There were so many special moments.

We were a larger group, and staff and other travelers called us The Wild Ten. The night we played a music trivia game we could only have eight players, so we became The Crazy Eight. And we came in second.

There was only one table for 10 in the dining room, and Viking wouldn’t let us reserve it, so the Maître’ d suggested one of our party go just as the dining room doors were open to snag it. Well, Mike didn’t get there in time one night, so we all arrived and were looking for other arrangements until our waiter saw what happened and asked the couple if they’d mind moving. So, The Wild Ten stayed united. Thank you Viking!

We had a celebratory night, with a birthday cake for Liz, and anniversary cakes for Steve and me and Mike and Anita. Our Viking staff did a great job with that.

And one night we noticed another guest kind of staring at the group. We were pretty noisy. Anita’s first reaction is always to give them Junior Birdman, which led to hilarity when Steve tried to do it.

And of course, there was a German night, where our waiter, at John’s behest, left a rack of Kolsch beer on the table. Somehow, it disappeared.

I loved that Viking has an herb garden on the upper deck, next to the shuffleboard court and putting green.

How often does one get to see a life size Cuckoo Clock?

Our “Line Leader” Charles, the toy store with Liz, lunch at Bistrot de la Presse, herons flying near the ship, the Alsace Cremant tasting, Music Trivia and the Those Dam Boat Guys canal tour were all special moments.

But I have some people to thank. Sam, our amazing Cruise Director. His sister-in-law was expecting and for the last few days we were all on baby watch. Uncle Sam finally had a nephew, but we never found out the name! If you read this, Sam, please let us know.

Our fabulous bartenders Vic, Yabor and Cherie; Geary, Jo Marvelous, Paul and Ionut our great waiters and the staff of BOTH ships, the Einar and Sigrun, Captain McDreamy aka Captain Steven and all the others whose names I can’t remember I want to thank you. You took such good care of us with humor and kindness. Well, maybe Vic wasn’t kind all of the time but he was certainly hilarious and we loved him. They knew our names, our drinks, and kept us laughing.

If any of you who are reading this are reconsidering the trip because of water levels DON’T! I know the rivers are in better shape now, but Luxembourg, Brussels and Antwerp are well worth it and NOT a big deal! The staff make everything worth it; you’ll have a great time. Thank you Viking! #myvikingjourney

And the last pick is of Logan Airport in Boston. Always nice to be home…

Deborah