Best Of
Re: Excursion Help: Bicycling in the Arles Countryside
My husband and I did this excursion the summer of 2023. We are in average shape, and were able to keep up just fine. The ride is beautiful and we made stops along the way for photos and to hydrate. There are plenty of guides with you so that one can go ahead with the more advanced riders and some to stay behind for the slower ones. There are a few hills to climb, but it's mostly a downhill ride. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Re: Norwegian Fjords
Regarding the raising of the Vasa ship, hopefully while on the bus you will be shown a video of the effort made to lift the vessel from the harbor and the subsequent building of the museum around it. There was a PBS documentary of it--fascinating. I believe the clip still runs inside the museum. You might be able to view it on the internet if interested.
Just to clarify, the effort started in the late '50s and was completed in the early '60s. No worries, tomh.
kfnknfzk
Re: Norwegian Fjords
Regarding the Vasa Museum, when I first visited it during a non-Tauck 19 day tour of Scandinavia and Finland in 1983, the ship had only recently been raised and displayed in the museum there. The ship was still being sprayed with salt water all around it as it was still very fragile and only recently raised for display (we could only briefly see it from a distance then). Quite interesting, even with our short visit to view it then. :-) Also, that 1983 tour I was on included the Flamsbana railway tour or at least a ride on it down to Oslo with views of the waterfalls along the way. :-)
tomh
Re: Norwegian Fjords
Sereneleen: I am sorry to hear about the negative aspects of your recent trip to Scandinavia. It seems that lately, travel is filled with stress and uncertainties due to the increase of people traveling across the world. I also experienced a few negative issues on our recent River Cruise to France due to changes in the Itinerary and Hotels from the original booking and unexpected detours, however, Tauck did their best to overcome the negatives and provided an enjoyable cruise in the end.
The itinerary for the current Scandinavia Tour is somewhat similar to the Tour I took with Tauck in 2005. I was reviewing a copy of the trip report I posted on the Tauck Website back then and noted many similarities to the current itinerary. Yes, there are many hours on the buses, but this is really the only true way to tour these countries in order to soak up the beauty of the mountains and the landscape of Norway is so amazing. I seem to recall that Tauck did break up the long bus rides with various sites in between.
Our visit to the incredible Vasa Museum, back then, was also very short. It wasn't an after hours tour, but I could have definitely spent at least another hour or so viewing the exhibits. I think we only had about 15 minutes after the tour to view the exhibits. I do feel that this portion of the tour deserves additional time.
In addition, I really enjoyed the ferry from Denmark to Norway, it was alot of fun and very comfortable. I agree with kfnknfzk that the Flåmsbana railway tour was wonderful but no longer offered, such a shame. They need to bring that back.
All said and done, it was a wonderful trip. If you enjoy scenery, you will love this itinerary.
Re: Biking on Danube
If you go to the Museum of Communism you might notice a picture of Aya Zonova (American name) on the wall of people who defected. She and my wife skated together as the two female principles of the Ice Capades. My wife was a teenager, and Aya Zanova was quite a bit older so they were not really friends. I don’t think the guide believed us when we told her that story. My father once noticed me watching Eloise on TV and said, “You think she’s kind of cute, don’t you?”. I said, yes. And, forty years later I married her.
Sealord
Re: When did you fly out to return to the states when tour ended?
The GM tour ends with a day room at the Hemingway hotel. We flew in from the last lodge in the morning, then stopped at a major gift shop on the way to the hotel. Got to the hotel a little before lunch (included, at own time). One person on the trip decided to skip the gift shop and was taken to the hotel while others shopped; he was headed for Israel and his flight left earlier than those flying back to the US, him leaving the hotel after lunch. Most of us left the hotel around 7/8 in the evening after dinner, as our flights to the East Coast were all after 11pm (last official day of the tour). The last day is mostly downtime at the hotel: relaxing, eating, and packing.
One person on our tour stayed extra days as she wanted to go to the Karen Blixen Center and an elephant sanctuary, which she was able to do in one day with a hired driver. If you had something specific you wanted to do in Nairobi, you could likely pre-arrange to do so on the last day of the tour rather than spending it around the hotel.
PGH
Re: outlet adapter recommendations
This one worked for me. It will adapt to the outlets of a number of different countries and it has USB charging ports, both A and C.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C9Q11WFH/?th=1
It is a bit big but when you consider what it can do, it's not too bad.
Here's another that's a bit less expensive:
Re: General Questions
I tell fb the absolute minimum about myself include gender or photo. Mostly use it to connect with friends and family.
Re: Norwegian Fjords
I took Tauck's Scandinavia tour years ago even though I am from the region. I wanted my husband to experience the magnificent fjords of Norway. The itinerary has changed drastically since then. Yes, the bus rides were long but what better way to appreciate the beautiful countryside? I do not think they include the Flåmsbane railway tour in Norway anymore and, in my opinion, that is unfortunate.
I spoke once before about the hotels. I prefer the ones in the countryside because of their quaintness and hospitality. The hotels in the larger cities, primarily Oslo and København are geared more for the business traveler, not the tourist. Nonetheless, they are clean and efficient.
Food might be more of an issue for some than the hotels. If your palate craves for American "fast" food, you might be disappointed. Try some regional food. Fish is plentiful, as are root vegetables. Besides, who doesn't like Swedish meatballs? Actually, Danish meatballs are superior, especially when served the traditional way with fresh lingonberries!
For those who are apprehensive about the tour, I recommend doing some research beforehand. If we take our preconceived notions of what "should be" with us, we will surely be disappointed.
kfnknfzk
Re: Norwegian Fjords
I think it is important to keep in mind that we are talking about the tour itself and not the geography or the culture, which in my opinion definitely merit a visit.
Wan