Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Way The River Went

"It is pleasant to have been to a place the way a river went."
~ Henry David Thoreau

There is some benefit to us having down time.  Things I dream about I can research.  And sometimes the research turns into actual plans.

Like my dream to go on a European River Cruise.

I've been wanting to do this for a few years now, and I'm finally able to get to the actual planning stage.  The trip will take place in the Fall of 2015 and at this writing our intention is go to with our friends from LWNFA.

There are a lot of choices, but I think I've narrowed it down a bit.  I definitely want to do one of the European ones.  My favorite is the 23-day cruise that hits nine countries which include a few in Eastern Europe.  We've been talking about doing an eight or ten day cruise and tacking land travel days on either end, which I think I'd be okay with. MacGyver is interested in the Formula One races in Belgium and Italy, but us girls don't really care about that and it will only be included if it works out with the plan.
My top cruise choices are:

European Sojourn:  23 days, 19 guided tours, 9 countries

Grand European Tour:  15 days, 13 guided tours, 5 countries

Rhine Rhapsody:  10 days, 8 guided tours, 4 countries

Rhine Getaway:  8 days, 6 guided tours, 4 countries

Passage to Eastern Europe: 11 days, 7 guided tours, 5 countries

See what I'm talking about?  Hard to choose.
The thing I like best about the river cruising is that you're not out in open water, like a regular cruise, with nothing to look at.  On a river, there's scenery.  You travel through quaint villages.  You get a glimpse of what it might have been like to travel these waterways many years ago.  It's leisurely.  There are castles.

Like Winnie the Pooh said, "Rivers know this: there is no hurry."


The photos in this post were taken from the Viking River Cruises website.

If you're interested in seeing more, check out their site or order a free brochure.  




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: If You're Looking To Flip A House For Money....Don't

2012: A Sad Day For The Piggies
2011:
A Warrior Waging A Noble Fight, Fueled By Chocolate Ice Cream
2010: Ragazzo dell’Ombrello
2009: Eddie It’s Not Even Halloween Yet Friday
2008: Not So Different, Are We?
2007: Quite Uneducated, If You Ask Me
2006: Sometimes Identity Theft Can SAVE You Money
2005: Mina In Fifty Years

3 comments:

Belledog said...

I've always heard great things about Prague.

How fun to have a year to research and anticipate. So many options!

mick said...

I saw one of the Viking River cruisers moored on the Garonne river while we were in Bordeaux last month and they look really nice.

That European Woman said...

Salena, do book one of your first two choices,
depending on how much time you have. All those places are lovely.
Elke