Where the Past Flows Into the Present
Two weeks drifting along Europe’s legendary waterways with Viking River Cruises is a masterclass in slow, scenic travel. These sleek longships, named for Norse gods, glide past vineyard-draped hillsides, medieval towns, and iconic capitals, stitching together a journey where history, culture, and cuisine converge at every bend.
Despite some ups and downs with airport snafus (a strike!) on arrival in France, my daughter and her best friend—both in their early 20s—and my sister and I spent two glorious weeks in July cruising the Lyon, Provence and the Rhineland aboard two Viking Longships—the Delling and the Einar. We passed through fascinating historical cities and ports, explored cathedrals, wandered through scenic towns, and enjoyed meals fit for nobility.
Where it began: The Viking Delling
We began from LAX with a flight on Air France Business Class. A wonderful experience, as we were able to lay down to sleep. Though I didn’t sleep at all, my sister next to me was out. My daughter was awake while her friend slept through the night. My daughter and I were too excited. I checked out every inch of my pod. Then perused the entertainment choices available on their media. The food and service was excellent.
Because of the airport strike at Charles de Gaulle (ADG) in Paris, we arrived late for check-in at Avignon for our first ship: The Viking Delling. The concierge that greeted us on Viking Delling did not ease of our concerns, which distressed us further. After arriving two hours late, we missed dinner on the ship. We asked for sandwiches, as the Viking representative on a phone call had offered. They were never provided. We went to bed hungry, but ready for breakfast the next morning. The breakfast did not disappoint.
A Veranda Stateroom with outside deck. Photo courtesy of Viking River Cruises.
We enjoyed the same class of room aboard each of our ships. My sister and I shared a Veranda Stateroom, with two twin beds (which can be pushed together into a king). The room was spacious, the bathroom was roomier than other ships I’ve traveled on, and the verandah was so nice to step out upon to catch the breezes and watch the scenery pass. My daughter and her friend shared a French Balcony Stateroom, which has a large sliding window with a railing, but no balcony deck.
Staff stars and dining about the Delling
The best part of our dining experience was the staff. Our server, David, had us laughing continuously. He was a wonderful start of every day. As the days progressed, we became familiar with the rest of the dining staff. They were all wonderful people with a great sense of humor, courteous, professional and worked well together as a team. They helped each other out, joked with passengers at each other’s tables, as well as each other. We were immensely happy our first seven days about the Viking Delling.
We made friends quickly. The majority of passengers were happy and having a great time. The rest of the Delling staff was equally wonderful.
Out and about ports and towns
The excursions were fun, well planned and were made as accessible as possible. We did as many excursions as we could because they were varied and fun. The excursions included walking tours with time for shopping. Cathedrals, museums, boat and train rides, gondolas, cultural dining experiences, wineries, historical sites, nature hikes, and more. Something for everyone.
We enjoyed the passengers and crew as we bonded in such a manner that we teased and joked and laughed a lot. I believe it was due to the camaraderie of the crew combined with the overall personality of the passengers.
Each ship had live entertainment, cultural and historical presentations and visual courses that we all enjoyed. Most passengers were in their 70s and 80s. At 61, I was the eldest in our little group, while my daughter at age 23 was the youngest. She and her best friend were enjoying it all. In fact, having spent our first seven days in France, they fell in love with the country.
Atrium Lobby provides sweeping views of port and starboard scenery. Photo courtesy of Viking River Cruises.
On to more adventures aboard the Viking Einar
We disembarked the Delling in Lyon, boarded a bus for transport to our second ship, the Viking Einar, for the second leg of our cruise. The eight-hour bus ride from the Delling in Lyon to the Einar in Basel, Switzerland, was informative and entertaining, with plenty of rest stops and excursions along the way.
Observation bar abord ship is lined with floor to ceiling windows. Photo courtesy of Viking River Cruises.
The Einar was as beautifully appointed and comfortable as the previous, though we all sensed a tension on the Einar that was clear from our first meal. The employees were professional but did not have the same cheerful banter and cadence of the crew of the Viking Delling. Our room staff were wonderful and our daily maid was a beautiful, cheerful soul. However, everything else was just as good as on the Delling.
Eventually, as the staff and passengers began to bond, I learned that many of the crew had been transferred to the Einar after years of working on other ships. It became understandable that they were homesick, missed their former mates and were doing their best to fit into a new crew. However, 28 rooms of travelers had also transferred with us from the Viking Delling, which increased our sense of community aboard the Einar. These same, good-natured travelers, were trekking together for more!
The service aboard the Einar was exemplary. Linda, the head of dining and Emilie, head of entertainment and excursions, kept the dining and entertainment aspect of the ship at top notch. I enjoyed their personalities so much and will never forget them. Linda is well educated from her travels and desire for knowledge. She spoke various languages and is living her dream. Emilie was born to entertain. She made everything on the cruise from excursions to game nights and informative gatherings a hilariously fun time.
Kindred souls on and off the river
We loved visiting France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands on our Viking cruises. The excursions and activities were worth getting up for every day, and the meals were delicious and plentiful. However, the best part was traveling through it all in a vessel filled with kindred souls, seeking adventure and fun together.
I’ve traveled a bit. As a young person it was coach all the way—traveler with a backpack and a tight daily budget. Now as a fortunate, retired, history teacher, I still maintain a budget, with a bit more to splurge. I can see myself traveling on rivers of life through countries many times more, with 150 new friends, seeking knowledge and good times. I’ve traveled on Uniworld (World Class Dining) and Viking (the best excursions and room decks) and I want to continue to fully enjoy the next experience in my travel life, through cozy cruising, river trippin’ fun.
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Irma R. Acosta Hall has always loved history and is a retired middle school history teacher. As a child she devoured biographies and requested a set of encyclopedias for her 13th birthday gift. She spent summers flipping through information about various countries and cultures. Teaching world history informed her love of people, food, architecture, and nature. Traveling combines all her interests in a fun and exciting way. She enjoys staying in one location and exploring it in depth as with previous trips to Florence, Italy; Naxos, Greece; Vienna, Austria; and Mulejé, Tulúm and Cozumel, Mexico. River cruises are her favorite mode of travel as they allow exploration of a new place every day, shared with new friends traveling together.
