xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>What’s it REALLY like aboard a Viking River Cruises? Let’s peek through the window with fascination and find out what it is like experiencing every detail of Viking Cruises. I had heard they were the “jewel of the sea” with their ever-changing views of the majestic scenery. I had heard about the “unpack once” …
France
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Bonjour! Won’t you come with me to Provence in the South of France? Let the Romance Begin in Southern France Don’t blame Southern France; they just can’t help themselves with their lavender-filled shops, hilltop villages, old churches, and their seductively gorgeous coastline. Heck, even the Vatican transplanted to Provence in southern France during the …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Sometimes I think about what it would be like if I were a Queen, and not just any old Queen, but the Queen of France! How everything I could ever want would be at my beckoned call. How if I said it, it would just happen. Now fast forward to today, when I am …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> French Wine Regions: Champagne Region of France Did you know that there are 10 major French wine regions in France? For hundreds of years, France has lead the way for being the world’s greatest producer of wines. The ten main regions are Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Champagne, Côtes du Rhone, Languedoc, Loire Valley, Médoc, and …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>I had heard about the best Christmas markets in Europe (Christkindlmarket) for years but I wanted to find out for myself exactly what they were like. I had no idea what to expect. Now I know and I can share with you the best Christmas markets in Europe along the Rhine River. I took …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>The Champagne region of France is like no other wine region in the world. The nearest vineyards are only an hour from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) on the fast TGV train to Reims. Reims is a perfect justification for a tour of the Champagne Houses in Reims, but don’t forget to walk …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> French River Cruises – My Viking Journey This is my Viking journey. The Rhone River in Southern France has taken a long journey to get here. It started its prolonged journey as a glacier high up in the Swiss Alps before making its way down to the Chaîne des Alpilles, a small range of …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> Entering the old stone quarry, I had no idea what to expect. The guide from the luxury Viking River Cruise ship only said to bring a sweater, as it can get cold inside (and he wanted to surprise us!). Little did I know it would be one of the highlights of my southern …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>A typical objective when choosing a cruise is to get the best “bang for your buck” or to get the best value out of the cruise. I wrote earlier about “Nine Easy Reasons Why You Should Take a Viking Ocean Cruise” and ‘value and pricing” was, of course, the first thing mentioned. Most people …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” — Vincent Van Gogh I’ve Got The French Blues! I dream in color, vivid dreams of French Blue that swirl around in my head. Imagine an artist’s brush, dipping first in the dark tones of blue and then in the lighter ones and smearing them …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Gliding down the Rhone River, I couldn’t wait for my first stop in Southern France. A quick jaunt across the bridge and I had entered an ancient walled-city that at one time had been surrounded by a moat. The ‘Old Town’ area is filled with cobble-stoned streets, architectural treasures from the 13th century and …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> Take Journey through Champagne France I found that in only a quick jaunt from Paris, in the Champagne France region that borders Burgundy, there lies a tiny slice of heaven known as Essoyes. According to Jean Renoir, “There is no other place like it in the whole wide world. There I spent the …