Did We Take Our Own Advice from Last Year?

Before I started writing the previous post, I took a look at last year’s Viking Cruise –Reflections post about our Viking Homelands-British Isles Explorer cruise. I ended that post with quite a bit of advice for myself for future cruises, and I thought it would be fun to see if we actually followed through on these recommendations on this cruise. Um, as it turns out, not as much as I would have hoped!

Before leaving home, it’s important to research what to do in each port and to carefully read the description for each tour to make sure it’s what you envision. . . .

I didn’t do as much research as I probably should have, but we were quite pleased with all the Viking tours. We did not feel the necessity of booking private tours on a river cruise.

In between all the tours, try to build in time to relax. . . . Alas, I likely won’t heed my own advice since I want to see it all.

Unfortunately, I mostly ignored my advice once again. On the positive side, however, I did decide to cancel an all-day excursion and just go with the morning tour. That was a very wise decision. I even skipped out on another tour and created a sea day for myself. Still, we were on the go most of the time, and Tim and I were exhausted by the time we got to Paris. I haven’t quite figured out how to solve this one.

Tim and I both took way too many photographs and should have simply enjoyed what we were seeing with our own eyes, rather than through the lens of a camera. We also need to practice taking selfies of the two of us together. . . .

Tim did a better job this time, but I think I was even worse. I haven’t quite figured out how to make myself put the camera down, but I’m going to try to work on it. We managed a few selfies, but still need to do a better job.

Speaking of photographs, I learned that it’s really difficult to get decent photos from any moving vehicle, whether bus, train, or plane. . . .

Nothing changed here, but I did try to limit the number of photographs from moving vehicles. It was also hard to get good photographs when venues were so crowded.

This trip confirmed for me that it’s important for us to spend as many days as possible in the cities where we will embark and disembark our cruise. . . .

We definitely followed this advice and continue to believe that this is the strategy we will follow if at all possible.

. . . from now on, if at all possible, I will only fly in lie-flat business class for an overnight flight. . . . On the other hand, I have concluded that premium economy is fine for a daytime flight. . . .

We made it a point to book lie-flat business class seats for our overnight flight, and it was everything I hoped it would be. We had booked premium economy for our return, but we accepted an upgrade offer to business, and it was wonderful. It’s going to be difficult to fly any other way in the future.

My final thought is to pack light. . . . We did ok, but we’re going to try and do better next time.

Tim and I did pack lighter this time and did not check any bags. It was tight, but we managed and seemed to have everything we needed. This strategy likely won’t work when we travel in colder weather, since those items take up much more room.

That About Sums Up How We Did!

Reflections on Our France’s Finest Cruise

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, and it exceeded my expectations. Spending the entire time in France enabled us to get a much better understanding of the country and its history, and I especially enjoyed visiting a mix of small villages and large cities.

I loved our time in France, and everyone we met was polite and often friendly. We certainly never encountered the stereotypical “rude” French person. I firmly believe that if you are polite and friendly to someone, that person will return the favor.

One big negative was the crowds we encountered almost everywhere, especially at most attractions. I don’t know if it’s only because more people are traveling again, but I think France is just a place everyone wants to visit. I asked the concierge at our hotel in Paris if we needed to return in the winter to avoid the crowds at the Louvre, and she said that it’s crowded all year.

Guides in France are some of the best we have ever encountered, reflecting the required exams they must take. As a result, I enjoyed our excursions, both the ones that were included and those that were optional. Tim and I did not take any private tours while on the cruise and were quite satisfied with the tours offered by Viking.

I loved the Viking longships and their minimal Scandinavian décor, and our stateroom worked well for us. Although we never actually sat on the balcony, I did enjoy the extra space in the room. I glanced at one of the cabins with a French balcony, and although the room was a lot smaller, I would probably be ok with that type as well.

The crews on both ships were outstanding and always went out of their way to accommodate us. Because of the smaller size of the ships, it seemed to be easier to get to know the staff.

There is a big difference between Viking Ocean and River cruises beyond the size of the ships and the itineraries they cover, and it did take me a while to adapt to some of these differences on this cruise. Here, the schedule was much more regimented, with all passengers doing mostly the same things at the same times, particularly with regards to meals. Although I thoroughly enjoyed our meals in the Restaurant, I did miss being able to grab a quick dinner at a buffet at a time of my choosing.

