Ken, I agree with you about The Technik Museum in Speyer Germany . Fabulous Museum. We were there for 4 hours and still didn't see everything. Amazing collection. We saw this on the Romantic Rhine Amsterdam to Basel Trip in 2018. We had 2 options on this cruise. Option 1 was to visit The Heidelberg Castle and Option 2 was to travel to Speyer to visit the Technik Museum and also visit the Cathedral. The majority of the Tour Group picked option 1. I recall that my boyfriend and I were the only ones in a small group of about 12 people on Option 2 that wanted to spend more than 2 hours at The Technik so the bus dropped us off and the balance of the group went on to the view the cathedral and walk around the city center. They picked us up about 4 hours later. It would have been nice to see The Cathedral but we really wanted to spend more time at The museum as there was so much to see and we didn't want to have to rush. We were very happy with our choice.
I enjoyed the entire cruise very much but I do have to add that the major hi-lite for me on this particular cruise was the full day excursion to Lucerne and Mount Pilatus. OMG. I was blown away by Pilatus. We lucked out with the weather, although it was a bit dicey at the start. The views took my breath away. We boarded a gondola and ascended to Mt. Pilatus at 7000 feet. We rode up with "The Band". I didn't know it at the time, but there were 3 musicians on our gondola that played the Alpine Horn during our visit, it only added to the ambiance. We had lunch at the Pilatus-Kulm Hotel atop the mountain as Tauck gave us each funds to pay for lunch. We descended the mountain via an old cogwheel railway, the steepest in the world. I had high expectations for Mt Pilatus and it did not disappoint.
British - I lived in Bucks Co. for 25 years during the time the Barnes Foundation fight was going on. There was even a documentary about it on PBS. Such typical, underhanded, wheeling/dealing politics to overturn the rights of a Will. Really disgusting, IMO!
Regarding Phila vs NYC, yes, Phila has many attractions worth seeing, one of which is the nation's smallest National Park, at 0.02 acres (I'm going to make those interested in what it is, look it up, lol). However, there's no comparison between the 2 cities. I lived 30 minutes by car from Center City and 1 hour by car+train from Manhattan. We went to NYC 90% of the time for culture/entertainment, etc. The thing I did most often in Phila was go to Saturday morning conferences at Wills Eye Hospital.
BKMD: Ok, you got me. My curiosity was piqued. I just had to investigate the story behind the smallest National Park. One thing led to another and I ended up spending about an hour reading about the history of the man behind the story and what an incredible story it was. Thank you very much, I learned something today that I never knew. I will need to add Philadelphia to my list of cities for further discovery. You just never know what you will find on these Tauck discussions.
"BKMD
July 16
Funny you say that. I was in Seattle once, about 20 years ago, during summer/good weather. While it was an interesting place to see, I don't understand its appeal. The weather is usually awful and downtown is ugly, with an elevated interstate running right through (over) the city. OTOH, I really like Vancouver."
My dearest BKMD, you might want to come back to Seattle... The weather thanks to global warming is warmer and less rainy than it used to be, Downtown looks amazing, new waterfront, new stadiums, more hotels, a great Opera house, nice rest. and regardless of what you may see in the news lately... people are super friendly and well behave. The interstate is gone.... again 20 years is a long time and we have a beautiful city! did you have any positive experience here at all? I love my city! and would not change it for any other.... every place has its own appeal.
I love Vancouver too.
Another in the series - our next tour was a Rhine/Moselle cruise. This was an Oct cruise with colder and wetter weather than we had hoped. On the positive side dress was very casual - dress slacks and sweaters pretty much the dressiest ever for men and women. On the down side, the time of year meant you ate breakfast with the dawn and dinner after dark. Not the same as summer cruises. Too cool for much sundeck time. Something to remember for Christmas cruises as well.
Probably the most disappointing stop was Baden Baden. A lovely town, but they brought us there early enough in the morning that nothing but the spas were open when we finally had free time. The famous casino was soso and the food provided marginal. I noticed that Tauck has added an optional visit to one of the spas. We were given time but it was on your own dime. The place we were docked was also pretty boring as well. Went for a walk and it was just an industrial area. If it was a Christmas cruise with a market, I think I would have enjoyed more.
