The Ship’s Public Areas

With a few hours til we arrive at our next port in Tahiti, we thought we’d share some highlights of the public areas of the Viking Sun, our home-away-from-home for the next four months. All Viking ocean ships are built in Italy and utilize exactly the same footprint. With a maximum of 930 passengers and a total weight of 48,000 tons, Viking ocean ships are considered small cruising ships. The maiden voyage for the Sun was in 2017, and vigilant maintenance and a passenger to crew ratio of 1.69:1 keep her “ship shape.”

There are 9 decks on-board, so we’ll start at the top with the Sports Deck. The Sports Deck offers panoramic views in all directions from the bridge, and it’s the ideal spot for those preferring an outdoor fitness experience. There’s a walking track; lots of games such as bocce ball, shuffleboard, and ping pong; and a putting green. People enjoy practicing yoga up there, and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to just chill in/on the sun.

Games, views, and cozy meeting spaces on the Sports Deck

Further down, there’s a retractable roof that opens to the main pool, pool bar, and pool grill below. During inclement weather or unrelenting sun, the roof can be fully or partially closed to allow full use of the pool deck most of the time. We enjoy a casual lunch at the pool grill, which features a selection of cold salads as well as grill items such as burgers, fries, and foot-long Norwegian hot dogs topped with shrimp salad and caviar!

Retractable roof mechanism, pool restaurant, pool grill

The two-story Explorer’s Lounge is one of our favorite places to watch the sunrise/sunset, enjoy casual entertainment and cocktails, or just relax. It has a galaxy theme throughout, and houses Mamsen’s, which offers early risers coffee, breakfast, lunch, and even a midnight snack. Mamsen’s pastries are an indulgence we allow ourselves only occasionally, our favorite being the success cake!

Explorer’s Lounge Entrance, open staircase to upper level, irresistible pastries served by the always-cheerful Arun

The Wintergarden provides passage between several areas of the ship, and offers daily afternoon tea as well as another restful place to relax with beautiful artwork and comfortable seating.

The on-board shops offer fashions, jewelry, specialty items, souvenirs, and toiletries, and the Liv Nordic Spa and Fitness Center is a haven for fitness and relaxation products and services…so much a part of the Viking experience that it will have its own post later in the cruise.

The first deck living room is the central hub of activity! Entertainment is offered throughout the day, and a bank of computers is available for guests to avail themselves of the free Wi-fi which works most of the time. There’s a lending library with a curated selection of books as well as an exchange option that allows guests to pick one and leave one. The bar offers a wide selection of beverages, specialty coffees, and snacks throughout the day and well into the evening. The grand staircase is a central meeting place, and rotating artwork is projected at the top of the stairs.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of the more public areas of the Viking Sun. We promise to cover the restaurants and bars as well as the spa, entertainment, and our cabin in greater detail in future posts. But for now we’re heading to the Explorer’s Lounge for some music and a snack!

Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands

After 7 beautiful days at sea, we were excited to spot land, and our first stop on our Viking World Wonders journey did not disappoint!

The Marquesas are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, a collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. Only 6 of the 12 islands are inhabited, and we arrived in Taiohae, the capital city of Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas, early on a Sunday morning. The Viking Sun anchored in the Taiohae Bay and passengers made the brief trip to shore using the ship’s lifeboats. We were warmly greeted by the local residents with songs, dance, and drums.

Taiohae residents in native costumes welcomed us to their beautiful island of Nuku Hiva

These remote, exotic islands have inspired artists and writers for ages. Paul Gauguin captured the beauty of their their people on canvas; Jack London and Herman Melville described them in prose; and Jacques Brel retreated to the Marquesas to compose music.

A short walk from the pier brought us to the Cathedral of Notre Dame Des Marqueses. The entrance to the cathedral is flanked by statues of Saints Peter and Paul carved from rosewood, and the exterior walls are made of stones which were donated by people from each of the six inhabited Marquesas. The cathedral’s pulpit was carved from a single tamanu tree, and the decor is reflective of the island’s culture. We were lucky to be able to view the manger as this is the last day of their Christmas holidays.

The stonework exterior; hand carved pulpit; and manger

A short walk from the cathedral is the beautiful beach where children were riding bikes, horses, and scooters all around the town, enjoying the last day of Christmas break before they return to school.

