Tue. Aug 12
Today was our last full day, so we decided on a short trip to Monaco, it is only about. 30 miles away. It looked like in the movies, but picture a lot, and I mean a lot more people.
The high rise you see in the picture is a new condo developement, each unit is the WHOLE FLOOR at the measly price of €60 million. I wonder what the assoc dues are?
I will post more pictures from the trip when I get home
Aug 11, Mon
Today while touring around Nice, we came across and old roman bath. The engineering they used was very inovative.
After that we found a great place for a photo of the city, it was righr by Sean Connery's house.
Tomorrow is our last full day and we are off to Monaco
We have just discovered that the posts we have been making from the ship haven't been going anywhere.
We suspected is the satellite service.
Be patient and I will upload them all my have a better connection
Sun Aug 3
Today is our day to leave Paris.
Our early day started at 6:45, with our luggage outside our door. Next was breakfast followed by 7:30 in the lobby to identify our bags to suure tgey were put on tge proper bus, there are 2. Around 8 it was load up for our 5 hour trip to Lyon. It was supposed to be much shorter, but due to high water the ship could not get under a couple bridges so we have tp go an extra 90 miles on the bus to meet it.
Part way there we stopped in Dijon, think mustard, for lunch, shopping and a brief tour.
We are now back on the bus headed south once again and have hit heavy rain which is slowing the traffic down.
More tomorrow folks, now it is time for a nap.
After our short drive over to the Pittsburgh Airport we are now sitting in the terminal awaiting our flight to adventure..
Shortly before we left today we received an email from Viking stating that the ship would not be in Chalon-sur-Soane that we were to meet it in Lyon. This usually means that part of the river is unnavigable usually due to either low or high water. We will find out this weekend when we get there.
Check-in at PIT was a snap, A big hooray for TSA pre-check.
See the smiles, a big hooray for TSA pre-check.
I thought I would post the itinerary for our upcoming adventure just in case any of the you were interested.
Day 1 - 3 Paris (pre-tour)
4 Chalon-sur-Soane
5 Beaune
6 Soane River ( Burgandy region) & Lyon
7 Vienne
8 Tourmon & Viviers
9 Rhone River (Provence) & Aries
10 Avignon
11 - 14 Nice (post-tour)
It promises to be a good time and we were traveling with our good friends once again.
It looks like it's official now the trip is on the travel pack arrived today. This includes a day by day itinerary your luggage tags your transfer documentation and a booklet describing the rivers we will be cruising on and the towns along them. This information all comes in a nice over the shoulder zipperable tablet case.
It must be getting close to the time for the next adventure the goodies have started arriving from viking
Later this week the rest of the documents are supposed to arrive which would be the tour books the river guide and the little tablet case to carry them all in.
The pictures from the trip have been uploaded to the online photo album and can be viewed at the link below
"http://bit.ly/1ikAGKN"
It was a great trip and everyone had a good time although you can only drink so much port wine and eat so much tapas.
The time has come to say ADIOS BARCELONA. Tomorrow we get on the big bird for the long flight.
The last day was sunny, bright and warm.
Being May 1 it was a holiday gere with May Day celebrations. (more later)
We started the day with a leisurly stroll in a new direction discovering a wonderful park and the zoo.
In the center of the park was a small lake , being a holiday families and couples were trying to row around
On past the lake we found a beautiful fountain just shooting water everywhere.
At the other end of the park we came upon a local version of the Arc de Triumph. While not as big as Paris, it was still impressive
JO AND GAIL PAY ATTENTION, you missed it
This evening we were treated to our second May Day Parade, this one much more active than the first.
Along the avenue passing in front of the hotel they were setting all of the large commerical plastic dumpsters afire.
I counted 6 fires at one time and being plastic there was lots of smoke
In addition to setting the fires, they were trashing some commericial building along the route. The bank on the corner by us got it as well.
Sorry Gail, the ATM is out of service
And on that note, I guess it's time to come home
Today was a day to relax. After seeing Joe a.m. And gail of this morning we came back to the room with back to bed and slept for a little longer, it felt so good.
After we got up we went for a late morning wonder in search of a kronuts and chocolate.
We found the recommended chocolate shop just in time to make our purchases before they closed for siesta. If you noticed in the pictures the chocolate they drink here is your chocolate that is heated notice the spoon. The thing you see being dipped in the chocolate is a churro, it's basically a fried donut which sugar on it. We got addicted to them in Mexico.
Tomorrow is our last full day so we plan on just doing some last minute wondering and packing
Today we started out at the Cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudie. Because the drill is still under construction and they are shooting for a 2026 completion date which will mark the 100th anniversary of his death. The inside is just as spectacular as the outside and I will try and add some pictures later.
After the cathedral tour we continued on around town to see other historical locations in in the afternoon time was spent at the Gaudi Park seeing some more of his sculptures.
We also passed by the Olympic Stadium.
Early in the evening we joined a walking tour of tapas restaurants sampling the tapas and wine.