The unexpected fun was Boppard. Just a tiny little town not that different from most Rhine river towns. It's got a small bit of Roman ruins. However, the TD told us about the chair lift to Gideons Corner - a bend in the river. Fantastic views, walking paths, a restaurant at the top, inexpensive price. At one point Tauck took this stop off the itinerary then put it back on. As you can see from the picture, a cool wet day but you can see the full bend - or eck - from the top.
Claudia -- We stopped at Baden Baden on our Christmas Markets cruise last December. It hasn't changed. The excursion from the boat to downtown was before things had opened -- even before the Christmas Market opened. We had a walking tour, and then a performance of young people singing holiday songs at the casino, while we enjoyed champagne and snacks. I will say that I enjoyed the performance. Silent Night (Stille Nacht, if that's how it's spelled in German, the language in which it was sung) brought tears to my eyes. We had the option to stay in town and take a bus back to the ship at a couple of times in the afternoon, rather than return to the boat after the performance, so it was possible to see the Christmas Markets. However, rain was predicted and, having spent an afternoon in Lucerne in the rain, I didn't want to do that again, so I went back to the boat and missed the market there as well as the spas.
Weather can have such an impact on enjoyment and what you get out of a site. That's the only cruise where I actually used the hot tub on the sundeck. Came back from a days walking in the cold wanting a hot bath so bad.
travel maven - I will need to add Philadelphia to my list of cities for further discovery.
Glad you found it educational. Phila is a great city to visit for colonial history. It's equal to Boston, but Boston seems to have a better marketing dept. So many things within about a 6 block radius - Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Constitution Museum, Betsy Ross house, Elfreths Alley, you-know-whos house/national park Plus everything else in the area that requires a car.
When I lived in the area, my house was 4 miles from where Geo W crossed the Delaware. Also in my general area, north of the city, there are a number of covered bridges, if you're into that. I once did a bike tour and went through 6 covered bridges, most dating from the mid-late 1800s. It was supposed to be about a 35 mile ride, but I got lost and added another 15 to it. Wasn't bad as I was 20 years younger then. https://www.visitbuckscounty.com/things-to-do/covered-bridges/covered-bridge-tour/
Philadelphia is a great area for history and culture, as well as excellent medicine, sports and academics. Am sure British will agree, as she, too, lives in the area. One neat little overnight trip we took last fall was to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water house in Western Pennsylvania in the morning and the Flight 93 Memorial (riveting) in the afternoon.
Regarding the Barnes collection -
I lived in Philly for two years and never saw it (it was still in its original location at that time and I was a poor and busy student). I did see the "Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation" exhibit when it toured in the 90s. From what I know of it, I would say this about the two collections: The Barnes Foundation probably has more recognizable major works, in part because the Barnes directors are good at getting their works into art books and TV programs. The Thyssen - Bornemisza Museum has a broader scope and is better displayed (realizing that Mr. Barnes' eclectic taste is part of the charm of that museum). I think I'd still favor the Thyssen - Bornemisza, but if you are into the Impressionists and later artists, you may favor the Barnes. See both if you can.
All this discussion of Philly reminds me of the work done there for the bicentennial. I was there just after and got to see the silly stuff they spent money on for the expected crowds (which never came). They built a visitor center with a glass roof that baked in the summer and was deafening when it rained (I think this was later replaced by the Museum of the American Revolution). The other silly thing was Ben Franklin's house. They knew the dimensions of the house, but weren't sure what it looked like, so they built a steel frame in the shape of a house with an underground museum under it. The museum was full of interactive exhibits that were mostly broken when I was last there. It's so bad that most of the visitor guides skip over it.
"lagniappes", I could figure it out from the context but I had to look this one up. They didn't teach us Engineers those big words!
Actually lagniappes is a word I learned from Tauck and I admit I had to look up the spelling (so much for Scrabble). Tauck tries to add something special to each tour that they don't promote in the tour itinerary. Tauck used to promote these as lagniappes in their materials and on tour, but I don't think I've seen it mentioned lately (it's pronounced lan-yap). In my experience these range from "Oh my god! That was amazing and unexpected" to "I wonder what the lagniappe was on this tour." Lagniappes are one of the many joys of traveling with Tauck.