The Taiohae Beach; kids collecting almonds; Doug greeting one of their horses

As we made our way through the sleepy town on foot, we came across numerous enchanting sculptures; a few cemeteries and shrines; and people simply enjoying the beauty of their island. We also dodged several brief downpours that came up suddenly and ended just as quickly. Next stop we’ll have to remember our umbrellas!

Doug with sculpture; Paahatea Ccemetery; shrine

By the end of our visit, we felt very fortunate to have spent our first day on land in such a quiet, peaceful, unspoiled place. The pace was slow; the warm hospitality was everywhere; and we truly enjoyed this beautiful day in this lovely polynesian village.

From Pollywogs to Shellbacks

Today we crossed the Equator. To mark the occasion, we participated in the Viking Equator Crossing Ceremony (Denise directly and Doug behind the camera.)

Throughout the ages, cultures have celebrated these line crossing rituals in different ways. Generally speaking, those who have already crossed the Equator are referred to as shellbacks, and those who haven’t are pollywogs. During these rites of passage, the pollywogs are put through their paces in order to be initiated into the ancient mysteries of the deep. Most ceremonies involve some level of embarrassment, and all pay homage to the gods of the seas.

The Viking ceremony honors Aegir, Norse God of the Seas. For our ceremony, all of the pollywogs lined up and waited their turn to appear before Aegir’s court, where their transgressions were announced before the crowd that decided their fate. Denise waited patiently in line with her friend Vonda, and when it was her turn, she was found guilty of having a birthday today. When that was announced, everyone on deck burst into a rowdy rendition of Happy Birthday!

Denise and Vonda waiting for their trial; Denise enjoying her “Happy Birthday” song

After that, her “sentence” was to kiss the dead fish and jump into the pool.

Denise kissing the dead fish and jumping into the pool

Once out of the pool, it was time to drink shots of Aquivit and claim their status as shellbacks! It was great fun and a beautiful day for crossing the line.

Official certificate for crossing the Equator

Water, Water Everywhere…

Today is the fourth of seven consecutive sea days on our Viking World Wonders Cruise. It’s our longest stretch of days at sea in our entire itinerary, and we haven’t seen a glimpse of land since heading south and west out of Los Angeles, heading for Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia. Every day brings us warmer temperatures and fewer waves, a welcome respite from the snow we left back home.

For millennia, the seas were a source of great mystery, with legend after legend revealing stories of heroes, gods, dragons, monsters, and fantastical tales from the deep. Water is also important as the universal solvent, and is revered by healers for its incredible curative powers. Today, although we know much more from scientific research, the oceans still provide us with an enormous source of energy and peace, excitement and majesty. Every window on-board rewards us with ever-changing, phenomenal water views, and we’ve been experiencing the best of the waters available to us on the Viking Sun.

There are several different pools and water venues on the Sun. The indoor Spa Pool, with its invigorating waves and warm temperatures is a welcome reward after a vigorous work-out in the adjacent gym. The Main Pool, with its retractable glass roof, is a great place to do laps, relax by the Pool Bar, or enjoy some refreshments while walking above. Our favorite is the Infinity Pool and Hot Tub at the very aft of the ship. We had the whole pool to ourselves this morning, and it’s a wonderful, peaceful place to watch the waves go by.

Indoor Spa Pool, Main Pool at night, Infinity Pool

And the views of the Pacific Ocean are breathtaking morning, noon and night. We’re occasionally greeted by a random seagull, although we haven’t seen much in the way of oceanic wildlife thus far.

We’re also mindful of the importance of staying hydrated, and we’re grateful to the incredible Sun wait staff for always keeping our cabin well stocked with chilled sparkling and still water, and for making my favorite “cure” for a scratchy throat: a steaming mug of tea with lots of lemon and a shot of Maker’s Mark.

Our carafes of sparkling and still, and my hot toddy

So whether we’re IN the water, ON the water, or DRINKING the water, we’re happily adjusting to life at sea, and to the great gift of an abundance of water!

