from the French Riviera

February 9 and 10, 2024

So where did I leave off? Yes, we were still docked in Livorno but we did not do our excursion into Florence. Rain continued to be in the forecast but more importantly, I was not feeling well enough to subject myself to an 8-1/2 hour excursion off the ship. So we stayed onboard and spent the day relaxing, reading, napping; I took advantage of the steam room and spa pool - good for the sinuses.

Saturday morning the 10th we woke up in Villefranche-sur-mer, situated near Monte Carlo and Nice. And today’s weather was even worse. Heavy rain and wind most of the day. Many people opted out of their excursions, as did we. Those that did go told us of wind driven rain, sideways at times, and coming back to the ship very, very wet. Sounds like a good old-fashioned nor’easter. Disappointing, yes; however, that’s the chance you take traveling over here during the winter months. 

Ed actually took a brief excursion (along with Dennis, a man we had met one night at diner) - they rode the tender boat in to shore and back again. Took about 30 minutes - not sure if they stepped on land or not.

The good news was that the 11th and beyond forecast was looking very good so we continued to have a restful day. The rain cleared late afternoon and I was able to take walk out on the deck and catch a few pictures of Villefranche-sur-mer. Looks quite beautiful even with the clouds - must be an amazing place in the warmer months. I’ll leave you with some views from the ship during the late afternoon.

As always, the food on the ship is abundant. Dinner tonight had many options including a barbecue with entertainment on the pool deck (roof was closed), main dining room, world cafe, and the two specialty dining rooms. We opted for the main dining room, sat near a couple from Tennessee on one side and four ladies traveling together on the other side - they were from the New Hope area and had gotten onboard the ship in Athens - the previous cruise. They asked us about our flights home as they booked through Viking and heading home will have them flying from Barcelona to Madrid to Charlotte and finally Philadelphia. I’ve heard this story before which is why we’ve learned to either book your own flights OR pay a little extra to have a say in your flights plans.  Let’s face it - when Viking (or any cruise line) offers such cheap flights - there has to be a reason. They connect you however they can saving money along the way.

That’ all for now - I’ll check in again tomorrow.

Betsy