I'm an engineer, too, but my interests are diverse and eclectic. I tend to accumulate interesting tidbits of knowledge and the word lagniappe just stuck in my brain.
We live right near John James Audubon’s home, we can literally walk there from our home. Since we moved here, there are now walking trails all around and they actually go all the way into Philadelphia. We often walk the Audubon Loop walk instead of our usual walk. The Audubon center has a brand new museum with an outdoor play area and mini zip line for children. We are also right next to Valley Forge Park. Since the Pandemic, you just can’t go at the weekend because it has gotten crazy busy. During the week it would often be deserted when we walk.
We are big theatre fans and have membership of one Philly theatre and visit others there. We used to perform every year in a show at the Academy of Music, but now it’s at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, canceled this year of course. We have subscriptions to two amateur theatres, missing all this very much. Lots of museums as mentioned and more places so near, Lancaster county and the Amish, The DuPont homes of Winterthur, Hagley, Nemours and of course Longwood Gardens. That’s why I prefer Philly to New York.
We can be in New York by car in two hours at the weekend for matinees. Especially recommend the Tenement Museum in New York and the Highline. We haven’t made it to the new Vessel yet. Last in NY at the end of February, wonder when we will be able to go back
So much to see in the US.
Here’s the funny thing. My in-laws heard of Tauck in England and decided to take the Tauck tour that does Washington DC, Williamsburg etc that ends in Philly before they came to stay with us. They did not like all the detailed history and hated when everyone on the tour referred to them as Brits, But... they put our names on the end of tour survey and that‘S how we got our first brochures and we have traveled with Tauck ever since.
Ken from Vegas - realizing that Mr. Barnes' eclectic taste...
Ken, since you are into trivia of sorts, I'll correct you and note that it's Dr. Barnes. He was a physician, but worked in research and never practiced. He made his fortune by developing Argyrol eye drops, aka Silver Nitrate. For about 100 years, it was used in newborns' eyes to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum, aka gonococcal conjunctivits, a potentially blinding condition. In recent years, it's been replaced by erythromycin ointment.
British -
I liked your story about your in-laws. You probably couldn't pick a tour that was more likely to be filled with detailed history. I'm a bit surprised about them not liking to be called "Brits." I wasn't aware that that was a issue. Do they prefer to be called English or did they just want to be recognized by name rather than nationality?
Here's an unexpected delight for me from the Spain and Portugal tour (the tour has been changed since we took it in 2014):
Retiro Park, Madrid - Retiro Park or simply El Retiro is one of the largest parks of the city of Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19th century, when it became a public park. Tremendous place for a relaxing walk. There is a small body of water in the park that you can rent row boats to paddle around.
I also went to Baden-Baden on a Christmas Market river cruise, the best part of it was the children's performance in the casino and the Markets, the rest is just a commercial town.
I was in Boppard on another river cruise and it is a lovely little town.
We did Classic Italy in 2013. While in Florence, about 90 Ferrari's were gathering for Ferrari’s 2013 Cavalcade. There were 15 or 20 of the cars on display right outside the front door to our hotel. Our pictures of the cars were some of the few trip pictures our sons were actually excited to see. Florence is one of our favorite cities. Despite not having a keen interest in art history before our trip, I developed an appreciation for it while visiting this lovely city. We found Florence was easy to get around and discovered some quaint restaurants that served excellent food - would highly recommend Ristorante II Profeta.
Time for another installment this time from our Seine Plus Versailles and London tour. Several expected highlights that were on this trip - like seeing Monet's garden in the morning before it was opened to visitors. So beautiful. And the day spent at the D-day beaches was interesting even for a non-WWII history buff.
