Nothing is going to stop us now!

Today we received our first official documents from Viking for our luggage. All the planning is done and now we are on final count down till we leave.

My mom has been talking about going on a Viking River cruise since before she retired back in 2020, but global events postponed that for awhile. We felt somewhat comfortable booking in October 2021 for September 2022 and we kept telling each other the trend will get better by the time we leave.

On Facebook you can join groups about anything, so we joined ones about the cruise and monitor the happenings of the current groups of people. At the beginning of the year, Viking was still daily testing on board. We would read about people testing positive, pulled from the ship, put up in a hotel somewhere in Europe till they tested negative, and then sent home, missing the trip that had been delayed and dreamed about for years.

Depending on how many posts there were in a day of people testing positive and needing to leave early, we would keep reminding/reassuring each other that things would be different by the time we went. And sure enough, Viking stopped daily testing, so that concern was relieved. Of course, new issues are coming up. Air travel is kinda a mess right now, so we are hoping the best for that.

Now we have a new “hiccup” for our trip. In this world of climate change, there is not enough rain not only here in California but all over the world, including the Rhine. The river water levels are so low right now that the river boats can’t cruise. There have been postings of bussing between locations, canceling of excursions, changing ships, and a few hotel stays along the river. Again, checking in with each other because it is getting to the point of no turning back, I ask my mom what she wants to do. Knowing the answer already, because she is game for anything and is good with “rolling with the punches”, we are still going no matter what.

This trip might not be what we originally imagined, but it will be an adventure and a memory for sure. I am looking forward to our time in Paris, where we will be in one spot.

33 days to go!