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!
ZamsZanyTravels.com is sailing the Danube today in a stretch between Krems and Melk known as the Wachau. We passed ruined castles and medieval towns that were lined with terraced vineyards. The Wachau was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. It’s interesting to see “how the human settlements and the agricultural use of the land have evolved organically and harmoniously over time.”
Viking River Cruises, soon to be just “Viking,” has a great itinerary for the Oberammergau. We are traveling on the Oberammergau with Salzburg itinerary and will be joining the boat in Passau and traveling on the Danube to Budapest.
Oberammergau is a small city of about 3000 people. They run a very tight ship there and be prepared to go through security. Here are some tips that might be helpful.
1) There is a security check. They will inspect your bag and do a brief pat down. There is a line to the left for men and two lanes to the right for women. These are gender based lines. Get in the right one.
2) Small handbags are allowed. Backpacks are not. No umbrellas either. As well as shopping bags, although we saw a few come in during the second segment of the show.
3) Restrooms are easily accessible from inside the theater and out.
4) The show is broken up into two segments. Each is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in length. The seats are somewhat tight, but there is a slight cushion on the seat. Your bum will no doubt be tested.
5) It’s all in German and Viking provided an English text to follow along which was very helpful. Bring a flashlight for the second segment as it will be dark.
6) You are in a protected area. Ventilation depends on the breeze. There are no fans. If you have a small handheld battery operated fan may be very beneficial during the warmer summer months.
7) There is a dinner provided during the 3 hour intermission. We had a 3 course meal in a banquet hall. Viking provided us with private tables so we weren’t in a big mix of people. Keep in mind, our group was only 6 people. We really lucked out taking the trip at this time. The meal was a smoked trout starter which was as good. And then you had a choice of Prime Rib or Salmon. Desert was a chocolate dish. We also had lunch with Viking prior to the show at the Wolf restaurant.
8) After the show was over we walked several blocks to our bus.
All in all, the show was spectacular! It was very dramatic and you will be enthralled by the number of people on the stage! It was an epic event for sure. Live animals, tabloids..watch for those. The choir was sensational as well as the 57 piece orchestra. All of the talent in the show had to either be born in Oberammergau or have lived here for 20 years. The actors are not paid and do it as a tribute to the sparing of the village hundreds of years ago from the plague.
Our journey continues with our stay in Salzburg, Austria. We are traveling with Viking River Cruise - Oberammergau with Salzburg itinerary. Today for lunch after the Salzburg walking tour, we dined at the Imlauer Sky Rooftop restaurant. The views were impressive and the food delicious. It’s the best meal I think I’ve had so far! Enjoy then view!
ZamsZanyTravels to Munich and was awarded with a big surprise! We were supposed to stay at the Marriott Hotel, but instead our small group of just four were housed in Hyatt’s high end hotel…the Andaz! We were definitely the lucky ones on this hotel. The breakfast buffet and the suite lodgings has by far been the very best. Enjoy the view!
We departed Munich mid-morning and headed toward Salzburg. On the way we stopped for a lovely lunch at a Herrenchiemsee lakeside restaurant. We’ve had a lot of Bavarian dishes on our trip so far and it’s been delicious.
After lunch we boarded a ferry at 1:15 p.m. Very few riders which was lovely. We had the top deck nearly to ourselves. The day was bright and sunny and it looked like we would escape the rain for a second day.
The ferry ride was about 15 minutes to the Herrenchiemsee island where the Palace and Monastery reside. That was our destination for the afternoon. There were just 6 in our Viking group. We have been blessed by such a small group and have really enjoyed our tour director, Annick. She is extremely knowledgeable and has been doing this for 30 years.
On the island, Justin and I chose to view the Monastery and rose gardens. Others in the group took the horse drawn carriage to the Palace. Otherwise it would have been a 25 minute walk.
The Monastery has been transformed into a museum. And the rose garden was quite beautiful. No pictures were allowed inside.