In Paris we had both a disappointment and a delight. On the 3rd day you had a choice between Versailles Chateau or Montmartre. Couldn't decide which and asked the TD. She recommended Montmartre since many people felt the visit to Versailles was duplicated by the tour of Vaux-le-Vicomte. I really wanted to see Sacre Coeur and the view of Paris from there. Now I wished we'd gone with Versailles. The view of the city isn't that great from there, you don't get a really good view of Sacre Coeur except at the bottom of the steps, and the area is overrun with annoying artist wanna bees trying to get you to have your picture done. Ended up with a drawing I didn't want, told the guy I didn't want, but he managed to guilt my husband into. Yuck. However, on day 5 we opted for the walking tour of the Marais instead of Napolean's tomb. So pleasant and very interesting architecture. We had an excellent guide and there were very few tourists.
Claudia - I had that river cruise canceled for this year and re-booked for 2021, I've been to both Versailles and Montmartre so I'll probable book a private tour that day to somewhere else but thank you for the insight into Marais versus Napoleon's tomb.
We used our Gift of Time arriving at the Versailles hotel on a Saturday morning and headed for the grounds of the chateaux. Since it was summer and the weekend, the fountains were all going which was great but had to pay a small charge. Spent the next day touring the Trianon section. Loved the hotel. You walk out the front door, cross the small parking lot then right thru the Queens gate into the grounds of Versailles. Did a lot of walking there.
Was a very nice cruise apart from the summer heat wave in Normandy.
Gladys, one of the places I haven't been to but wanted to see is the Sainte Chapelle. Wished we'd headed out on our own that day but always hard to convince my husband not to go with the guided tours. There are metro stops near where the ships moors so not that hard to do. Best of luck next year.
Claudia when I took the French Waterways river cruise in 2016 arriving a day early using the Gift of Time I booked a concert in Sainte Chapelle, it was a wonderful experience, if you make it to Paris again make sure you go see it, the stained glass windows are exquisite.
Does anyone remember that when Tauck started the Gift of Time it was 2 days instead of one?
No I don’t remember that Gladys, when did you first tour with Tauck? We started touring with them in 2003 and it was probably a couple of years later they first introduce the one day gift of time.
The gift of time was started in response to the great recession (2009?). It was 2 days to begin, but lowered to 1 the next year. I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope that they would bring back the second day in response to the pandemic.
Working my way down the list, next tour up was England, Scotland & Wales which we took back to back with the Seine cruise that ended in London.
Can't say there was much in the unexpected disappointments category. We pretty much enjoyed it all with the exception of the dinner with a politician - not that I had high hopes on that one. We had some Tory blowhard that would not shut up so no one could ask any questions. Glad we only had him for starters and could enjoy the rest of our meal. I've noticed that Tauck took this item off the itinerary for the tour. No loss. Any days that were less than ideal had more to do with the weather than the sights - first few days were cold and/or wet. Thank god for hot tea.
Several unexpected delights starting with the kilt glad doorman when we arrived and the shortbread (and whisky) they greet you with as you check in to the Sheraton. We loved Bath though the TD about had to send in trackers to find me in the Roman Baths as I got absorbed in it then got a bit lost. The drive into Blenheim Palace was amazing. The bus turns through the gate and you just gawp at how beautiful it and the grounds are. Probably the most surprising delight - mushy peas. I was all set to find them disgusting and turns out I really like them. Who knew? [Haggis unsurprisingly looks disgusting and will never make it onto my plate again].
Claudia - Too funny. For me it was just the opposite. You can take the mushy peas and use them as concrete or mortar, whereas I was surprised to find haggis enjoyable. Now one thing I'd be surprised to find anyone that isn't from a British Empire country that likes Marmite or its Australian counterpart Vegemite. Now those are disgusting foods.
Comments
Ken, I agree with you about The Technik Museum in Speyer Germany . Fabulous Museum. We were there for 4 hours and still didn't see everything. Amazing collection. We saw this on the Romantic Rhine Amsterdam to Basel Trip in 2018. We had 2 options on this cruise. Option 1 was to visit The Heidelberg Castle and Option 2 was to travel to Speyer to visit the Technik Museum and also visit the Cathedral. The majority of the Tour Group picked option 1. I recall that my boyfriend and I were the only ones in a small group of about 12 people on Option 2 that wanted to spend more than 2 hours at The Technik so the bus dropped us off and the balance of the group went on to the view the cathedral and walk around the city center. They picked us up about 4 hours later. It would have been nice to see The Cathedral but we really wanted to spend more time at The museum as there was so much to see and we didn't want to have to rush. We were very happy with our choice.
