We’re in port so I think I’ll have enough wifi to upload the photos from Nuremberg, Germany.
Nazi Parade Grounds 1930s
Nazi Parade Grounds 2015
Parade Grounds 2015
Best friends in Nuremberg
Nuremberg bridge
Nuremberg from castle
Nuremberg Castle
Danube lock
Entering the locks
[NOTE: Still having problems being able to upload photos – the river ship uses satellite for internet, so i will upload the photos related to the story below as soon as I can]
We left France behind with a quick one-hour flight from Paris to Nuremberg, Germany, and even on this short trip we were served food in the Air France tradition – roll with goat cheese, fennel and honey – so unlike American flights where an ounce-pack of dry mini pretzels during a 5 hour coast-to-coast trip is an unexpected treat. Have you ever landed at San Francisco International airport, where you seem to be skimming the top of the Bay, certain you’re landing in the water, and at the very last second the wheels touching down on the edge of the tarmac? In Nuremberg you skim the top of what I believe is the Black Forest – a huge, flat dense forest – wheels just above the treetops, seeming close enough to touch, and then you land in a sudden edge of airport tarmac.
We slapped the Viking Cruise stickers on our shirts and deplaned to be welcomed immediately by a Viking Cruise line representative. The luxury segment of our trip had begun! No more car rental negotiations or GPS or schlepping suitcases up several flights of stairs. Our bags were whisked away by a uniformed Viking Cruise representative, and in short order we were aboard the Viking Var, room 107. We’re travelling from Nuremberg, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary over an 8-day period, with no concerns in the world regarding where we will eat or sleep or tour or shop. I had originally thought we might drive from Paris through Germany, Austria and Hungary on our way to Croatia, but when I started working out the logistics of renting a car in one country and leaving it in another, that plan began to unwind. Thanks to a well-placed ad during an episode of Downton Abbey on PBS, Viking solved all our logistical problems with their “Romantic Danube” trip. I’ve uploaded here the detailed description of the 8 day trip so you can follow along. The cruise consists of meals and evening activities aboard on of their river long-ships – ours is the “Var” named after some Nordic god – with both included and optional excursions in the towns we visit. Each evening is a briefing on the next days activities and sometimes a presentation on local culture, the Danube history, or the Viking Cruise company itself. Last night I learned that Viking is privately owned and based, interestingly, in Los Angeles with an office in Basel, Switzerland. It is owned by the Hagen family whose daughter is the face and voice of the ads. Of course she’s a gorgeous Nordic blonde. There is no justice.
Our day trip to Nuremberg was fascinating and educational. Nuremberg is known by most for the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals after WWII, but it’s a vital city otherwise. The most chilling part of our day excursion was a tour of the Nazi parade grounds. We’ve all seen familiar pictures of Hitler standing at the very podium which today is used for rock concerts and sports events and car rallies, one of which was happening the day we were there.
Nuremberg Nazi Parade 1903s
I found most interesting the way today’s Germans describe that awful period in their history. I found a sign that described 1933 as when “the seizure of power by the NSDAP (predecessor of Nazis) marked the beginning of oppression and destruction of political freedom and economic self-government.” A great reminder that most people living under dictatorship just want to live good lives and take care of their families.
Nuremberg is now a vibrant, creative and productive city. After our tour of the former Nazi parade grounds we toured the heart of the city, so much needed rebuilding after the war. Churches and open air markets, outdoor art and restaurants, and scenes that could not have existed during Hitler’s time – these cute little girls, clearly best friends, one black, one white, just walking along having a chat.
Back on the ship, we took off for the next stop, Passau, Germany. One of the many treats of taking a river cruise is watching the ship navigate the river – and during this trip we go through 12 locks – I believe it’s 7 locks up and 5 locks down. During one of the “up” locks we were able to sit on the forward deck as the ship entered the lock enclosed in 10 story high walls, then watch as it rapidly filled with water before we floated out the front. Here are a few pictures of that experience.