We really lucked out on the excursion. As we were returning on the ferry, a storm was getting ready to kick up and we got off the island just in time. The ferries had to shut down until the storm had passed. It was raining cats and dogs and the bus nearly had to pull over until the storm had passed. Luckily it was quickly over and we were able to travel safely.
Onward to Salzburg where we checked in later at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. This hotel is definitely not of the caliber the Andaz was in Munich. That has been our best hotel to date from Viking.
Our trip has begun with Viking River Cruises! Oberammergau with Salzburg is our itinerary this time. During our pre-extension we stayed one night in Munich at a very posh hotel which I’ll share in another video. This video shares images of our trip to Marienplatz and lunch at the Rathskeller on our own. Marienplatz is a bustling place with many stores and interesting sites, including a visit to two churches, one of which was St. Peter’s. It was a lovely day and outing.
We arrived in Tromso, Norway aboard the Viking Venus and set out early for our excursion to the Sommaroy Islands. It was a long bus ride, but the views were lovely along the way.
Viking writes, "Journey through a winter landscape dotted with traditional farms in valleys hemmed in by steep gray mountains, rising out of the deep blue ocean. Arrive at the wintery idyll of Sommarøy, an island village of 300 residents that generations of fishermen and hunters have called home. Learn about an ordinary day in the life of Sommarøy’s residents, how they earn a living from the sea and the surrounding countryside. After your tour, savor a fresh waffle in the local café before returning along the Kattfjord, with stunning views of the majestic mountain locals call Blåmann."
If you want to see beautiful landscapes then this is for you. There were a couple of side stops for pictures and there were two restroom breaks. The waffle was tasty with the famous brown carmelized cheese and raspberry jam.
Today we ventured out into the outskirts of Alta, Norway to visit the Tirpitz Museum, a World War II Museum featuring the Tirpitz!
Our guide was a very knowledgeable Norwegian who was born in Tromso. You can tell that history is a passion for him. He was very informative and engaging.
We learned how World War II affected Alta during the war. “During the war, the Altafjord was the Nazis’ largest naval base outside of Germany. Occupied by thousands of soldiers, Alta was destroyed near the end of the war as the Germans instituted a scorched-earth policy in the wake of their retreat,” writes Viking.
Named after the German battleship that was anchored here, the museum is home to an interesting array of photographs and artifacts that help tell the story of Norway’s struggle against the Germans. We watched a film about the Tirpitz and it helped put the whole battle into perspective for me. We also browsed the exhibits as our guide led us through the artifacts.
Highly recommend if you are interested in WW II and how Alta played a key role in eliminating the infamous Tirpitz.
In Alta around 9:40 p.m. on Friday night, the elusive Northern Lights appeared on the portside of the Viking Venus. Justin and I scurried to don our winter gear and headed for deck 8. Streams of passengers were of course doing the same thing. But it wasn’t too crowded and we found good spots on the rails for viewing.
I took these shots with my IPhone 11 PRO. The night vision mode was surprisingly very good and picked up the green hues that were just barely visible by the naked eye. I took photos for about 25 minutes and these were ones I liked the best.
We hope that we’ll have more evenings like this and will have our winter gear draped over the chair for instant retrieval!
We kept our fingers crossed as the day progressed that the skies would be clear tonight so that we could witness the Northern Lights up on Mt. Paeska. The day was bright and fortunately nor rain or snow to down our spirits.
We arrived after about a 35 minute drive from the Viking Venus in Alta to the top of Mt. Paeska. The hosts were a family that produced slate for the area and have quite a manufacturing process going. There was a demonstration of how they make slate shingles and all around the area were slate huts housing various activities.
The Sami tent, or lavvu, held a lovely fire in the center with benches laden with reindeer pelts for us to warm up. Of course, there was the gift shop which was small. Another larger hut held cakes and hot drinks for us to warm up in.
They had a couple of presentations while we waited to see if the Northern Lights would appear. I spoke with one of the owners to gain some insight into where the lights may appear. They tend to begin in the east, she said, but you have to look behind you as well. So really, head on a swivel is what I got out of that.
