by Ron Largent | Dec 12, 2017 | Alaska, Alborg, Asian Travel, Bergen, Budapest. Hungary, Danube River, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Eastern Germany, European Travel, Germany, Holland America Cruise Lines, Hungary, Hungary food, Iceland, Iceland Hiking, Iceland Tours, Icelandair, Inter City Express (ICE), International Travel, Juneau, Latvia, Lausanne, Leipzig, Lenin Square, Matthias Church, Mercedes, Montreaux, Munich, Northern Europe Cruise, Norway, Organist, Poland, Russia, Russian Market, Salzburg, Sitka, Ski The Alps, South Sawyer Glacier, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, St Stephens Basilica, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Sweden, Switzerland, Tallin, The Alps, The Fjords, Tracy Arn Fjord, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized, Viking Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Vikings, Vikinh Alta Cruise Ship., Warnemunde, Warsaw, Wimbledon, Zurich
We had decided early on to do some “catch up” on our last day so started off by going to the old Train Station that Audy had remembered. Still there and still old…but a new section built on as well as a huge underground West End Mall…that runs back under the entire busy traffic corner. Then went across the street to the Libri Department store…found a good cap for me and some clothes for Audy…great prices.
Back to the hotel to pack and get ready to board the ship…and left the room about 4 PM to taxi to the boat dock about 1/4 mile away. The greeting from Viking starts at the curb when they get your luggage and take it directly to your room (we had it all labeled in advance)….and immediately felt at home and very comfortable. The folks at the front desk were perfect…check in took maybe 2 minutes.
These Viking River Cruise boats, which are also called shipped, and referred to as a ship by the staff…..are specially made long boats made in Germany…and made for this specific purpose…to transport people up and down and around the Rivers of Europe and the world. Initially designed for the European Rivers…they now are used worldwide, and have become very popular. Viking River Cruises was one of the first to do this…and they are the largest fleet now, and voted #1 by a number of Travel rating services. Clearly #1 at this stage for us.
The first night was introductory…dinner at 7, etc…an outstanding briefing on what was planned for Monday….just a great professional opening experience to start the Viking River Cruise.
Monday started with an early sit down or buffet breakfast in the restaurant, and they only have one big restaurant, but there are options for sit down or buffet, and very well laid out. At 8 we exited the ship and boarded the Mercedes Benz busses for the 4 hour Budapest Panorama Included Tour. . Very well done, and saw areas, such as the Hero’s Square, that we had not seen before…and ended up on Castle Hill at the Matthias Church. This in itself is almost worth the trip to Budapest, but the guide gave us a complete tour of the magnificent church, which sits on the top of the Buda hill overlooking Budapest and Hungary, for that matter. Photos, of which I have many, will attest to both the indoor and outside grandeur. I know this will sound like a record, but one of the most outstanding churches we have ever seen, or been in.
So, in Budapest, 2 magnificent churches, St Stephens Basilica and Matthias Church….the overwhelming Parliament Building right on the river, and the Castle Hill area and Gellert Hill overlooking the Danube River….which is the center of the entire area as it goes under the 9 massive bridges, including the historic and famous Chain Bridge.
The 4 hour bus tour ended up about 30 miles to the north, where we caught up with the Ship and re-boarded….lunch was ready…and off we went up the River…and the days activities on the Ship began. A full schedule from lectures to a Champaign welcome party to the Captains briefing …all very well done.
Our room is more spacious than and on the Cruise Ship….and each room has a full glass window-wall to view the river and the villages and cities that we pass. The beds are comfortable; the rooms are so quiet….the bathroom is plenty big, and the storage areas are great.
At this point, for us…this is the nicest set up we have had on the Cruises…can’t wait for the rest of today.
And, Viking Cruises will be added to my list of Cultural Events and Activities that I will be emphasizing…as this is among the very best way to fully appreciate the culture and history of Europe and the world for that matter….this will sell, as it has over the years, and I am happy to be part of “this world”.
