Nov 3 - Thanks T-Mobile

Just before we left for this trip,  T-Mobile announced their Simple Plan, which includes free international data and free phone calls if using wifi.  I switched to that plan, and am glad I did.  The data has been very useful for email,  maps and Yelp, as well as posting to this blog.

Nov 2-Charming Bamberg

Today's town is Bamberg,  which I had never heard of before.   It was a nice surprise.   One of it's 3 districts is a farming area whose products are sold in the town square.  It wasn't ever bombed, so it has quaint cobblestone streets and historic buildings. The city hall has outside walls covered with colorful murals and is in the middle of the river that flows through town.  Kayakers navigate a race course on the river next to city hall.  There are over 10 beer  breweries in this small town.  It is known for a beer with a smoky flavor.

City hall on the river

City hall murals

Brewery (middle building)- most of the people in front are drinking beer because the brewery is so crowded

Thoughts about Viking River Cruise

I have enjoyed our cruise.   Marge was had a bad cough for several days, missing some great scenery and food, so she might not agree with me. 

The food has been good,  on par with Princess food,  but not as good as a Crystal cruise. I do like the fact that beer and wine, which have been good, are complimentary at meals and that food portions are not large. 

Our fellow guests have all been very friendly.  I think the average age is a little older than us.  We haven't met any complainers,  and people are punctual.

The ship is only a year or so old and is well planned.  The staff have all been very friendly and helpful.  

I think some areas, like the German rivers, are meant to be seen from the river and Viking would be a good choice.

It would be great if the ship had bikes that the passengers could use,  but that probably wouldn't be attractive to many passengers.

Nov 1-cruising on the Main River

We left the Rhine and are now on the smaller Main River.  We again slide by picturesque old villages within a stone's throw of the ship.  

Marge has had a bad cough for the last couple of days,  and lost her breakfast right after she ate this am, so we went to a doctor at the next town,  Wurzburg. Fortunately the doc said her lungs are clear, and prescribed a cough med w codine. Marge thinks ships are not good for her health- in the middle of our first cruise,  9-11 happened, and she broke her leg on another, in Patagonia. 

Scene along the Main River

Oct 30 - cruising up the Rhine

There are more castles along the Rhine River than any other river because back then,  travel along the river was the easiest way to go.  The property owners along the river would charge travelling merchants tools to pass and got rich.  They would build castles to protect their land and to keep out foreign armies. 

The weather was cool but clear, and the scenery was engrossing-the river is lined with picturesque old towns, frequently dominated by a castle, usually on a hill above the town.

Oct 28 - cruising up the Moselle River

After breakfast we took a walking tour of the nearby town of Trier, the oldest roman town in Germany. The weather however did not cooperate, bringing rain and wind.
During lunch the ship started sailing up the Mosel river. The scenery is very pretty because there are many vineyards sloping down the hills to the river. Due to the onset of winter, some of the vines are starting to turn yellow. The water level is high, at or near flood level in many places, like a cup filled with water to just below the edge. It is mesmerizing sitting in front of the sliding glass doors in our cabin,  watching the great scenery slide silently by.  The river isn't very wide so the scenery along the river is almost as close as if we were driving down the middle of a very wide street.
The river is lined with cute little towns.

Colorful vineyards

Typical town

Oct 26 - Crepes in Montmartre

After breakfast this morningvein hg our tour started with a bus tour of the tourist sites in the city.  It was a nice refresher for us.   For lunch, we wanted to try Yelps top rated creperie,  Creperie Broceliande, which is located in the Montmartre area of the city.  We were fearful that it would be crowded,  but must have come at the right time because we got a table.   The food was terrific!   Best meal we have had here and at 21 euros, the least expensive.  We each had a savory crepe and a dessert great. My savory crepe was filled with a fried egg, potatoes, bacon and cheese. The presence of a fried egg is almost guaranteed to make a dish an instant hit with me.  Marge's crepe was filled with ham,  mushrooms and cheese. My dessert crepe was filled with bananas and chocolate while Marge chose lemon cream. All of the Crepes were made with buckwheat and were cooked very thin and crispy. Attached are some photos,  but they don't do the meal justice.

My Savory crepe

Marge's lemon cream crepe

Oct 25 - Market day

This morning's breakfast was at a local patisserie where we had 3 different pastries, coffee for Marge, and hot chocolate for me. We probably over ordered because we couldn't quite finish the pastries, and the total was 20 euros which comes out to about $27.

