Hi There Y'all! 

Viking Cruise Day One and Two

Well....we made it home!!!

Truly one of THE BEST, if not THE BEST trips "W" and I have ever taken

Bucket List number one is now ✔off my list....

I wanted so badly to blog every day so that all of our excursions from flying in to Marseille to flying out of Lyon on the Viking Hiemdal would be documented correctly but unfortunately my computer would not allow me access.

And....I don't know enough to blog off my phone.

So here we are.

We started our journey last Monday July 11.  Since we live in Florida and not near an international airport we decided the best way to do this was to just drive to Atlanta.  Two reasons.  "W" and I had stressed to the max about leaving Buddy in boarding for so long and my sweet daughter Buddy's "baby momma" and her husband said they would give us the greatest gift in the world and keep him for us.

So.....off to Dothan we went and then made our way to Atlanta for our flight.

Everything went absolutely perfect flying over from Atlanta to our layover in Frankfurt and then Frankfurt to Marsielle.

Like smoother than glass.

Which was another stressed subject for me because all I have heard are horror stories about lost luggage, cancelled flights, etc. etc. etc. over in Europe.

it was a BREEZE.

We landed in Marseille

Probably the only thing that was a bit hectic was getting everyone on the bus to drive to Avignon.  It was just longer than expected.  Other passengers had delays, we all landed at different times and so on and so forth. So...if you go on a trip like this just know that patience at this stage of the game is a virtue.

So...

on to Avignon.

By the time we made it to the boat (The Heimdal) our luggage was waiting in our stateroom.

The only complaint???

They didn't unpack our luggage and put it away.

(just kidding)

We chose a stateroom on the 2nd floor with a balcony.  It was a perfectly cozy room with a beautiful view of everything on the right side of the Rhone River. All the amenities were spot on.

The toiletries were in LARGE font. (lol) and the remote control was a breeze to use.

We first had a little meeting to tell us all what to expect for the next 8 days and then a little safety drill.

I love the color orange.

****Except in a jail suit or an Auburn shirt.....

okay, back to business

After our meeting W and I took about a 2 - 3 hour nap.

A MUST.

Woke refreshed and ready for our first journey to Arles which would be where we would first stop and tour the next day

We immediately made new friends and if there is one thing that I can say about a Viking Cruise is that it attracts THE nicest people I have ever met on a vacation.  Everyone, wanted to meet you, know about you, make friends.  Just SO incredibly refreshing! Especially given the amount of seclusion most of us have been through for the past 2 years. People came from literally everywhere in the world. 

***and thankfully most spoke English***

"Merci"

btw....

Tuckernuck

has THE THE THE BEST dresses for travel.

They look cute, they pack easy and they unpack unwrinkled.

(and they have cute jewelry too)

***I wish I had a paid partnership with them but sadly, I don't***

woke up to the beautiful city of Arles

As a working artist, this was SO inspirational. 

"Cafe Terrace at Night"

Vincent Van Gogh

He was particularly inspired by blueness of the sky and the reflection of light in Arles combined by the many vibrant colors of the city.

We took a tour of the city and saw many of the ruins.

We went on a walking tour of the city and saw the massive Les Arenes which was an ancient amphitheater able to seat 20,000.

full disclosure this is a stock photo because for some reason my pictures didn't load. erg.

But, trust me....it was old...it was amazing...and the guide was hysterical.

So,,,stay tuned....for some strange reason my phone is not downloading all of my pictures of Arles to my computer and until I can get this fixed I'm a little at a standstill.

2 hours is way to long for me to work on this today when there is wash to be done, unpacking, grocery shopping, etc. etc. etc....! 

So

until tomorrow ( jusqu'à demain)

Stay with me and see you tomorrow!!!

Have a great day y'all!

KB

💓