After the trip I will start listing the upcoming Viking Cruise Ship trips, programs, tours, etc…and having been on 3 of them within the past year…can give first hand experience thoughts…so stay tune…all for now…Tuesday morning, Dec 12th……
by Ron Largent | Dec 10, 2017 | Budapest. Hungary, Eastern Europe, Eastern Germany, European Travel, Germany, Hungary, International Travel, Matthias Church, Munich, Northern Europe Cruise, Organist, Special Events Travel Deals, St Stephens Basilica, St. Petersburg, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized, Viking Cruises, Vikings, Zurich
Saturday..Day 3 began as a cloudy and cold day…we had the usual delightful breakfast in the Club Lounge….then decided to Ride the Yellow Hop On and Hop Off bus….to see more of the city. About the Hop On Hop Off….there are actually 3 or 4 companies that call themselves Hop On Hop Off….and basically all of them are the same and three of the four wear the Red Coats….so it is a bit tricky to get the correct bus. And, a couple of the lines have a covered top, which is critical in this cold weather. In any case, you can pick and choose the bus…and we chose one that did not have the cover…so we sat inside the bus. You don’t see as much, but much, much warmer.
The ride was fine and when we concluded we decided to take the small streetcar that runs along the River up to the Parliament Building. This is a must see building and is the one featured on may many of the ;publications. Magnificent building. We went down into the Visitor Center…sold out for Saturday and Sunday….and the best way to get a ticket is on the internet. Probably well worth it, and more after the Viking Tour on Monday.
Upon returning to the Hotel, we decided to go straight on to the Restaurant that had the small museum that Carrie had told us about. We got there and it was full…but did go downstairs into the museum…very interesting and well worth it. The restaurant was full of Viking Pre Trip folks, and the food looked like full meals, etc,,..and pretty expensive…so sent down to Costa Coffee again….and again, pretty much sold out…so went back to Perfetto, where we were the night before. It was also jammed, but the manager saw us and got us a seat…big lunch of salad, sspaghetti, and lasagna…mine was great.
We then returned to the hotel and on our way heard the demonstration and saw the police cars…later found out it was a political demonstration to cross the Chain Bridge…which is the main bridge…. a big crowd of people walking with flags, etc….woman’s voice over the loud speaker in English…but not much more.
Had a nap and at 5:45 PM went down to catch the bus at 6:15 for the night light bus tour….as we were going to take it up to the Matthias Church, for the concert……and it was gorgeous going up and seeing the lights…definitely recommended.
The Solti Concert Orchestra and Choir and Soloists was the best of the best, and the setting in Matthias Church is unmatched in the world. Definitely another MUST SEE. Absolutely supurb musicians, with the concert master actually leading the orchestra on the first 3 numbers, which was a first for me. For me, the 90 minute program was perfect, as the quality of the musicians and the singers and soloists were the best that one could find anywhere. The magnificent church is probably perfect acoustically…..as you could hear every instrument and voice as is right next to you. The full house audience….probably 90% of them followers or the orchestra or patrons….would not quit at the end, with 3 “curtain” calls. Just a “once in a lifetime experience” for me.
We went next door to the Hilton for a “potty break” before heading back to the hotel using the taxi…10 minutes back and a good nights sleep.
Some observations…
- Budapest is a huge city that literally features its old and functional and beautiful buildings, and to see them lit up at night is a MUST.
- The River has allowed massive development on both sides, and both sides have these gorgeous buildings. Thinking of other cities in Europe, I cannot think of another one with this setting, with these magnificent buildings, palace, and parliament buildings being so prominent. London is a 2nd at this stage.
- The city just goes and goes, and the bus tour is a necessity….as traffic is very heavy and the road lanes run in all directions.
- The attitude of the people is very friendly….there is evidence of policemen around…but a very, very safe feeling all of the time. A lot of English is spoken, so it is easy to get around……
- Today we are going to change plans and go to the Central Train station…then back to the hotel by about noon…get ready for the River Boat…and will leave the room about 4…that is the plan.
