Europe – My Review
I had planned a six week trip to be out of the US. This included a transatlantic cruise, A Viking cruise around the Mediterranean some time in Barcelona and Rome, and then a 10 day trip in Turkey. I did almost all of those and even added a bonus trip to Amsterdam.
It was a great trip overall, the people you travel with make all the difference in the trip. There are beautiful sites all around the world, exciting adventures, interesting itineraries, best shared with others, particularly if you travel solo, like I do. The trip becomes more meaningful when you have someone to share it with. Whether it’s just a comment on sightseeing, someone to have dinner with, or share a laugh.
The trip started from Fort Lauderdale where I had planned a transatlantic cruise on the Sun Princess traveling for two weeks by the Canary Islands and parts of Spain to Barcelona. We were a party of five all told- Janet, Laura, Linda, Eileen and l. Most of whom I had traveled with before, and a newcomer – Linda. We each had our own rooms, but I had planned a lively number of activities, including a book club games, a slot pull. That, combined with the 70 or so activities planned each day by Princess added to a relaxing, but sometimes exhausting trip across the Atlantic. We crossed several times zones all in the comfort of our rooms. Certainly better than flying in terms of jet lag but, we still had some Jet lag with all the time changes.
Our days began with a group breakfast. Then we were all free to do our own activities during the day, whether that was to going the spa, Going to a lecture, the casino or just reading a book. We had a WhatsApp group to share suggestions for different activities so we sometimes had company when we wanted to do something, but still had the freedom to dofollow our own agenda. We definitely met again every day for dinner in the main dining room, at a table just for us. The camaraderie of the group is never guaranteed but in this case, we all got along well, sharing our life stories, looking out for one another and having a good time. When we finally had port call in the Canary Islands, I was reluctant to get off. I was enjoying myself so much and so relaxed, but when we reached Santa Cruz, 4of us took a taxi to De La Laguna the former capital of the Canary Islands, where we wandered around the lovely town exploring on our own and caming back to the ship. I often plan private excursions in ports, particularly when we have a large group since I prefer them to the cruise sponsored ones. At other stops in Spain, we wandered with tour leaders from Guru walks. The free walking tours offered around the world are Usually lead by a local, either an historian, a student or other English speaker. They are free, but a tip is expected, but not required at the end if you enjoyed the tour.
We left the ship in Barcelona and stayed in the Arab quarter, at an interesting hotel, (interesting in design). One night we went on a wonderful small group food tour, at the St. Joseph food market, feasting on everything from olives, to bread, paella, desserts, and more. Highly recommended.
I’ve been to Barcelona before, but I’ve never been to the inside of the Sagrada Familia, and now that it’s complete we had to visit with our audio guides. We explored the inside of the cathedral, which is quite different than the outside decor. Still ornately decorated-but colorful and intriguing. It was nice to sit down in the pews and observe everything from there.
After a few days in Barcelona, we boarded the Viking Saturn ocean ship for a cruise around the Mediterranean. I have never been on a Viking ocean ship before, although I had done a river cruise with them many years ago. I was interested to see how Viking compared with other high-level cruise lines. Honestly, it was less than what I expected considering the high price tag. The decor was lovely. The service was wonderful. Everyone seems to know our names on this trip. There were just three of us who continued on and those were myself and my two college roommates, Eileen and Lynne. Again we all had our own cabins but got together for meals which were far better than the meals on Princess. Viking does offer a. complementary shore excursion in each port, and this cruise was port intensive with really no days to rest. The free port tours offered by Viking are usually a few hours of a walking tour in the city or maybe a bus trip. However, the tours that you can purchase as an option on Viking, in my opinion are more interesting, although overpriced. If I were to recommend this type of cruise to anyone, I would suggest that you purchase shore excursions from outside vendors or arrange private ones. The best feature I thought on Viking was the complementary use of the thermal spa, my favorite thing to do on the ship. There is everything from a snow cave to Jacuzzi’s, whirlpool, ceramic heated beds, all put to well use.
The atmosphere on a Viking ship is quiet. That’s the only way I can describe it. There is one show every night, no arts and crafts, few lectures(other than port talks). We visited ports in Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy. For example, in Livorno, which is the port for Florence, the tour that was offered by Viking included in the price was a tour to Pisa to see the leaning tower. Anyone who wanted to go to Florence paid in enormous price to do so. We chose Pisa.
At the end of our Viking cruise, the three of us stayed in Rome for a few days, which was enjoyable too. A nighttime visit to the Colosseum to see it lit up in all its glory, trips by train to Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s vacation home, and to Orvieto- a cathedral town north of Rome. There, we attended mass on Palm Sunday, where we were given olive branches instead of palm fronds. It was a lovely experience overall.
During this time, the war in the Middle East erupted, and I thought it best to cancel our trip to Turkey. The small group of five ladies who were accompanying me in Turkey all canceled their trip. It will be rescheduled for another time. I was particularly looking forward to going to Turkey to see Cappadocia. Even though I’ve been to Turkey a few times I have not been to this area, and I will in the future.
With a few days left to my trip, I scheduled a short visit to Amsterdam. I have always wanted to see the Keukenhof Gardens. They’re at their glory from mid March to early May. My arrival in early April seemed destined. I stayed near the airport and there was a shuttle bus that took you from the airport to the gardens about a half hour away for a small price. It was the trip a lifetime to see the flowers in April. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing colorful blooms on an early April day. Thousands of other thought so too. I was so surprised because I thought May would add more color to the same and more people, but in fact, all kinds of flowers were in bloom from orchids to tulips to freesia, roses and more. Keukenhof featured thousands, maybe millions of flowers, including the nearby colorful bulb fields. Another surprise was an old fashioned organ, and windmill, as well as scenic spots to take lots of selfies. The gardens were spectacular.
It’s now time to return home. I’m sitting in the lounge at Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight to London and then my flight to JFK.
Overall I’d say this was fabulous trip, relaxing, in parts exhausting, and others filled with lots of interesting sites and interesting people. I’m so glad I went. I hope you can join me on the next one.