Dinner at the Chef’sTable

One of the many wonderful things about the Viking Sun is the food! There are numerous dining options throughout the day and evening, starting with the Early Risers breakfast in The Viking Living Room and ending with Midnight Snacks at Mamsen’s, as well as 24 hour Room Service. But my favorite of all is the Chef’s Table, one of two specialty restaurants that are available by reservation. Unlike most cruise lines, which up-charge for the specialty dining options, Viking includes these options for all guests. Last night we enjoyed a “Gastronomic Journey through Time,” during which we explored culinary history with this five-course menu highlighting the development of Western European cuisine from the Roman Empire to today. Each course was paired with a premium wine which perfectly complemented the food. As always, the Chef’s Table did not disappoint!

We started our journey through time in the Roman Empire with an amuse bouche consisting of a romaine and cucumber, goat cheese mousse. We learned that ancient Roman meals regularly included vegetables such as lettuces, cabbage, leeks, and cucumbers as well as herbs and spices. Wheat porridges and homemade goat and sheep cheeses were also common, and these were reflected in this antiquity-inspired hors d’oeuvre. This was paired with an Altano Branco white wine from the Duoro Valley, Portugal.

Our first course fortified us with a hearty Gallic oxtail cosomme with julienned vegetables. Early Gauls relied heavily on domestic animals like cattle, pigs, and lamb as mainstays for their livelihood as well as cuisine. A soup of oxtails, which was slow cooked in a cauldron over an open fire, was the inspiration for this hearty consomme. It was paired with a Trivento Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina.

To cleanse our palate, we enjoyed an ode to the Middle Ages with a granita of mixed berries, mint, and vodka. Western Europe had little native fruit, although imports from Asia and the Middle East added variety. For the wealthy, fruit was served in pies or preserved in honey; while the poor made do with whatever fresh fruit they could find. Wild forest berries would have been a welcome fruit. This granita provided a refreshing interlude before the main course.

Medieval “Black & Blue” granita of mixed berries, mint, and vodka

The main course was a Renaissance-style feast of lamb filet with sweet potato mash, glazed carrot medley, and quintessential jus. This was paired with a Maison Castel, Cotes du Rhone Syrah, Grenache Noir from the Rhone Valley, France. The Renaissance brought enlightenment, even to the kitchen, with a rise in the number of cookbooks and an emphasis on the real taste of food unencumbered by heavy spicing. Renaissance food was as sophisticated as the era itself, with dishes designed to delight both the palate and the eye.

Renaissance-style lamb filet with sweet potato mash, glazed carrots, and quintessential jus

For dessert we indulged in a 21st century pecan and walnut brownie with a chocolate mirror glaze, pistachio ice cream, and mascarpone whip. This was paired with Graham’s Six Grapes Ruby Port from the Duoro Valley, Portugal. The classic brownie was developed in the United States, and popularized across North America in the first half of the 20th century. It still endures as a “top 10” favorite.

21st Century nut brownie with chocolate mirror glaze, pistachio ice cream, and mascarpone whip

After dinner we took a leisurely stroll around the promenade deck, and promised to do a more extensive workout tomorrow, but only after making reservations at the Chef’s Table for my birthday dinner in a few days!

Sail Away!

Our check-in process on the Viking Sun couldn’t have gone more smoothly, and soon we found ourselves poolside for the Sail Away celebration. There was champagne, music, dancing, and a warm welcome from the captain and crew.

We even had a surprise welcome from Viking owner Karen Hagen, who is as lovely and gracious in person as she is in the Viking commercials. She promised to re-join us in Hong Kong in a couple of months.

We made our way around the ship to the top deck, where we were rewarded by a beautiful panoramic view of LA, and we stopped to feel grateful for the opportunity to take this world cruise.

Thanks for sailing away with us! And please check back periodically as we hope to share highlights of our journey with you.

Fond Farewells

After many months of planning and organizing, we think we’re just about ready for our World Wonders cruise on the Viking Sun. But before we set sail, we were lucky to be able to spend time with some of our family and friends. In the interest of time and space, we can’t mention them all, but we thought we’d share a few photos of some of these farewells.

Before leaving our home, our grandkids and their pup paid us a visit. Lona, Lewi, and Lucy spent a fun afternoon at our home and Nana Neecie (that’s what they call Denise) made their favorite meal.

Lona, Lewi, and Lucy on their visit with Nana Neecie and Papa Latte

Our California kids Bucky and Max traveled from the Bay Area to Long Beach to spend a fun couple of days with us and take us to the ship. Wanting just a few last photos, Bucky got us up close and personal with the ship, raising the interest of the security guards and law enforcement. All ended well, and we said our goodbyes portside.

