BIENVENUE A PARIS!

Saturday, 4 June.

Didn't do much but check into our hotel and go next door for dinner on Friday.

The Seine is flooding, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Giverny are closed; our Bateux Parisennes dinner cruise was cancelled. BUT! We are in Paris, so I am sure we will find something to do.

Mostly walked around on Saturday; so much to see here. Everyone is hanging out by the Seine to see if it is going down yet. Highest level in 30 years. No boat traffic of any kind on the river, so a lot of businesses are hurting.

Toured one of our favorite places here, Luxembourg Gardens, then visited the Pantheon, burial place of the Curies, Voltaire, Braille and many others. We paid extra to climb 210 steps to the panoramic view. Wonderful! Even though it was overcast, you could see most of the city. The centerpiece of the Pantheon is Foucault's Pendulum. The original was installed here in 1851, but the one we saw is a replica. The original is in another museum. Nevertheless, very impressive. It was the first simple proof of the earth's rotation.

We also stopped in at St. Stephen's church.

BASEL and Viking summary

Friday, 3 June.

No pictures to post today.

Sailed overnight from Breisach to Basel, going through six more locks, for a total of ten on our cruise.

The Viking experience has been outstanding! The staff is amazingly attentive and courteous. Cleanliness is impeccable. Rooms are compact but very efficient. We had a veranda, which we highly recommend for relaxing and viewing the sites. Food was wonderful, and plenty of wine and beer with your meals. There is a Spirits package, but cannot imagine why you would need it. There were at least 3 occasions aside from meals where they served drinks.

We met many interesting people, mainly from the US and England. And we discovered that people from the US who have not been to Oregon pronounce it Oregone!

We did not attend any of the late evening music offerings, as we were too wiped out after the day's tours. When we docked in Basel, we were able to stay onboard until time for the Viking shuttle to take us to the airport. We had lunch with a couple who were boarding in Basel, so could tell them a little about our trip. At the airport, a Viking rep took us directly to AirFrance's checkin. Next time we will consider booking an extension on front or back end; we heard good things about them from others.

We definitely recommend Viking!

BREISACH & BLACK FOREST

We had a leisurely morning; I am trying to fend off a cold so stayed on the ship while Bobby walked thru the little town of Breisach.

In the afternoon we took the coach to the beautiful Black Forest. When you visit here, you can see how the Brothers Grimm and all other fairy tale authors were inspired. It is truly enchanting! You could also watch a cuckoo clock making demo, and the creation of Black Forest Cake.

On the way back we came through Freiberg, which looked like a destination in itself, but we did not stop.

Represents 1950 vote for united Europe. 

STRASBOURG with pics

Strasbourg is a charming city -- very picturesque. We visited a Protestant church as well as Strasbourg Cathedral here. This area is famous for storks who migrate here and build huge nests in trees and chimneys. Their legend is that if you want a baby, you put sweets on the window sill and a few months later, the stork will bring you a baby!

In the afternoon, we drove a very long way for a forgettable wine tasting. 4 tiny tastes from an obnoxious winery owner!