OK, after my blood pressure scare and tests were normal I started thinking...

[CTyankee]

about my morality...you know how that goes ("Oh, my, I won't be around too much longer...&quot so I did what any normal person would do...

I signed up for trip to the South of France, cruising down the Rhone! Expensive as hell, but hey I'm feeling my mortality, OK? Cut me a little slack here...

In case you are wondering what the trip is, here http://www.vantagetravel.com/Trip/1806/French-Waterways--Highlights-of-Burgundy-Beaujolais-and-Provence

And if you think this is a trip for old people, you are right! I'm old! And, hell, I didn't do the backpack around Europe thing when I was young either...so there...

[valerief]

1. Looks fabulous! Enjoy yourself. nt

[CTyankee]

3. Thanks, I intend to...one of my kids got a little miffed but we don't call her Miss Huffy for

nothing...she wanted to know when my next dr.'s appt was...like I was neglecting my health to run off to France...except the trip is in the first half of November and my dr.'s appt is Monday...

[valerief]

8. And France has great healthcare service, should you need it.

It's not like you'll be touring a U.S. Red State with closed hospitals due to no Medicaid expansion.

[CTyankee]

13. Oh, no worries there...this will be my 12th trip to Western European countries (my 3rd to

France but never to the South of France). I never fret about it...

[elleng]

22. HA!

[CTyankee]

23. exactly!

[elleng]

25. REALLY!

MAY drive to NJ to see 'that' daughter, after cataract surgery (whenever I feel like it.) They had suggested we all go to Ireland together (with their kid, who is now 6 months old) but they may disinvite me! So I may invite 'other' daughter to do Ireland (which they've visited several times) with THEIR kid. We went to with my folks years ago.

[CTyankee]

31. uh oh. sorry to hear about all the uproar...

despite my miss huffy all is quiet on the family front with me...for which I am thankful.

At the end of the day, tho, you must do what you need to do. Hope you go with your dtr and her baby...it sounds like a fun trip...

[elleng]

40. I do hope one (or 2) such trips are in my future!

Wouldn't be for more than a year anyway, so they could go out partying while I'm watching babes at night!

Things relatively quiet at the moment.

[fizzgig]

2. good for you!

you know we are going to be expecting pictures, right?

[CTyankee]

4. after all my troubles with my stupid cell phone camera on my last trip I'm perplexed...

get a smart phone and learn how to use it or say screw it...I dunno what to do...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. Get a REAL camera. If you don't know your options, talk to the folks in the Photo Group.

Here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1036

We're used to people coming in to ask about choices for good cameras. A trip like this one deserves something good that you can handle. And you have time to buy one, and learn to use it!

[CTyankee]

20. thanks. I do know that I have to use a smart phone. The only question is which one...

If I do this I'll get an iPhone and get onto my daughter's plan. She pretty much told me I could get one (not the latest of course) for free and she's willing to make that arrangement for me. Maybe if I had a class in iPhones for Dummies I could manage it.

[pinboy3niner]

5. Go for it!

I really envy you doing these excursions. I'm old too, and frankly I'm not sure I'm up to it. At least not without taking something a lot stronger for my back, plus some super inhalers! But at least we wimps have your reports and photos to look forward to.

[CTyankee]

9. well, there is wine on board and wine over there doesn't contain sulfites...which can be good

or bad depending on how much you might drink knowing you won't feel all cotton headed...

[pinboy3niner]

16. In that case, count me in, lol!

I've mentioned before how much I enjoyed the wine made by the monks at Orvieto. But even the ordinary table wines served by hole-in-the wall cafes in Italy were very good.

Mealtimes there tend to be very enjoyable!

[CTyankee]

17. You would faint if you knew how much I am spending...I don't know why I'm not fainting myself.

but as my buddy said to me "what are you going to spend it on?" And he was right.

Some wise person once said that as we get older we tend to spend what money we can on experiences, rather than clothes or new cars. How true. I have an old but reliable car and a basic wardrobe that will impress no one. I do spend on good food but not so much in restaurants. So this is my splurge, I guess...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Good for you, my dear CTyankee!