This cruise was also much more social for us than our ocean cruise, and sitting with other people at meals was definitely a change. I did like getting to meet different people, particularly those from other countries, but we never seemed to sit with the same groups more than once or twice. As a result, it did get a bit tiring repeating our story to new people all the time. A quiet dinner for two would have been welcome on occasion, and Tim and I really enjoyed the time by ourselves at breakfast.

Most river cruises are quite short, and for me, a seven-day cruise is just not long enough. France’s Finest is actually two seven-day cruises connected by a train ride, and I was just settling in when we had to pack and move to the next ship. I would definitely look for one of the few longer cruises in the future, although there are several places I’d like to visit where that is not an option.

Although one big advantage of a river cruise is that the ship docks right in town, Tim and I did not take advantage of that benefit. We never walked into town in the evenings instead of dining on the ship, and we usually rested in the afternoons after touring in the morning. I did, however, enjoy the views of the cities from where we docked (unless we were tied up to another ship!), instead of looking at a large port.

France's Finest Was a Great Cruise

Posts for France’s Finest Are Complete

Yesterday morning, I finished the last blog post for our France’s Finest cruise. I’ve backdated all the posts to their actual dates to simplify things. All posts related to the cruise, including the planning for it, are included in the Categories listing for “Cruises – France’s Finest 2023.”

I posted the link to this blog on Cruise Critic’s Viking River Roll Calls forum for “All 2023 Viking France,” and I was happy to hear that several people who are planning to take the same cruise in a few months found the information helpful. I mainly write this blog for myself, but I’m happy if my first-hand accounts can help others. I know how much other people’s blogs have helped me.

The Blog Posts Seem to be Helpful to Others

It took me more than a month to finish writing the posts and editing the photographs, but I’m happy with the results. It was a good project to occupy my time, since it’s been raining almost every day since we’ve been home. So far this year, Loveland has seen more rain than in all of 2022. We’re not complaining, however, since rain was sorely needed, and the state is no longer in drought conditions. Luckily, we have not experienced any of the really severe weather that has hit other parts of the state.

I still plan to gather my thoughts and come up with my reflections on the cruise. Stay tuned.

Getting the RV in Shape

In less than one month, Tim and I will be heading to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument for our three-month volunteer assignment. Since we’ll be living in our RV, it was time to test out the systems and put it back in shape.

Tim and I are not campers, and we have used the RV only for volunteer projects at national park units since we stopped full-timing in 2019. As a result, we have not traveled in the RV since we returned from Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in March 2022. 

The RV has been sitting in our storage facility all this time, and it is still winterized. Yes, Tim has driven it since then, mostly to keep the battery charged, although it did require a jump-start a few times! Last month, we had the annual service performed, and everything was fine on that end.

The RV Has Spent the Last Year or So in This Storage Facility

In order to de-winterize and test out everything else, we made a reservation at a campground just a few blocks from our home and checked in yesterday. I was a bit nervous when we plugged into the campground pedestal and turned on the air conditioner, but it worked just fine. Amazingly, so did everything else.

We spent yesterday afternoon and this morning sorting and cleaning and making sure that everything is ready to go. We still have to finish loading the RV with food, supplies, and the rest of our gear, but that can wait until the end of the month.

While we were at the campground, we began talking to the gentleman parked next to us. He was interested in our RV and mentioned that he and his wife had been thinking of downsizing to a unit like ours. Tim and I had been seriously talking about selling the RV after we return from Agate Fossil Beds, so we gave him and his wife a tour. They seemed very interested, but who knows if anything will come of it.

Enjoying Our Fornesetti Lamp

The Fornasetti lamp that we purchased in Paris was shipped to us a month ago, but it wasn’t until today that we could finally plug it in and enjoy it. We knew when we purchased the lamp that we would need an adapter for the plug, since this one had a type C plug with two rounded prongs. What we didn’t realize until we were looking for an adapter is that European lamps are rated for 230 volts, whereas 120 volts is the standard in the US.

Tim and I read differing reports as to whether we would need a converter or if we would need to rewire the lamp. I contacted Fornasetti, but didn’t get a clear answer.

Finally, Tim took the lamp to a high-end lighting store and asked them. Thinking that the lamp would need to be rewired, we were so relieved when we were told that replacing the plug was all that was required. 

We picked up the lamp today, and it is now at home in our living room. Looking at it makes me smile.

Enjoying Our Fornasetti Lamp