Good times with Bucky and Max in Long Beach, CA

Our dear friend Karen also made the trek across LA for some coffee and hugs. We’ve been friends for a long time, and it’s always so great to see her.

As we’ve noted before, family and friends mean everything to us. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with people we know and love. We’ve also exchanged messages, phone calls, and conversations with loved ones, and we will hold these all in our hearts as we make this journey. We are very grateful for their gifts of time!

Our Bags Are Packed

As the old John Denver song goes, “Our bags are packed, we’re ready to go.” On Friday we will fly to Los Angeles to board the Viking Sun for a four month World Wonders Tour. The itinerary is ambitious (52 cities in 28 countries!) and we’ll be sharing one room for four months (interesting!) We’ll be telling you more about the ship in future posts. For now, suffice it to say that we’re very excited, a little nervous, and as much as we’ve been planning and anticipating this trip, it’s hard to wrap our heads around the reality that we won’t see our family and friends for that long. But we’re thrilled about the thought of meeting new people, seeing some of the world’s wonders, eating unfamiliar and delicious food, and experiencing so much of the world! We hope you’ll follow along with us, and add a word or two from time to time. We’ll be back on May 2, 2020, hopefully with some good stories and life lessons that can only come from travel.

Getting to Know Us

Here we are walking across the Brooklyn Bridge on a crisp January day earlier this year. We traveled to New York City twice this year, once by plane and once by train, and we truly enjoy a periodic visit to the city that never sleeps!

Doug is a retired entrepreneur, and spends some of his time working at the various medical schools in Cleveland (our home town) as a Simulated Patient Actor. He’ll probably share more about that at some future time. Denise is a retired healthcare administrator, having spent about half of her career on the provider side, and half in healthcare philanthropy. Both of us grew up in and around Cleveland, Ohio, a place we continue to call home. We were educated locally (Doug: John Carroll University; Denise: Ursuline College and John Carroll University). We’ve been married for close to 30 years, and we’re very proud of our family. Between us we have four kids, three kids-in-law, two grand-kids, three grand-puppies, two sisters, one brother-in-law, a niece and a nephew, (both of whom have spouses), two great-nieces and one great-nephew. They will all appear in this blog somewhere along the way, but for now, this is about us.

Doug enjoys downhill skiing, motorcycling, golf, old movies, reading, and of course, travel. Denise broke her leg skiing and uses that as an excuse to stay off the snow in spite of the fact that we live in the snow belt. She’s happiest when she’s cooking, and has recently taken up photography and golf. She also enjoys yoga, reading, and of course, travel. Denise also volunteers on several local boards, and together they support numerous local nonprofit organizations.

Both of us worked hard for a very long time in order to be able to enjoy our golden years, and so far we’ve managed to stay healthy enough. We’re blessed to have access to world class healthcare, and we don’t take that for granted even for a minute.

We’re also lucky to have wonderful friends, many of whom have been with us for decades, and we’re at the stage in life where we’ve had to say a fond farewell to some whom we miss every day.

True to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in all its forms, we live in a politically mixed marriage. Sometimes that works out OK, and other times it results in some stressful moments, but since we’re both contributing to this blog, we thought we’d just put that out there.

So there you have it…a snapshot of us. If you’re so inclined, we’d love to hear a little bit about you, our fellow timeless travelers!

Getting Started

Today we decided to start a blog. With zero experience in this space, it’s a bit daunting to say the least, but we hear it’s a good way to share what’s happening in our lives with those who might be interested. We’re calling our blog “Timeless Travelers” to convey the notion that we see ourselves as travelers through this thing called life, and we’re committed to doing so with as much enthusiasm and gusto as we can muster on any given day. With almost a century and a half behind us, we know that we won’t likely have that much time ahead, but we want to make the most of the rest of our journey. We don’t focus on age…rather, we focus on the opportunities we have to continue to love the ones we love, learn new things, experience interesting places, meet wonderful people, savor delicious food, celebrate the milestones of our family and friends, mourn the losses that inevitably come our way, and when our travels come to an end, be able to look back without too many regrets for the roads we never traveled. At this point, we’re planning to write about the three things that transport us to our “happy place:” travel, times spent with family and friends, and food. So come along with us, and we hope you enjoy our timeless travels!