River Cruise 2025

RIVER CRUISE 2025

To celebrate Kris' 70th, we took a Viking River Cruise.... starting in Paris, where, on October 16, enjoyed dinner at the Jules Verne Restaurant located on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. Then on the 18th we traveled north to Reims after which we caught our ship in Trier, Germany. We followed the Mosel and the Rhine to Cochen, Koblenz, Rudesheim, Mainz, Wurtzburg, Bamburg, Nuremburg, ending up in Prague.

Germany

Having been to Paris several times in the past, we chose to wander. We did visit the Louvre to see the restored Mona Lisa - the last time we viewed her, prior to restoration, she looked pretty bad. The restored version is stunning!

We tried to get into Notre Dame but the daily limit on free reservations was already sold out and the lines were reportedly too long, so we just viewed from outside - and it is more beautiful than ever!

After Paris, we visited the cathedral at Reims - almost as incredible as Notre Dame and well worth the time. Then we travelled to Trier where we hopped on the Viking Alsvin riverboat (our first river cruise). The boat is certainly a change from the ocean cruise vessels we were accustomed to - small, intimate, and lacking an exercise room, spa, pool, etc.... Dining was excellent - great service and good food.

We had scheduled tours everyday, so a lack of facilities on the ship was not a significant issue. The tours on the other hand were pretty bland - after the third castle/fortification tour we were unimpressed. Keep in mind that we haven't gone on a guided tour since 2001 - we've always preferred to design our own outings.

The weather throughout the trip was definitely on the cool side with several days of intermittent rain - nothing more than a mild inconvenience. The fall colors were gorgeous and that means tons of photos.... (I appologize for the shear volume of images on the photo history page.)

Prague was a real gem - so much history, so many things to do. 5 days was not nearly enough time to do this city justice. A highlight was a private dinner with celebrity chef Mariko. We spent 4 hours in her home where she and her partner prepared and served us an incredible 5-course gourmet dinner. By the time we finished, we felt like we had just spent an evening with 2 incredible friends (and we were stuffed!).

If you ever get to Prague, schedule a private dinner or brunch with Mariko - you will not be disappointed!!!!

We also had an opportunity to get together with Marcus Stephens - a foreign exchange student from Santa Rosa that was studying in Prague for a semester. He and his parents are involved with our Santa Rosa Rotary club where we had met him. It's always a treat to meet up with someone you know when travelling.