I've been on river cruises, and they are wonderful! Unpack once, and then watch the water glide by. Stop in the towns along the way, and return to your little ship for the next destination. Very relaxing and lots of fun!

Yes, we do expect lots of pictures! I always take my laptop and upload my pics every night. It helps to remember where I was that day, and then the camera is ready and empty for whatever comes next.

And you can't take that money with you, so it's better to enjoy it now.

[CTyankee]

11. where did you go? Did you ever use Vantage?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. We've been all over Europe. Never used Vantage.

We go with a university-linked travel service. They send a professor or two along to lecture to us about what we see. It's great.

I looked at your link and it looks reasonable. 10 days is a good length for a trip.

[CTyankee]

14. I've done that with an art museum. To Portugal, where I'll never go again because the food

was unbearably salty.

[CTyankee]

18. how much was the tipping of staff?

Not complaining...these people work very hard and deserve it...but I just need to budget that in...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. The tips were included in the tour's costs, so we didn't pay them directly.

I really appreciated that little feature.

[Fridays Child]

7. Oh!

I want to take that trip. Damn work schedule. Damn no money. Damn.

I hope the sights take your breath away (metaphorically speaking, of course.)

[CTyankee]

15. well, I had to dip further into my resources than I ever did with my other trips...

but this accords some amount of luxury that I don't usually have. And it's moderately paced enough that I won't get overtired as I always do on my other trips.

[elleng]

21. GREAT idea, yank!

My only reason for not doing similar things these days/years is I've finally got grandbabies, one of whom lives very near me, so I'm hanging at THIS river!



MARSEILLE! et

Sur la pont d'Avignon!!!

[CTyankee]

24. but you got to travel in the past, and I never could do that ...so I am catchin up now!

[elleng]

26. Yes, I did, and you are very fortunate.

You DID do some travels, as I recall, NOT as if you were a complete newbie!

[CTyankee]

28. No, but I am a newbie when it comes to ship travel...but I'm a happy newbie!

[elleng]

39. Well, I did sail home from England,

my jr. year of college, but no river cruises! Sounds wonderful!

[CTyankee]

44. I'm beginning to rethink my view of sailing to and from Europe...

I used to think that it was wasted time (my mother influenced my thinking on that early on). Given my jet lag problems on the way home I might seriously consider it in the near future. It gives you time to re-set your body's clock more gradually and it seems like a leisurely way to travel...like in the old days before air travel.

Do you remember the name of the ship's company (eg Cunard)...

[elleng]

49. Statendam!

Was a long time ago, and I think my rationale was to extend my grand excursion; didn't want to leave the olde sod!

SO FUNNY, I was essentially cashless by that time, so I worried about appearing 'improper,' 'bad,' whatever, that I wouldn't be able to tip wait-staff! We all survived!

And upon return home I still had some recovering to do. May have been culture shock, but I do recall bad dreams, fell asleep on my folks bed one afternoon. 'Customs' had asked me a question in NYC, 'have you ever been to Cuba,' and I probably hesitated in responding, hadn't slept the night before due to hanging with friends, so I didn't answer quickly. I hadn't been to Cuba, my folks had, so anxiety took over for a while!

[awoke_in_2003]

27. Have fun...

I want to take the wife on a river cruise, too.

[CTyankee]

29. Why don't you check out this trip, if it is where you want to go...it certainly has a lot to offer!

[awoke_in_2003]

30. I plan on it in a few years...

once the house is paid off and I can save a bit of money. I want to do Italy eventually, too.

on edit: Will you spend anytime in Paris? If so, I have a good idea about one place that will be on your schedule.

[CTyankee]

32. sadly, I won't be in Paris long enough to do much at all except get to Dijon where my

voyage begins.

I had a fabulous trip to Paris in 2011. I need to go back...someday...