We thought we saw a tinge of green up in the clouds but it was so faint and we couldn’t be sure. Our tour lasted for 2 hours and I’m sad to say that none appeared. However, I did take some night shots with my iPHONE 11PRO and was happy with the results. I’m waiting for the IPhone 14 to come out before I upgrade.
We had a lovely surprise from Viking when we arrived back at our stateroom. A plate with sandwiches and sweets along with a bottle of Pinot Grigio! We have to start taking these bottles of wine to dinner with us. We have three in our refrigerator now that they have given us. We managed to drink one additional champagne bottle at the start of the cruise.
We’re here overnight in Alta and will head out to Tromso Friday evening.
We’ve arrived in Narvik, Norway aboard the Viking Venus. The day has been bright and rather temperate for a winter month. We managed to get up into the low 40’s. Our excursion this afternoon was exploring the beautiful terrain of this area while traveling to our destination….Isogaisa Sami Experience.
Snowy mountains flanked us on both sides as we traveled through the countryside. Many waterways were present that glistened in the distance with ice shimmering.
Our host family took us to their lavvu which looks like a huge teepee. Inside a fired burned in the center and we all sat around the fire in chairs lined with reindeer hides. The Shaman and his wife offered us tea, coffee, and biscuits. Once everyone was settled, he began to share information about his culture. Later they shared a salmon wrap.
Their language is quite extensive and I learned they do not have a word for war. I seem to recall him saying they have nearly 1000 combinations of words to describe snow and ice. And pronoun usage is so much more complicated than ours. There are also several different dialects and Sami’s who live in other areas don’t always understand each other. However, they do recognize the Sami language. Norway at one time outlawed the speaking of the Sami language. They’ve tried to retain it and teach it to their children but it’s been difficult. They speak Norwegian mostly with some Sami and English.
The Shaman took us through a very special ceremony where we held this small piece of dried mushroom and while he beat on a drum chanted in Sami language and encouraged us all to think about our forefathers and mothers. It’s a way of communicating with them and there was a real sense of peace for me. At the end, we threw the mushroom into the fire pit and drank this special drink they make.
Of course one of the special moments for me was the adorable male Husky who sat so patiently in the corner by the family. I don’t think he feels comfortable around crowds. He was already 7 months old and was a very large dog. They are also raising huskies for sled rides.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon and a learning experience for me. Their youngest daughter goes to a Montessori school which I found interesting. They have an older boy who wasn’t home at the time.
Tomorrow we arrive in Alta for two nights. We’re hopeful to catch some Northern Lights! I can’t guarantee I’ll get any good pictures. It’s an art. I have a new app that I’ll try. Tomorrow morning we have another lecture on cell phones and how to take Northern Lights photos. I hope to get it sorted out then.
Good morning, Narvik Norway! We’ve arrived in port and what a beautiful day it is. The air is crisp and bright skies surround us. We are awaiting our tour this afternoon into a Sami village for an unusual excursion. More on that later.
We are aboard the Viking Venus and traveling In Search of the Northern Lights. Last night we got a quick call to check out the lights, but it was a bit too hazy to capture anything. I am not a professional photographer and supposedly capturing the Northern Lights takes a lot of patience and a bit of finesse. We will see.
More experiences in the days to follow. Be sure to check back to Zamszanytravels.com for our latest updates!
Good morning, Bergen! After a good nights sleep aboard the Viking Venus, we traveled to Arven~ Norwegian Gold & Silversmiths. It was a very interesting experience to learn how they create their silver and gold items. Arven is a historic gold and silversmiths. We learned the history of the company and how the names changed and how the companies were absorbed over the years.
They have very talented designers that can repair, create new pieces, restore, and do just about anything to your beloved pieces. We watched the designers and craftsman working on different projects. We even stamped our own pendants and received a lovely medal as a souvenir.
Highly recommend and of course there was shopping available with a 10% discount. We even got our VAT tax back when we came back to the ship.
Viking Venus is now sailing the North Sea and our next destination will be Narvik.