I enjoyed the entire cruise very much but I do have to add that the major hi-lite for me on this particular cruise was the full day excursion to Lucerne and Mount Pilatus. OMG. I was blown away by Pilatus. We lucked out with the weather, although it was a bit dicey at the start. The views took my breath away. We boarded a gondola and ascended to Mt. Pilatus at 7000 feet. We rode up with "The Band". I didn't know it at the time, but there were 3 musicians on our gondola that played the Alpine Horn during our visit, it only added to the ambiance. We had lunch at the Pilatus-Kulm Hotel atop the mountain as Tauck gave us each funds to pay for lunch. We descended the mountain via an old cogwheel railway, the steepest in the world. I had high expectations for Mt Pilatus and it did not disappoint.
British - I lived in Bucks Co. for 25 years during the time the Barnes Foundation fight was going on. There was even a documentary about it on PBS. Such typical, underhanded, wheeling/dealing politics to overturn the rights of a Will. Really disgusting, IMO!
Regarding Phila vs NYC, yes, Phila has many attractions worth seeing, one of which is the nation's smallest National Park, at 0.02 acres (I'm going to make those interested in what it is, look it up, lol). However, there's no comparison between the 2 cities. I lived 30 minutes by car from Center City and 1 hour by car+train from Manhattan. We went to NYC 90% of the time for culture/entertainment, etc. The thing I did most often in Phila was go to Saturday morning conferences at Wills Eye Hospital.
BKMD: Ok, you got me. My curiosity was piqued. I just had to investigate the story behind the smallest National Park. One thing led to another and I ended up spending about an hour reading about the history of the man behind the story and what an incredible story it was. Thank you very much, I learned something today that I never knew. I will need to add Philadelphia to my list of cities for further discovery. You just never know what you will find on these Tauck discussions.
"BKMD
July 16
Funny you say that. I was in Seattle once, about 20 years ago, during summer/good weather. While it was an interesting place to see, I don't understand its appeal. The weather is usually awful and downtown is ugly, with an elevated interstate running right through (over) the city. OTOH, I really like Vancouver."
My dearest BKMD, you might want to come back to Seattle... The weather thanks to global warming is warmer and less rainy than it used to be, Downtown looks amazing, new waterfront, new stadiums, more hotels, a great Opera house, nice rest. and regardless of what you may see in the news lately... people are super friendly and well behave. The interstate is gone.... again 20 years is a long time and we have a beautiful city! did you have any positive experience here at all? I love my city! and would not change it for any other.... every place has its own appeal.
I love Vancouver too.
Another in the series - our next tour was a Rhine/Moselle cruise. This was an Oct cruise with colder and wetter weather than we had hoped. On the positive side dress was very casual - dress slacks and sweaters pretty much the dressiest ever for men and women. On the down side, the time of year meant you ate breakfast with the dawn and dinner after dark. Not the same as summer cruises. Too cool for much sundeck time. Something to remember for Christmas cruises as well.
Probably the most disappointing stop was Baden Baden. A lovely town, but they brought us there early enough in the morning that nothing but the spas were open when we finally had free time. The famous casino was soso and the food provided marginal. I noticed that Tauck has added an optional visit to one of the spas. We were given time but it was on your own dime. The place we were docked was also pretty boring as well. Went for a walk and it was just an industrial area. If it was a Christmas cruise with a market, I think I would have enjoyed more.
The unexpected fun was Boppard. Just a tiny little town not that different from most Rhine river towns. It's got a small bit of Roman ruins. However, the TD told us about the chair lift to Gideons Corner - a bend in the river. Fantastic views, walking paths, a restaurant at the top, inexpensive price. At one point Tauck took this stop off the itinerary then put it back on. As you can see from the picture, a cool wet day but you can see the full bend - or eck - from the top.