Should be another great day….
by Ron Largent | Dec 9, 2017 | Budapest. Hungary, Danube River, Eastern Europe, European Travel, Hungary, Hungary food, Travel, Uncategorized
We started off the day with a leisurely breakfast in the Club Lounge….and got out on the street about 11…..heading to the Square to find the Blacksmith….and it was cold and sunny and cloudy, but dry. On the way to the square were many little Christmas Shops….and other various shops, so very active and busy…leading up to the Eye Tower…which is kind of in the middle of the downtown area of Pest. Budapest is actually the combination of two old cities, Buda and Pest….split by the Danube River….with Pest the flatter area on what would be the east side of the River….and the location for many of the older buildings, the government seat, etc. St Stephens Basilica is on this side, along with many of the other historic buildings.
We found the Blacksmith…and then walked over to catch the Hop On Hop Off to go to the Central Market, which is the indoor market that has all kinds of fruits and vegetables on the lower level and then food restaurants on the 2nd level, of which there are probably 25 or 30 places to eat with chairs crammed in around them. We were there at lunch, so extremely busy. We managed to find a couple of interesting shops that had local handmade items….so did some minor shopping before we bought some Gouda chees and bread and had a filling lunch sitting on one of the inside benches, like the locals.
WE then caught the yellow hop on back to the hotel area…took a break….then about 5 it started raining and we had planned to take the night Hop On as it was the Lights Tour on the bus. we left the hotel in plenty of time for the 20 minute walk along the river to Dock 8….but the further we walked the harder it rained….and finally we got to a congested area of walkers and traffic and found out that we had to go down to a lower level to catch the bus….as we found that there is actually a lower level road right along the river that cannot be seen from the upper road where the hotel is. Well, raining hard, hard to see, and a lot of foot and car traffic…and after we kept asking, we found that we had to go to the lower level for dock 8. There was a huge line of people all with umbrellas in a long line that was actually blocking the sidewalk…and finally found, after Audy asked someone in Spanish, “what was this line?”….only to find if was a line for the boat restaurant. We then found that Dock 8 was back down the dock area a bit, so off we went at a run walk….and apparently as we approached the bus area…the bus left and we missed……we waited a few moments…then gave up and headed back to the hotel…still hard rain.
We decided to go on to the restaurant that we had planned to go to after the bus ride (that did not happen)…..and followed good directions to the restaurant, which was a 20 minute walk from the hotel…..where we stopped for a few moments while I took off my soaked T shoes for my other shoes…then off we went.
Found the restaurant and as we walked in were told it was “closed for a private Christmas party”. Well, makes sense, as it is a nice restaurant, so decided to come back on Saturday….
Walked back down to the corner and the Costa Coffee, which usually has good food….got off all of the wet coats,etc….and Audy went up to the counter only to find that almost all of the “food” was gone…..as it was late in the day.
Back on to the street and went about a block and saw a good looking Italian restaurant that was full…so went in and ordered a pizza and salad that was made right in front of you….a very fun looking place with a lot of young and old….and a great setting. The manager came up and greeted us…very nice place. We really had good food…..all great.
Well, just as we were finishing we noticed that some of the lights went out in the back of the restaurant and the long and short was that they lost power in the back of the restaurant…and could no longer cook food….and it kind of threw all into panic, which is understood.
We really enjoyed watching the “goings on”…and for about 30 minutes watched people come and go, and leave….and finally asked for our bill…and our waiter, who was a bit “rattled” to start with as Audy had both a bottle of water and a bottle of ginger…..asked me if card or cash…I said card, and off he went. After about 15 minutes, and talking with the very nice manager about what was going on….and our thinking that with the power off they could not process the credit card….we offered to pay in cash….although we found we did not have enough Hungarian Founts…..so then knew we had some Euros…etc….well, the waiter had never priced from the menu…so this became quite a humorous exercise, to say the least. Long and short…we ended up paying with the card, as all of their billing is on the internet…but a very fun and funny evening.
Back to the hotel in the rain…a good nights sleep and Day 3 is suppose to be rain, and snow, and clearing, and cold. We shall see….with Matthias Church orchestra concert tonight.
More to come.
by Ron Largent | Nov 21, 2017 | Alaska, Eastern Europe, European Travel, Russia, Russian Market, The Masters, Travel, Travel the World, Ultimate Sports Events., Uncategorized
Make This Christmas Last
A couple of years ago, Carlos gave his daughter Sabrina and her family a trip for Christmas. Other gifts given such as video games are no longer popular; clothes no longer in style; gadgets no longer cool. But trip photos are still on our phones and memories are still in our hearts and we’re still sharing laughs remembering the good time we had.