We got our morning exercise by walking to a nearby open air fruit and vegetable market.  Here are some photos:

1st full day in Paris

After our nap yesterday afternoon we walked over to the Seine river and then on to the Notre Dame cathedral. This is in the late afternoon so the light was perfect for photographs.

We had a dinner at a restaurant about 4 blocks away from the hotel, that Marge had found on Yelp. The reviewers were correct in saying that the head waiter was snooty and rude but the waitress in the room where they seat English speakers  spoke English and was very patient. For appetizers, marge had my mussels and I had scrambled eggs with tomatoes and truffles.  We shared an entree of duck breast and small potatoes; I was disappointed that the duck breast was tough so I didn't finish it. For dessert we chose chocolate mousse -they give you a bowl and start ladling in mousse until you say stop. We only ate half, but it was good.   According to Marge,  we walked 24000 steps yesterday.  A good traveling to eat day.

In Paris - finally

We arrived yesterday in the late afternoon. Marge wanted to make the train ride from the airport a little more exciting so as she was pushing her suitcase through an entrance to a metro station, she managed to get her backpack stuck in the gate. Reminded me of a rabbit stuck in a trap until I freed her.

Our hotel Jeanne d'Arc is a small inexpensive hotel in the Marais area of Paris which Marge chose because it is located near many shops and restaurants.  We ate at a French restaurant around the corner and it was very good. We shared a bowl of French onion soup and a veal chop with  mushroom sauce and potatoes fried in garlic butter. 

This morning we woke up early.  We found a nearby patisserie and bought a croissant and a ham and cheese quiche, which we enjoyed at a nearby coffee shop. After breakfast we walked for 4 hours exploring the Marais area. I particularly enjoyed window shopping at the many patisseries with their beautiful goodies.  For lunch we wanted to eat at a restaurant that sister and brother in law had eaten at in their trip earlier this year, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. We walked about a mile to our second choice, which had been recommended by Rick Steves, but sadly found that it to had  closed and was replaced by a new restaurant. We were so tired from all that walking that we just had lunch at the new restaurant. The nicest nicest part of that our lunch restaurant was that our waiter was half American half and half French.
Here are some photos from our walk this morning:

Patisserue

An art installation

Estee Lauder breast cancer exhibit

Heathrow layover

We had a good flight although I only got about 4 hours sleep.

We are at the British airlines lounge - lots of food, drink, lots of glass windows, but best of all, a long hot shower while waiting for the flight to Paris.

In the air

No lines at security, no lines to board the 747, 2 minutes from our seats in the lounge to our seats on the plane, very spacious overhead bins, lie flat seats.  

Off into the wild blue yonder

I didn't realize how much I had forgottten about preparing for international travel, so this past week has been somewhat stressful, like:
   What card to use at atm machines?  Not Bank of the West where I bank because they charge a 3% currency conversion fee.  I decuded to use a debit card with a credit union which only charges a 1% cc fee.
   How to get access to client files in case something comes up?  I was going to put them on a usb drive and encrypt the drive.   Easier said than done.   Ended up putting them on Dropbox but had to pay $99 to increase storage capacity for a year.
   How to get data on my android phone?  Fortunately t-mobile just started a plan that features free international data and text.   This only cost me a one time fee of $200 to pay the balance of the phone I got from them in March.
   How to get phone messages?  I signed up for Google voice. If someone needs to reach me and can't email me,  they can call my google voice # 510-995-6407 and leave a message.  I get an email with a transcript of the message with a recording of the message.

Off to SFO: Thanks to frequent flyer miles we are flying business class on British Air from SFO to Heathrow then on to Paris.   I wanted to take full advantage of the BA lounge so we arrived 3.5 hours before our 5 pm flight.  Getting through security was a breeze -I didn't even get a pat down for my metal knee. 

BA lounge: The BA lounge is much nicer than the United lounge at SFO.  Less crowded,  better food and drink, and you can board the plane directly from the lounge.   Here are some photos:

Paris to Prague Oct 22 -Nov 6, 2013

Marge has been taking care of her parents for the past 2 years so we haven't gone anywhere.  She made sure that they had the best care possible until their bodies gave up this year.   On Tues I Oct 22, we leave for Paris for a Viking River cruise called Cities of Light-Paris to Prague. 

We return home on Nov 6.  I will post every couple of days during the trip,  so check back periodically.