Claudia -- We stopped at Baden Baden on our Christmas Markets cruise last December. It hasn't changed. The excursion from the boat to downtown was before things had opened -- even before the Christmas Market opened. We had a walking tour, and then a performance of young people singing holiday songs at the casino, while we enjoyed champagne and snacks. I will say that I enjoyed the performance. Silent Night (Stille Nacht, if that's how it's spelled in German, the language in which it was sung) brought tears to my eyes. We had the option to stay in town and take a bus back to the ship at a couple of times in the afternoon, rather than return to the boat after the performance, so it was possible to see the Christmas Markets. However, rain was predicted and, having spent an afternoon in Lucerne in the rain, I didn't want to do that again, so I went back to the boat and missed the market there as well as the spas.
Weather can have such an impact on enjoyment and what you get out of a site. That's the only cruise where I actually used the hot tub on the sundeck. Came back from a days walking in the cold wanting a hot bath so bad.
Glad you found it educational. Phila is a great city to visit for colonial history. It's equal to Boston, but Boston seems to have a better marketing dept. So many things within about a 6 block radius - Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Constitution Museum, Betsy Ross house, Elfreths Alley, you-know-whos house/national park
Plus everything else in the area that requires a car.
When I lived in the area, my house was 4 miles from where Geo W crossed the Delaware. Also in my general area, north of the city, there are a number of covered bridges, if you're into that. I once did a bike tour and went through 6 covered bridges, most dating from the mid-late 1800s. It was supposed to be about a 35 mile ride, but I got lost and added another 15 to it. Wasn't bad as I was 20 years younger then.
https://www.visitbuckscounty.com/things-to-do/covered-bridges/covered-bridge-tour/
Philadelphia is a great area for history and culture, as well as excellent medicine, sports and academics. Am sure British will agree, as she, too, lives in the area. One neat little overnight trip we took last fall was to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water house in Western Pennsylvania in the morning and the Flight 93 Memorial (riveting) in the afternoon.
The Barnes Collection in Philly is amazing.
Regarding the Barnes collection -
I lived in Philly for two years and never saw it (it was still in its original location at that time and I was a poor and busy student). I did see the "Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation" exhibit when it toured in the 90s. From what I know of it, I would say this about the two collections: The Barnes Foundation probably has more recognizable major works, in part because the Barnes directors are good at getting their works into art books and TV programs. The Thyssen - Bornemisza Museum has a broader scope and is better displayed (realizing that Mr. Barnes' eclectic taste is part of the charm of that museum). I think I'd still favor the Thyssen - Bornemisza, but if you are into the Impressionists and later artists, you may favor the Barnes. See both if you can.
All this discussion of Philly reminds me of the work done there for the bicentennial. I was there just after and got to see the silly stuff they spent money on for the expected crowds (which never came). They built a visitor center with a glass roof that baked in the summer and was deafening when it rained (I think this was later replaced by the Museum of the American Revolution). The other silly thing was Ben Franklin's house. They knew the dimensions of the house, but weren't sure what it looked like, so they built a steel frame in the shape of a house with an underground museum under it. The museum was full of interactive exhibits that were mostly broken when I was last there. It's so bad that most of the visitor guides skip over it.
Smiling Sam said:
Actually lagniappes is a word I learned from Tauck and I admit I had to look up the spelling (so much for Scrabble). Tauck tries to add something special to each tour that they don't promote in the tour itinerary. Tauck used to promote these as lagniappes in their materials and on tour, but I don't think I've seen it mentioned lately (it's pronounced lan-yap). In my experience these range from "Oh my god! That was amazing and unexpected" to "I wonder what the lagniappe was on this tour." Lagniappes are one of the many joys of traveling with Tauck.
I'm an engineer, too, but my interests are diverse and eclectic. I tend to accumulate interesting tidbits of knowledge and the word lagniappe just stuck in my brain.
We live right near John James Audubon’s home, we can literally walk there from our home. Since we moved here, there are now walking trails all around and they actually go all the way into Philadelphia. We often walk the Audubon Loop walk instead of our usual walk. The Audubon center has a brand new museum with an outdoor play area and mini zip line for children. We are also right next to Valley Forge Park. Since the Pandemic, you just can’t go at the weekend because it has gotten crazy busy. During the week it would often be deserted when we walk.