Add sports to the trip equation and it gets even better. A friendly family rivalry. Your wife is a Rafa fan; you’re a Roger fan. Your best buddy roots for Spieth; you’re still pulling for Tiger (by the way, did you watch the Hero World Challenge tournament this weekend – way to go Tiger PLUS did you see Rafa there cheering him on?).
Below is a list of trips to sporting events Ron Largent Travel, through our partnership group, is offering in 2018. We can customize any trip and if there is an event that isn’t on our calendar, no worries … we can make it work too!
This Christmas, share with the ones that your care for, and make your gift last!
GOLF
The Masters, Augusta GA: April 2 – 8
Open Championship, Carnoustie Golf Links, Scotland: July 16 – 22
Ryder Cup, Le Golf National, Paris France: September 25 – 30
Scotland or Ireland Golf: you pick the dates!
TENNIS
Australian Open, Melbourne Park, Melbourne Australia: January 15 – 28
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells CA: March 5 – 18 (head with us to Palm Springs and warm up after a cold winter!)
French Open, Stade Roland Garros, Paris France: May 27 – June 10
Wimbledon, All England Club, London England: July 3 – 16
US Open, Flushing Meadows, New York: August 27 – September 9
Laver Cup, Chicago IL: September 21 – 23
email me for further details on any of the above…… ron@ronlargenttravel.com
The holidays are right around the corner and RON LARGENT TRAVEL has everything you need for the sports fanatic on your list!
We’ve left no stone unturned in search of the Ultimate Gameday Experience and are now offering you the first chance to secure these limited, once-in-a-lifetime sports experiences!
EXPERIENCE YOUR ULTIMATE GAMEDAY
Super Bowl
Start game day off with a game of catch with NFL royalty before The Big Game! This exclusive experience will include pregame hospitality at Club PRIMESPORT, an opportunity to play catch with an NFL legend…all before watching The Big Game while SEATED BESIDE the NFL Legend!
The Ryder Cup
The best golf competition in the world heads to Paris in 2018 as the Ryder Cup teams square off on Le Golf National for international bragging rights! PRIMESPORT is your source for access to this once-in-a-lifetime event…and we’ll Level Up your experience with access to play Le Golf National a couple days after the tournament ends!
DAYTONA 500®
Experience the 60th Annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 18 like no other fan with a pre-race party at the PRIMESPORT VIP Midway Suite and a private meet & greet with 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Champion Kyle Busch!
The Ultimate New York Sports Experience
Travel to the Big Apple for the ultimate sports weekend! Your weekend will include private transportation to/from the airport, in addition to tickets and private transportation to each of these stellar matchups: Rangers vs. Kings (NHL) on Friday, Knicks vs. Thunder (NBA) on Saturday and Giants vs. Eagles (NFL) on Sunday!
Los Angeles Football Experience
Prepare for your ultimate football weekend with a pregame party and pregame field access, all before taking your seat to watch the Chargers vs. Raiders on Sunday, December 31 and the CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on Monday, January 1!
THESE CAN BE YOURS AT THIS HOLIDAY TIME….EMAIL FOR DETAILS, ETC….
