Sailing along Europe’s scenic wine country on board a Viking cruise


The invitation had come out of the blue: My in-laws of thirty years, Louise and Don, in- vited my wife, Dana, and me, along with Dana’s older sister, Alison and her husband, Peter, on a Viking cruise along the Moselle and Rhine rivers - set to sail this past April. It was to be a gift to themselves in celebration of their sixty years of marriage together - or, as the rest of us thought of it, to spend some of their “Can’t-take-it-with-you” money on a special family vacation.


It was a trip of their dreams, especially, for Don who relished the idea of cruising amid one of the world’s most beautiful, castle-strewn places while visiting several sites of his- torical significance. This Viking journey would take us from two nights in Paris to the long ship, Viking Idi, for nine days along the scenic Moselle (in French it’s pronounced “Moe-Sell,” and the Germans the “Moe-zl”) and Rhine rivers, before concluding with two nights in Zurich, Switzerland. Daily tours and optional excursions would greet us all along the way.


Somehow, even with workloads piling and deadlines looming, the four of us were able to clear our schedules just long enough to be able to join the parents on this amazing voy- age. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, our 17-year old daughter eagerly anticipated Mom and Dad’s imminent departure so she could have the house to herself for almost two full weeks.


Would we survive being together through this trip? Would my house survive being left in the hands of a teenager and her boyfriend?


Rated the #1 River Cruise Line in 2018 by Conde Nast Traveler, Viking holds a sterling reputation within its industry, however, I won’t deny there’s a connotation of it being an “old person’s” cruise line. Before you set sail along these pages with me, I have to banish this moniker - Sure, the average traveler’s age is somewhat “mature,” but we found that most of the 150 or so fellow passengers, even the older ones, were for the most part very health and lifestyle-conscious. If Dana, Alison, Peter and I were the “young kids” on board, we never felt out of place or wanting for more youthful interactions.


A Viking River Cruise package is all-inclusive - a soup to nuts, door-to-door adventure that includes air, hotels, the cabin, three meals a day, plus daily excursions. These off- ship tours were each very insightful and led by knowledgeable and friendly guides. Too, they keep stamina levels in mind: you’ll get a good workout but they’re never too taxing, even for those who are less active.


With direct flights out of Philly to and from our destination cities, the six of us were ready to sail!


Stop 1: April in Paris


Many of Viking’s river excursions actually tack on a pre- and post-cruise stopover. In this case, our first two nights were spent in Paris and our final two were in Zurich.


Although the weather reports said we’d be besieged by spring rains throughout the trip, the truth of it was we never felt a drop until our last day. The skies were fair weather and the temps were perfect throughout. No April showers in Paris (or anywhere else) for us!


Day One had us checking in to The Pullman Hotel, which sits literally one block from the Eiffel Tower. The location there, adjacent to “The City of Lights” most iconic structure, couldn’t be beat, and it assured we’d never get lost (if ever unsure of where we were, we’d simply look up and then aim right for the iconic tower!).


Mid-Atlantic­EvEnts Magazine 65


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76