec Ossuary, home of all the skeleton bones which was quite eerie. We weren't able to take pictures inside, but the vision is etched in my brain probably forever. 

It was a lovely day to venture out of Prague and enjoy these UNESCO sites. Highly recommend the Post extension in Prague and visit to Kunta Hora and surrounding landmarks. 

Happy and safe travels,

~ Cindy 

#ZamsZanyTravels.com  #MyVikingStory   #MyVikingJourney

Scenes from Heidelberg with ZamsZanyTravels.com

 

Heidelberg had not changed much since our last visit, but it was refreshing to see the town bustling with people and enjoying the spring day. The day was partly cloudy and sunny and temperatures were a bit brisk which made walking about more pleasant. 

Heidelberg is one of  Germany's oldest cities and home of its oldest university. Our excursion with Viking was a luncheon with Heidelberg students and learning more about their studies and where they were from. Two that we dialogued with were from Argentina and Chile. It was interesting talking about their studies and the connection we had with their countries during our South America & Chilean Fjords Viking Ocean Cruise in 2020. 

It's remarkable how Heidelberg was left in ruins by the French troops during Louis XIV rule and how it was totally rebuilt during the 18th century. It gave us much more picturesque cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered houses and baroque buildings that still remain in Old Town. It's hard not to fall in love with Heidelberg.

I hope you enjoy a few scenes of our trip to Heidelberg.

Happy and safe travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory   #ZamsZanyTravels

Beautiful Trier St. Peter’s Cathedral and Black Gate area with ZamsZanyTravels,com

 

Trier was a welcoming city. We’ve been here once before and it never disappoints. St. Peter’s Cathedral is stunning and the pipe organ is so ornate. I’ve never seen one so beautiful in Europe, so far. Enjoy! Here are few pictures of the cathedral, town square, and Black Gate.

#myvikingstory   #zamszanytravels 

Omaha Beach Cemetery & Veterans Recognition with ZamsZanyTravels

 

     

This was our second visit to Omaha Beach during our Viking “Paris & Heart of Normandy cruise.” There was a lovely ceremony recognizing our Veterans and their patriotism and heroics. Always a somber sight to see the graves of our lost sons. 

This video features the Veteran recognition ceremony at Omaha Beach Cemetery. Our Veterans on board the Viking Radgrid were blessed with a special recognition from the French for their sacrifice and service for the preservation of our liberties and those of Allied nations. 

God Bless our Armed Forces!

#ZamsZanyTravels.com   #MyVikingStory

#ZamsZanyTravels.com.        #MyVikingStory