Tomorrow morning our friends Joann and and Gail leave to return to Denver at 8 o'clock , since the last few days have been really busy we will probably go back to bed and sleep in for a little bit before starting our day.
Our time is also growing short and in two more days we will be making the trip back
Today was in all day trip outside of Barcelona about 1 hour to the monastery at Monserrat. The setting was beautiful even know the road up there had a lot of switchbacks and curves. We took a funicular to the highest point on the monastery and from there you could see almost 360 degrees as far as 60 miles. Off in the distance where the Pyrenees Mountains with the snow caps still on the top.
At 10 o'clock we entered the chapel and heard a brief performance by the Monserrat Boys Choir.
Following the trip to the monastery we proceeded down the mountain in about 45 minutes away to the Cordoniu winery to see how is sparkling wine known as Cava is made. The winery was first opened in the 1500's and has been in continuous operation since. We were shown the old storage sellers that are 30 meters underground and nearly a kilometer long, able to store between 60 and 70 million bottles of wine. Naturally after the tour we were shown in to the tasting room to taste both the white and red.
Today was our final day of cruising, and as it turned out it rained part of the day, so no tour time was lost.
We are now back in Porto and will be leaving early tomorrow for Barcelona.
STAY TUNED FOR A NEW COUNTRY
After a morning of cruising, we ported at Pinhao.
As we disembarked, a disabled gentleman had set up his little stand and was sellung hand bent and twisted bicycles and motorcycles.
The days excursuon stated at 2:00 pm when we bussed up out of the valley to an altitude of approx. 650 meters to a nearby wine coop and were shown the differences between Muscatel and Port wines, along with samples of course.
From the winery we walked a couple of blocks to a traditional bakery, one of five in this particular city recognized by UNESCO as heritage businesses. Arriving we were shown the hand process that still exists for makung the bread then firing it in woid fired ovens. After the explanation loaves were pulled from the oven butter, jam and cheese were set out, along with Muscatel and the eating began.
Following the winery and bakery we boarded the bus for a short 15 minute ride to one of the wine estates for dinner. Upon arival the owner showed us his family storage which hel barrels from his father, grandfather and great gransfather, aged 40, 70 and 120 years respectively.
After dinner there was aa little entertainment and then the ride back to th ship.
Todey was spent in Salamonca Spain. After an early start for breakfast the busses were loaded and off on the two hour drive to Salamonca. As we climbed up iut of the valley to the plateau the landscape became flatter and flatter. Western Spain is primarly cattle, bulls and sheep.
Arriving in Salamonca we had about an hour and a half of free time to wander and shop. Then it was lunch, typical spanish, as lunch ended three ladies put on a performance of flamenco and pasa doble dance.
A short city tour followed lunch although some of us chose just to wander and shop again.
During the day we kept seeing student groups , Salmonca has a University with 30,000, wandering the city dressed as various cartoon characters and other customs. Upon questioning we found that this is normal the week before finals to let off pressure.
( Pictures later )
Mom says greeting to our ex-pat followers in the U.K.
Today was spent relaxing and cruising on the ship. We decided that insread of going on todays tours to another cathederal and winery we would remain on the ship and relax.
After the tour left the six of us that opted out spent the day on the sun deck watching the scenery going by.
We passed through another obligatory lock, this one a bit shallower at only 99 feet.
Coming out of the lock it was at bit of close clearence between the ship and the top of the lock
Now that we are going east on the river toward Spain we have begun to experience the dams that control the river. So far, we have passed through two of the five dams, the largest of which raised the ship 116' to the next level of the river.
The smaller lock , shown above, is typical of the lock styles used and vary in height.
Yesterdam evening we were off the ship for dinner in an 11 century convent that is now a small hotel and event cener. Dinner was portugese served with regional varations.
Along with dinner we were serenated with live guitar and singing.
Yesterday evening about 9 o'clock the captain unlocked and took us for a short trip in the Porto Harbor to see the city lit up at night. We are unable to cruise at night because the Douro River has so many curves that the government restricts night travel on the river so we will have to be docked every evening before dark..
Finally we are in a normal ship schedule breakfast was from 7 to 930 early risers could have coffee at 6 at 830 we board the buses and took a three hour tour around Porto. Visiting the city , memorials and the Cathedral.
We have now left Porto and are on our way up river towards Spain
Today was an early morning on the bus at 8:30 for the 400 kilometer trip to Porto.
Along the way we stopped at Coimbra to vist the university and its old (1400) library.
Sorry to say we were not allowed to take pictures in the library due to damage caused by flashes.
From the University we once again boarded the bus is in went down the road proximately 5 minutes to a restaurant where we had a wonderful light lunch and enjoyed some Fado which is one of the traditional singing types here in Portugal it would be similar to what we call Blues in the United States very sorrowful.
After lunch it was back on the buses for the last 180 kilometers to join our ship, the Viking Hemming.