[NOTE: Due to very slow Internet access I’m unable to upload the pictures and videos mentioned below, but will do so as soon as the wifi improves]
We might have met our goal of touring the D-Day landing beaches by taking a day-trip from Paris as did the other guests on our afternoon tour. Thank goodness we did not. We instead chose to drive nearly 2 ½ hours along a northerly route of lush green and fertile farmland from Giverny to Bayeux for an overnight stay. So much of France outside Paris is farmland. I hadn’t realized. The A15 highway from Giverny cuts through fields and farms and farms and fields. Did I mention farms? I suspect France could serve as breadbasket to most of Europe with the amount of farming they do. Seems so distant from all the France I’ve known being Paris.
Fortunately I had timed things correctly and we were able to check in to our Bayeux hotel and drop our bags before our 1pm pickup four our Viator tour pickup. We were a small group of 8 led by a our charming guide who introduced herself as “Mag.” She was surprised that I asked if that was short for “Magail” – it was – because it’s such a uniquely French name. I told her my son has a good friend named Magali. Throughout the afternoon as she took us to Omaha Beach, the visitors center and the American cemetery, explaining the roles of both the liberating soldiers and that of the French villagers and farmers involved in the action, Mag made frequent references to her grandparents who lived through the experience. Coincidentally the anniversary of D-Day was the Sunday before our visit; the week turns out to be the busiest of the year, and stragglers of the “re-enactors” who show up each year to recognize the date were spotted throughout the day. An unexpected complement to our experience was the weather – cold and extremely windy. We were buffeted by strong and erratic winds as Mag described the rough seas, which caused a 24-hour delay in the D-Day operation. We watched the English Channel roil with high waves, our faces buffeted by cold wind, and felt quite vicerally a bit of the experience of D-Day. I’m hopeful that this video I took from inside a former German bunker records the waves and wind I attempted to capture.
The following day we drove to the lovely town of Les Andelys, dominated by the crumbling castle of Edward the Lionheart. Our hotel, L’Chaine d’Or, sits right on the bank of the Seine, and we had a river view. Attached are a few snapshots outside our window. The lack of air conditioning was a bit uncomfortable on an unusually hot and humid evening, but the view of the northern Seine with its fishermen and birds, and a spectacular electrical storm, made up for it all.
During dinner at L’Chaine d’Or a friendly gentleman in dapper pink pants came to our table and introduced himself to us. He asked we were enjoying our time in Les Andelys, if we were staying in this hotel, and said he was in charge of tourism for the town. Mike asked if he were the mayor – vice mayor, he replied, in charge of all tourism. He said L’Chaine is the best restaurant in town and hoped we would return. He then pointed to the table behind us, 6 or 7 men deeply engaged in debate – I caught that one felt “we need a majority vote,” and suspected them to be the town council.
Our drive from Les Andelys to Charles de Gaulle airport took us again through many back roads and farms. It’s just a 45 minute drive, but the contrast between the country and sudden city could not be greater. With a bit of confusion we finally found the rental car return, cleared the check-in and headed into the next leg of our trip.
Bienvenue, mes ami et ma famille,
Iceland Air is great – and did you know all their international connections go through Reykjavik? I met the loveliest couple from Puyallup, Washington, in the adjacent seats on the flight segment from Seattle. I so regret not asking for the names of this bright and fit lady and gentleman who told me they were on their way to Surrey, England, to visit their son. They proudly announced that their son runs Boeing UK operations, and they were going to celebrate her birthday. The wife said softly, “I think this will be our last trip.” Of course, I asked “Why? “ She said that she was the birthday they are celebrating would be her 80th and she thinks that’s old enough for this kind of travel. I immediately though of Maude in “Harold and Maude” who decided to pack it in at 80 – seems terribly young to be having those thoughts these days, doesn’t it? I mentioned how my 90-year-old mother often reflects that one must take advantage of the phase of life when you have the money and health and spare time to travel. My seat-mate heartily agreed. We wished each other well and safe travels.