ron@ronlargenttravel.com
Visit the amazing cities of Russia and witness the greatest soccer tournament in the world! The 2018 World Cup will take place in cities spanning the country of Russia. Top Destinations include St. Petersburg and Moscow. We have been providing exceptional World Cup travel packages, lodging accommodations and match day experience since 1994. All travel packages can be customized to suit your travel dates and budget. e-mail for details, prices, dates, accomodations, etc…. ron@ronlargenttravel.com
by Ron Largent | Nov 13, 2012 | Bella Russe, Eastern Europe, Eastern Germany, European Travel, Geneva, Germany, Leipzig, Lenin Square, Poland, Russia, Russian Market, Travel, Warsaw
We walked across the street to catch the Tram to go to the Russian Market, warned by the hotel folks to leave all valuables, etc at the hotel, which we did and off we went. One of the sights we saw for the first time was the way the men dress…..long parkas with the black pull down over the ears ski caps. Fortunately I had one, and wore it…and all of the men look alike. In addition, many of the people are dark complectioned, from the Armenian and Jewish heritage, etc. Anyway, the men look just like the pictures that you see of Poland and Lech Walesa leading a demonstration. Kind of scary, but just the way they dress, etc. Well, 15 minutes later we got to the Russian Market…got off the Tram and followed the crowd in the cold and snow covered ground. The Market is held at what they call the Olympic Stadium, which is a bowl like stadium used for European football. The entry is a 2 lane alley that leads up to about a 3 lane area where you would normally find the concessions, etc. Except that here, almost from the time you get off of the Tram, booths and stalls line the area, and there are vendors selling everything from shoes and boots to furs and glasswares, and everything in between. Reportedly a 100,000 people selling and no doubt another 100,000 shoppers, including the 2 of us. We walked around for about 90 minutes…Audy got the dolls and some other little items from the woman from BellaRusse…and then we headed back, as we were cold. What we just saw was the largest “Flea Market” in Europe, although they call it the largest “Open Air Market”….It has come into recent fame because it is filled with a lot of black-market stuff, from liquor to cigarettes to CD’s, of which there were probably 50 different tables all selling CD’s. The problem is that there is not way to control this, so no tax comes in, etc. The overall market is run by a Damis Company…and they pay the city to use the facility…and they are a very powerful company….but still many tax dollars are lost. In one area a vendor was selling guns, and masks, and ammunition….and we wonder why we have terrorists with guns. I could have bought any number with no questions asked…just pay in cash. Quite an experience, and one that I would encourage anyone that goes to Warsaw to see and shop. Just be careful. The word is is that the government is trying to close down the market at this sight and then relocate the Market. Our thoughts are that it will never happen…for the people of Warsaw love it. Well, we got back to the tram, and rode to where we were to get a bus to go to the Old Town…
by Ron Largent | Nov 13, 2012 | Bella Russe, Eastern Europe, Lenin Square, Poland, Russian Market, Travel, Uncategorized, Warsaw
We walked across the street to catch the Tram to go to the Russian Market, warned by the hotel folks to leave all valuables, etc at the hotel, which we did and off we went. One of the sights we saw for the first time was the way the men dress…..long parkas with the black pull down over the ears ski caps. Fortunately I had one, and wore it…and all of the men look alike. In addition, many of the people are dark complectioned, from the Armenian and Jewish heritage, etc. Anyway, the men look just like the pictures that you see of Poland and Lech Walesa leading a demonstration. Kind of scary, but just the way they dress, etc. Well, 15 minutes later we got to the Russian Market…got off the Tram and followed the crowd in the cold and snow covered ground. The Market is held at what they call the Olympic Stadium, which is a bowl like stadium used for European football. The entry is a 2 lane alley that leads up to about a 3 lane area where you would normally find the concessions, etc. Except that here, almost from the time you get off of the Tram, booths and stalls line the area, and there are vendors selling everything from shoes and boots to furs and glasswares, and everything in between. Reportedly a 100,000 people selling and no doubt another 100,000 shoppers, including the 2 of us. We walked around for about 90 minutes…Audy got the dolls and some other little items from the woman from BellaRusse…and then we headed back, as we were cold. What we just saw was the largest “Flea Market” in Europe, although they call it the largest “Open Air Market”….It has come into recent fame because it is filled with a lot of black-market stuff, from liquor to cigarettes to CD’s, of which there were probably 50 different tables all selling CD’s. The problem is that there is not way to control this, so no tax comes in, etc. The overall market is run by a Damis Company…and they pay the city to use the facility…and they are a very powerful company….but still many tax dollars are lost. In one area a vendor was selling guns, and masks, and ammunition….and we wonder why we have terrorists with guns. I could have bought any number with no questions asked…just pay in cash. Quite an experience, and one that I would encourage anyone that goes to Warsaw to see and shop. Just be careful. The word is is that the government is trying to close down the market at this sight and then relocate the Market. Our thoughts are that it will never happen…for the people of Warsaw love it. Well, we got back to the tram, and rode to where we were to get a bus to go to the Old Town…