[awoke_in_2003]

33. I would love to go to the Louvre...

which reminds me, I need to take my wife to the Kimball. I haven't been there in years, and the wife has never been. I think the Impressionists exhibit will be there this year.

[CTyankee]

34. Ah, the Kimball is a fabulous museum! Fort Worth is wonderful!

Oh, but do go to Paris...what a city, nothing like it in the whole world. You and she will love it. If you can, walk from the Musee d'Orsay to the Louvre and get a feel for the city life. I even stopped for lunch at a little cafe on the way. It was a lovely spring day and I was feeling wonderful...what is not to love, being in Paris!

[awoke_in_2003]

35. that sounds great

When the time comes, I will start a post to get suggestions

[CTyankee]

37. well, go and be happy, whatever. Paris will linger in your mind forever...

[awoke_in_2003]

38. did I say something wrong?

I was just saying that I will ask for suggestions on what to do there, and your input will be appreciated. It is just going to be a few years before I can pull it off.

[CTyankee]

42. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say anything against you...my bad...

as for the Louvre, it is so big you are going to need a strategy for your visits there. This is what I do: I just get a book on the large museum I am visiting and develop a list of everything I want to see. With limited time you have to have a plan. I'm sure there are apps for your phone that can guide you, too! I have done that with the Uffizi and with the National Gallery in London and it worked fine.

I am not any kind of expert on Paris and there your apps and books can help and others here on DU. I can help you with Florence, however, and in fact did with another DUer who wanted to know where the art was there (besides the popular stuff like the David, etc) and that I can do. But Paris, no. In fact, I'd like more of an insider's look myself!

[awoke_in_2003]

51. Oh, okay...

I read the "whatever" and I thought that maybe you thought I was dismissing what you said. I would never do that. It is so hard to read tone on the internet

[CTyankee]

52. thank you! I'm relieved that we're on the same wavelength!

note to self: be careful with "whatever"!!!

[awoke_in_2003]

53. Teenagers ruined that word...

with their dismissive use of it. Damn kids

[CTyankee]

54. Yeah, it's ruined for a generation...damn kids...

[mackerel]

36. Fantastic!

[mainer]

41. Only a limited # of years on this earth. Enjoy every minute!

Realistically, I have only about twenty years left before I'm too old to travel. I say, do it NOW.

[cbayer]

43. This looks absolutely wonderful.

And if they are including airfare, I think it's a bargain.

River cruises in these small ships are a great way to go.

I hope you have the time of your life, CTyankee!

[CTyankee]

45. Thanks, cbayer! Are you home now?

[cbayer]

46. Home is wherever I am at this point in my life!

We are still in Italy and will be here until the end of September.

It's absolutely idyllic. We take day trips 3 or 4 times a week and just hang around the farmhouse on the other days. We have fruit trees of all kinds and a view that can not be matched.

I am so glad you are spending your money on experiences and not things. As you have said previously, at this point in our lives we should do that as much as possible.

[CTyankee]

47. Lovely! Enjoy the rest of your stay...

back atcha!

[magical thyme]

48. that looks wonderful! good for you!!!!

I'm hoping someday to do Iceland. I'm thinking once I sell my minifarm I'll free up some moeny and be able to. I'll have the pony boarded out temporarily while I'm moving and setting up the new home, which will give me a chance to get away.

That's a ways off though, so hopefully it will still be do-able when someday arrives. I also need to think about shorter trips...I can sail over to Nova Scotia from where I am now in a matter of hours. And I have plenty of day trips around here. Hard to believe I've lived in Maine for 11 years and have yet to take the 3 hour drive to Acadia

[CTyankee]

50. I think it takes a while to warm up to the idea of travel. I have a bucket list that

I am going through, before I get so damn old I can't travel anymore. That blood pressure incident got me to thinking about what to do with the resources I had and could use. It's been a wonderful experience so far.

[Crewleader]

55. Good for you CTyankee

I would love to visit there one day and the rest of the Mediterranean. YOU have a wonderful time!