After leaving Akureyi, we continued on to the scenic village of Seyðisfjörður that is located deep in a fjord on the eastern coast of Iceland. This was the first stop on this cruise where we used the Viking Sky’s tenders to go ashore, even though there was a big dock at the village. We’re not … Continue reading Seyðisfjörður & Skálanes Nature Center
Our next stop on our cruise around Iceland was in Akureyi, a town of fewer than twenty thousand that nevertheless is nicknamed the “Capital of Northern Iceland.” Located on an ice-free harbor, the town almost seemed overshadowed by the scale of the Viking Sky: During our time docked at Akureyi our tour included stops at … Continue reading Akureyi
Our first night out of Reykjavik during our August 2021 cruise around Iceland on the Viking Sky, we sailed northwest around and into Ísafjarðardjúp, one of the many fjords of the Westfjords region. Waking up as we sailed toward the town of Ísafjördur we enjoyed the newly clear weather and watching the rising sun’s shifting … Continue reading Iceland’s Westfjords: Ísafjördur & Vigur Island
At each of the port calls on this cruise, Viking offered several optional excursions above and beyond an included tour. Picking wasn’t always easy with so many good choices. During our first full day in Iceland during our August 2021 cruise, we chose to go on separate excursions departing from our ship that had remained … Continue reading Iceland Photography and Golden Circle Excursions
Why Iceland? Our last big trip had been in December of 2019, a river cruise with Viking on the Douro in Portugal just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Due to missed sailing caused by flooding, we received a voucher from Viking that we had to use to book another cruise in 2020. Because of COVID, … Continue reading Iceland Cruise Overview
On this Throw Back Thursday (#TBT) posting, we travel back nearly six years to our December 2015 “Heart of Germany” Christmas market cruise with Viking from Nuremberg to Frankfurt, Germany. This was our third time with Viking, but it was our first winter-time cruise. Our first two trips had been in the spring, but the … Continue reading #TBT: Foggy Wertheim
Tracey and I have gone on Viking’s Paris to Normandy cruise twice – in 2012 and 2015. On the first cruise our ship, the Viking Spirit, docked in Paris near Parc Citroen. On the second cruise we were on a new longship, the Viking Rinda, that was too long to be able to navigate into … Continue reading Elegant Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Colmar is a medieval village in the Alsace region of France, not far from Strasbourg. Its ancient buildings and winding streets provide a fairy tale-like experience year-round, but it takes on a special charm for the holidays with Christmas Market stalls erected around the church, in front of shops, and by the old Custom House. … Continue reading The Enchanting Village of Colmar
Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the Tauber river) is a Bavarian village where it feels like time has stood still. Undamaged in WW2, this village is surrounded by an ancient wall punctuated with towers. The village embraces the German Christmas experience in a huge way. The head office of the famous Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas decoration … Continue reading Rothenburg Christmas
The first Christmas Market we ever visited was in Nuremberg, Germany, where they’ve been held for over 400 years. We’ve been hooked on winter cruising and Christmas markets ever since, and the Nuremberg Christmas Market was our introduction. We’ve gone on five Viking cruises in the winter. Our first cold weather cruise (after two spring … Continue reading Nuremberg Christmas Market
Halfway There Travelers 