Travels

  We returned to the ship for late lunch and to sail to our next destination. After lunch our little group spent time on the sun deck, waiting for a scheduled visit with the Captain in the ship’s wheelhouse.  (See above, which is a photo from another Viking ship.) The wheelhouse, which takes its name …

Continue reading "Life on the Ship–A Visit With the Captain (Saturday PM, September 2)"

I will start with three things you probably didn't know about Heidelberg:  (1) Jackson Browne was born here.  (2) Mark Twain spent three months here.  (3) Patton died here.  It's an interesting place. And it's probably our favorite city on the trip to date. The day was gray, with some showers expected.  We left the …

Continue reading "Heidelberg, Germany (Saturday AM, September 2)"

[Remember to click or mouse over the photos for more information.] Forty miles (64 km) north-northeast of Colmar is Strasbourg (sometimes spelled Strassburg), France. A Roman camp in 12 B.C., its original name was Argentoratum, referring to precious minerals mined or stored in the area. Later its name was changed to Strasbourg, a word of …

Continue reading "Strasbourg/Strassburg, France (Friday September 1)"

[Note, click on photos for more information.] After lunch we headed to Turckheim and Colmar, two cities in Alsace-Lorraine.  Alsace-Lorraine is a region of about 5,000 square miles located on the northeast shoulder of France, near its border with Germany.  Its population today is about 70,000.  Alsace-Lorraine's sunny and dry microclimate (caused by nearby mountains …

Continue reading "The Colmar Pocket (Thursday PM, August 31)"

Lucerne the city is located around the shores of Lake Lucerne, in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. (Do you catch a theme here?)  It is overlooked by Mt. Pilatus and Mt. Rigi. (More about Mt. Pilatus in a minute.) In 1332 the canton of Lucerne and several others formed the original Swiss Confederacy to defeat the existing rulers …

Continue reading "The Mountain, The Abbey, and The Cheese (Tuesday August 29)"

Short and sweet. We dropped out of the clouds and landed on the green earth that is summertime Zurich.  Cleared customs and met our Viking Tour agent, who herded us and some others into a beautiful bus, which was expertly driven to Lucerne by Marcus. (Check out the facial hair in the photo below.) We were joined by a …

Continue reading "Zurich, Lucerne, and More Lucerne (Monday August 28)"

DFW to NY JFK to Zurich ,Ground Transfer to Lucerne After a hectic night (finding lost phones, finishing what had to be finished, etc.), Sunday morning we finished packing.  (That means Marian, who was packed already, helped me as I got going at the last minute.)   Jim P took us to the airport.  After passing security, at …

Continue reading "Travel Day on a New Trip (Sunday August 27)"