Live from Viking Skirnir

Internet has been pretty choppy (at best), so hopefully This works!

We used Viking Air San Antonio-Atlanta-Paris-Nuremberg. Flights were good times and layovers perfect (long enough to transfer but short enough to not get bored or tired). Flights were easy and smooth! Interesting to see how differently the Paris airport works (no terminals to wait in, but one large area for everyone). Had to go through security again (and toss all the water we sticked up on--woops).

Discovered belatedly that pretty much no one takes Discover over here...good thing we brought an AmEx, as well!

Nuremberg was beautiful--did the pre-stay there and SO GLAD! We needed some recovery time that first day--so zonked out and tired! Could have spent a week there--just so much to see and do and the history is amazing. The Meridien was very comfortable and charming and also very close to everything. Was kind of sad to leave the city when it was time to go. I got a little attached. :)

On to the boat Monday and our cabin is nice. Aquarium class/steerage. ;) Not as comfy as the Meridien, but light, airy, and LOTS of storage nooks and crannies. Our crew is super nice and friendly and already remembering preferences. Food is good but not amazing overall.

First morning of sailing we left while we were all sleeping from our (out of the way and pretty shady looking haha) original port about 1/2 hour from N. Woke up crazy early to the sounds of sloshing water and buzzers from the locks and opened the window to see a stone slab sliding past my window--a little startling!

More later...

Good luck with Amex. We've had that declined several times today already. Only MasterCard or Visa are widely accepted in Europe. Chip and Signature has been no problem, but we couldn't get a French toll booth to take any of our cards and that may be a Chip and PIN problem (hard to tell with no English option on the prompts).

Good luck with Amex. We've had that declined several times today already. Only MasterCard or Visa are widely accepted in Europe. Chip and Signature has been no problem, but we couldn't get a French toll booth to take any of our cards and that may be a Chip and PIN problem (hard to tell with no English option on the prompts).

I speak and read French fluently and I had a TERRIBLE time with those French toll booths last fall! One time our card (the one they issue when you get to the toll booth on entering the highway) was defective (after about a fifteen minute drive) and the woman who came on the loudspeaker was SCREAMING at us! Good luck.

One thing I've noticed is how secluded we are compared to what I expected. Our docks were all been off the beaten path at first and we've been the lone ship. River mostly to ourselves when sailing.

Regensberg on Tuesday and finally on the actual Danube (I guess Nuremberg was off a canal?). We started at a port out of town while the reg. walking tour got bussed one direction into town and the optional (extra) excursion people gor bussed another direction to Weltenberg Abbey. Good tour, a short free time, then back to the shop for lunch as we sailed to dock in the city center. Finally saw two other cruise ships there and other tour groups. Still not crowded.

We were supposed to be in Regensburg for the rest of the day, but got the news on our way back that the water levels had suddenly dropped again and we needed to make an early exit to Passau to make it across in time. Obviously some people were upset! We got an hour in the city before needing to be back on board to cast-off (JUST enough time to find and purchase a Glockenspiel!).

Our cruise directer Merrick has been awesome and handled the change very well. They had to re-stock the ship in record time, hours earlier than planned, get several groups together ahead of schedule, and even pick up our entertainment (a very talented singing group!) and an afternoon tour group up at an extra dock several hours/kilometers down river.

I'm sad we didn't get more time in Regensberg, BUT am happy they are making the effort to get us past the low water so we don't have to switch ships or bus and can continue as planned in Passau. And we did end up having a gorgeous, scenic day-time sail to sit and read a book with. :)

Got a pleasant few moments to sit and chat with Merrick this evening and learn about some details. Some impressive, some scary...like how worried he looked when we talked about the lowest water area!

As I mentioned, we are Aquarium Class. So now I am laying awake as we pass the low water areas, listening to the LOUD scary noises of the boat going through...things... Kind of sounds like heavy a downpour coming from beneath, and my husband thinks it's us moving through reeds. Not as bad as the big BANG-CRUNCH-silence that really woke me up....but we are still moving, so I guess it's all good...

Good luck with Amex. We've had that declined several times today already. Only MasterCard or Visa are widely accepted in Europe. Chip and Signature has been no problem, but we couldn't get a French toll booth to take any of our cards and that may be a Chip and PIN problem (hard to tell with no English option on the prompts).

No problem with AmEx so far! We've just used it for cash at the ATMs though to prevent issues and make things easy, after the Discover issue. We don't like using the bank card on vacations but have it just in case (Visa). Chips in all of them. It's just that our Discover card has no international transaction fees (no I know why, haha).

We just went through the Paris airport and not France itself (on the Romantic Danube tour). I can do some German but have NO idea on French, so thank gosh! The few things we had trouble understanding at the airport, we managed to get help with from an English speaker.

Oh, and amazingly enough, we DID find what seems to be the one place in all of Germany that takes Discover...the Cookoo Clock shop in Regensberg!

Made it to Passau...JUST! Last ship to get through I hear. Beautiful, amazing city. Started off with a terrible tour guide --she really wanted to make our tour leisurly, and we were all frustrated when the actual "easy" group caught up and surpassed us! Hubby and I jest left and kind of attached ourselves to another tour we came across later, which was much much better.

Saw the sights, did some shopping, and even bought anothe cookoo clock (I think I called it a glockenspiel in an earlier post--forgive my tired brain)--a small one for my father in law for Xmas.

Note: If you want a nice cookoo on this trip, do NOT buy in Regensberg. Wait for Passau! The shop we found was so much nicer, prettier workmanship, and better prices! I was sad we had already bought our when we found this one. :(

The organ concert was really blah (I don't think anyone liked it). The musician semed like an even more emo, less talented version of the Phantom--just banging on those low notes. It really just sounded like horror movie "noise" most of the time.

St Stephen's was breathtaking, though!! I really fell in love with Passau--so charming and beautiful and friendly. Would live to go back.

Oompah band that evening, with a "Taste of Bavaria" buffet spread around the ship. Yum!