Mike and I easily made our 55-minute layover connection in Reykjavik and finally arrived Paris Charles De Gaulle airport 1pm Wednesday, safe but exhausted. In spite of all my clever anti-jetlag techniques, these long haul flights are certainly becoming exhausting with age. The technique that completely and utterly backfired was to not drink any caffeine in order to encourage sleep. Didn’t have coffee. Didn’t sleep. It was in state of exhaustion and caffeine withdrawal that I attempted to find our rental car counter. Long story short, I couldn’t find the counter for the Dollar Rent a Car we’d reserved and ended up signing a contract with a charming Sixt car rental agent who, sympathizing with my situation, graciously produced a Toyota Yaris for 10 times the bargain price we’d planned to pay. He knew, as we did, we’d pay a king’s ransom for anything that would get us to Giverny. Lesson learned was to read the reservation fine print, which clearly state the Thrifty Rental Car counter immediately adjacent to my Sixt charmer was honoring our Dollar rental. Fortunately, the 3-day rental won’t break the bank, and I’ll get it back when Sixt honors the bargain rate they’re giving me in Zagreb.
I’d discovered that Giverny is on the route we’d planned to take to Normandy, and while I knew we wouldn’t have much time there, I’d hoped to arrive in time to visit Monet’s home, gardens and water 
lily ponds before they closed at 6pm. The drive from Roissy to Giverney is less than an hour through green farmland and quaint villages, and we easily found Le Dime de Giverny B&B with our GPS. Two friendly and cheerful English women enjoying a cup of tea in the courtyard greeted us.
Jet-lagged Maggie at Giverny
They shared that they’d been to Monet’s home that morning, a 10 minute walk up the road, arriving early before the crowds to enjoy the place before the tour buses arrived. We quickly threw our bags in our room, walked up rue Claude Monet and spent a good hour exploring the home and grounds. I’m so happy we had the time.
Tired and hungry, trying to stay awake until a suitable bedtime, we ate dinner at the only restaurant open at 5:30 pm, a near-empty bar with cold sandwiches. We again spotted the English ladies on the restaurant terrace enjoying a glass of wine. We learned that they are Mo Hooper and Judy Pearson, best friends from their Bedford College days, retired Physical Education teachers who take an annual trip together.
Mo and Judy
We met once more at breakfast and they agreed to let me take their picture for my blog. I could tell they were dear, long-time friends when, while taking their picture, Judy announced she’d stand behind Mo to make herself look better. What fun these two are, and I’m sure their choice of professions contributed significantly to their energy, fitness and zest for life.
Before ending our stay we met the Granade family, celebrating their son, Jay’s, 15th birthday exploring France.
Grenade Family
They had been all over, and after Giverny are driving to Brussels to fly home to Atlanta.Dr. Grande, a dentist, spotted Mike’s dental braces and thrilled him by saying that meant he was young. Jay, an avid history buff, enthusiastically agreed this was one great birthday gift.
Our gracious hosts at Le Dime de Giverny have so tastefully renovated and restored what was once the local tax collector’s home and office (he who collected the dimes) into a comfortable and welcoming bed and breakfast.
Next, we storm Normandy beaches……
Mike and I have started our vacation adventure and to share it with you we are keeping the notes and stories and pictures of our trip on this site. Apologies for the two year gap between this and my last post.
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If you’ve just been randomly cruising around the Internet and happened upon this site – Welcome to you, too! The greatest joy in travel is the random chaos that allows strangers to cross paths and share a moment of humanity together. That is, unless you are a hacker or a hater or one of those robo-intelligent-thingies that is going to take over the world, in which case, buzz off, your kind is not welcome.
So, to get started, I’ll confess that one of my greatest thrills is receiving that email “SUBJECT: Time to check in for your flight.” This one was especially thrilling because we had spent such a very long time in the planning. Boarding passes in hand, and thanks to our awesome friend Bill who chauffeured us from Fox Island to Seatac, we arrived comfortably early to ease into our trip. I’ve taken so many business trips over the years that merely passing through airport Security isn’t itself cause for cheer; however, cozying up to the Iceland Air gate made it sink in that this was no business trip. That magic moment when the wheels lifted off the ground we were on vacation.
Click here to see our itinerary color coded for each segment of the trip: Pink for home, blue for France, green for the Danube river trip and yellow for Croatia. Feel free to follow along, and if you have a tip from your travels to any of these locations, please do write a comment so we can try to fit it in. Many of the locations we’ve already added were from the suggestions of friends. PS: I’ve already broken my promise to indicate pronunciation for the Croatian cities – I promise to do that (indicate pronunciation, not break a promise) throughout the trip.
Enjoy!
