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!

#VikingOcean #Zamszanytravels

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 

Into the Midnight Sun....a land of exquisite beauty and adventure!

Jetting across the open sea in a ribbed boat, hauling up live traps brimming with King Crab for our dining pleasure, and cruising through deep Norwegian fjords were just a few of the magnificient memories that still linger in my mind.

A look back at a few of the highlights from our trip, "Into the Midnight Sun" with the Viking Sky....I surely want to return again and explore more of this beautiful country and part of the world.

A Look at Mont St Michel....

Traveling in France would not be complete without a visit to Mont St Michel. During our 2013 trip to France and England, we plotted a course to this charming historical fortress and church. It was a lovely day and presented some amazing views from atop. Of course, hiking to the top was not to be taken lightly. It's quite a hike, but well worth the effort. 

Quaint shops and restaurants lined our pathway as we ventured up the steps. Exploring this medieval church is a stop you won't want to miss when visiting Normandy.

Mosaics of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis....a road trip "must see!"

Road trips can be filled with the unexpected and although I'd heard that the mosaics in the Saint Louis Cathedral Basilica was an extraordinary experience, I was not quite prepared for the splendor and awe of it all. The moment I walked in the side entrance by the Chapel, I was immediately caught up in the opulence of the Cathedral! The workmanship and intricacy of over 40 million mosaic pieces continued to capture my imagination.

The Docent tour is highly recommended. Our guide was "Carol" and she'd been doing tours for the last 20 years and was filled with knowledge. Our group was small and many had questions which she was able to answer. If you're in the area, be sure to put this on your "must-see" list. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy the photos and here's to more road trips and special finds!

Adventures in France with the Zamirowski's!

Seine flooding...rolling worker strikes, countrywide refinery strikes...France was our dream vacation!

Extended travel time abroad has always been a dream of mine. Traveling for a couple of weeks to a far off destination was our norm, but May 2016 we stepped out of our comfort zone and planned a month long holiday in France!

The mainstay of our trip was with Viking River Cruise's "France's Finest." Fifteen days traveling from the south of France aboard the Viking Heimdal, beginning in Avignon and transferring in Lyon for a connection to Paris where we boarded the Viking Rinda. Let's just say it was a very unique and adventurous time to travel in France.

The Seine was flooding, worker strikes, refinery strikes, you name it...France was on a rolling strike countrywide. Fortunately, we were not impacted adversely with the strikes, but the flooded Seine did present some problems for cruising during the second half of our itinerary from Paris.

Viking took very good care of us and the adjustments to our itinerary and travel mode were taken in stride. 

We toured Avignon, Arles, Viviers, Tournon, Vienne, Lyon, and Macon aboard the Viking Heimdal during the first half of our trip. Took a high speed train to Paris to board the Viking Rinda, only to be transferred to the Viking Rolf the next day because the boat was unable to sail on the Seine due to flooding.

Aboard the Viking Rolf we were able to visit Giverny, Vernon, Rouen, which was where we were permanently moored because of flooding, and Honfleur before returning to Paris. Bus rides were the norm for this portion of our trip. Comfortable buses made the trips more palpable.

Following our cruise we had planned another couple of weeks to explore France on our own. Bayeux and Dinan were our home bases as we continued our France vacation. The Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy Beaches, and just plain enjoying the sites on our road trip made for a marvelous month in France.

Happy travels to all....and I hope you enjoy our Adventures in France! The pictures say it all!

~ Cindy

Blue Angels flying high at the Oshkosh Air Show!

Blue Angels, WWII historical planes, aerobatics extraordinaire! The Oshkosh Air Show had it all on my first visit to this prestigious air show on Saturday, July 29, 2017.

Suggestion.... if you're visiting the air show, park in the Blue Lot! We unfortunately chose the Grey Lot and it's quite a distance from the entrance. There was a shuttle, but the line waiting to board was quite long, so Justin encouraged me to walk. Fortunately, the weather was good and we had cooler temperatures earlier in the morning.

We'd made plans to meet our family later in the day and walked to our meeting place and found a lovely tree which provided shade for most of the day in front of the Gift Shoppe and Vintage Airplanes. You'll see the tree in a few of the photos.

The air show began around 2 PM to about 6 PM with the Blue Angels closing out the show in the last hour. The aerobatics of not only the Blue Angels but the smaller planes, including the Mustang, were quite spectacular.

People around us came from all over the US. One photographer was from Alaska and we had a nice conversation about the Iditarod and our interest in the mushers both well known and not so well known.

Another older couple was from New York and this was their 32nd and 36th visit. The older gentleman was recognizing different planes and the stunts they were doing. I think he must have been a pilot, perhaps in the war.

I hope you enjoy some of the moments I captured and as I do, feel the pride and appreciate the sacrifice of our Military and all of our Soldiers both present, past, and future! I couldn't help but think of all the Troops my Angels @ Cindysbakingangels.net have supported over the past 6 years.

Thanks for stopping by and here's to more happy travels!

~ Cindy

Which to choose? Viking River or Viking Ocean Cruise?

Cruising with Viking has been an adventure for us since 2014 with our first Viking River Cruise, "Cities of Lights." Once we experienced the unique opportunity for us to literally walk off the boat and into a town, and enjoy far fewer travelers, we knew this was the kind of cruising meant for us.

We'd enjoyed our first cruises on Princess, but the ships soon became too large and there wasn't the intimacy of a boutique-type ship that we realized we preferred after having cruised with Viking.

The Viking River Cruise Longships accommodates 100 to 198 passengers, depending on the itinerary and river from what we've experienced. Their Ocean vessels have room for 930 passengers. Depending on your preferences for travel each has its own charms. And I have to admit that it's often hard to choose which itinerary to book next!

We've had the opportunity to take four Viking River Cruises and two Viking Ocean, with another river cruise and three ocean trips planned over the next couple of years. I love planning ahead and Viking makes it easy to see down the road what their options are for travel.

I often get asked which I prefer. River or Ocean? That's a hard choice because each has its special draws.

River cruises often have better accessibility to the small towns. For those who like to meander on their own, walking straight off the boat and into the town is a big draw. Longer times in port are often available. Dining on board has its set times, too. Dinner seating is normally at 7 pm after the ship's daily briefing. We all gather upstairs in the bar area and listen to the cruise director give us the latest sailing news and what to expect the next day. It's a very congenial atmosphere.

Another plus, I think, for river cruising is getting to meet more people on a personable level. Since the ships are smaller in size, meeting new people is much easier and intimate. The crew and staff often know us by our first names which makes for a more friendly environment. Also, local talent is brought on board to entertain us and inform us about their culture and way of life.

Several things that river and ocean have in common are the level of professional and attentive care of their passengers. They go out of their way to make sure you have a comfortable trip and you always see smiles and feel welcome.

I've found that Viking has the best dining options and their meals are always consistently good. One evening aboard the the Viking Sky, I was looking for mashed potatoes to go with my Beef Wellington because they only had baked potatoes. I casually mentioned that I would have liked mashed potatoes. The chef quickly offered to make me mashed potatoes and they were delicious! Regardless of river or ocean cruise, be sure to try their Eggs Benedict! It's one of the highlights of my trips on Viking.

 

 

Whichever you choose, river or ocean, the itinerary will more than likely be the deciding factor. Try them both and see which you prefer. Or do like we do, enjoy them both and see the world knowing you are in good hands.

Happy travels to all! Thanks for stopping by and here's to more trips ahead!

~ Cindy