We are big theatre fans and have membership of one Philly theatre and visit others there. We used to perform every year in a show at the Academy of Music, but now it’s at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, canceled this year of course. We have subscriptions to two amateur theatres, missing all this very much. Lots of museums as mentioned and more places so near, Lancaster county and the Amish, The DuPont homes of Winterthur, Hagley, Nemours and of course Longwood Gardens. That’s why I prefer Philly to New York.
We can be in New York by car in two hours at the weekend for matinees. Especially recommend the Tenement Museum in New York and the Highline. We haven’t made it to the new Vessel yet. Last in NY at the end of February, wonder when we will be able to go back
So much to see in the US.
Here’s the funny thing. My in-laws heard of Tauck in England and decided to take the Tauck tour that does Washington DC, Williamsburg etc that ends in Philly before they came to stay with us. They did not like all the detailed history and hated when everyone on the tour referred to them as Brits, But... they put our names on the end of tour survey and that‘S how we got our first brochures and we have traveled with Tauck ever since.
Ken, since you are into trivia of sorts, I'll correct you and note that it's Dr. Barnes. He was a physician, but worked in research and never practiced. He made his fortune by developing Argyrol eye drops, aka Silver Nitrate. For about 100 years, it was used in newborns' eyes to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum, aka gonococcal conjunctivits, a potentially blinding condition. In recent years, it's been replaced by erythromycin ointment.
British -
I liked your story about your in-laws. You probably couldn't pick a tour that was more likely to be filled with detailed history. I'm a bit surprised about them not liking to be called "Brits." I wasn't aware that that was a issue. Do they prefer to be called English or did they just want to be recognized by name rather than nationality?
Just by name, anyone who wasn’t British to them was inferior....that generation you know 🤪🤪🤪
Here's an unexpected delight for me from the Spain and Portugal tour (the tour has been changed since we took it in 2014):
Retiro Park, Madrid - Retiro Park or simply El Retiro is one of the largest parks of the city of Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19th century, when it became a public park. Tremendous place for a relaxing walk. There is a small body of water in the park that you can rent row boats to paddle around.
I also went to Baden-Baden on a Christmas Market river cruise, the best part of it was the children's performance in the casino and the Markets, the rest is just a commercial town.
I was in Boppard on another river cruise and it is a lovely little town.
We did Classic Italy in 2013. While in Florence, about 90 Ferrari's were gathering for Ferrari’s 2013 Cavalcade. There were 15 or 20 of the cars on display right outside the front door to our hotel. Our pictures of the cars were some of the few trip pictures our sons were actually excited to see. Florence is one of our favorite cities. Despite not having a keen interest in art history before our trip, I developed an appreciation for it while visiting this lovely city. We found Florence was easy to get around and discovered some quaint restaurants that served excellent food - would highly recommend Ristorante II Profeta.
Time for another installment this time from our Seine Plus Versailles and London tour. Several expected highlights that were on this trip - like seeing Monet's garden in the morning before it was opened to visitors. So beautiful. And the day spent at the D-day beaches was interesting even for a non-WWII history buff.
In Paris we had both a disappointment and a delight. On the 3rd day you had a choice between Versailles Chateau or Montmartre. Couldn't decide which and asked the TD. She recommended Montmartre since many people felt the visit to Versailles was duplicated by the tour of Vaux-le-Vicomte. I really wanted to see Sacre Coeur and the view of Paris from there. Now I wished we'd gone with Versailles. The view of the city isn't that great from there, you don't get a really good view of Sacre Coeur except at the bottom of the steps, and the area is overrun with annoying artist wanna bees trying to get you to have your picture done. Ended up with a drawing I didn't want, told the guy I didn't want, but he managed to guilt my husband into. Yuck. However, on day 5 we opted for the walking tour of the Marais instead of Napolean's tomb. So pleasant and very interesting architecture. We had an excellent guide and there were very few tourists.
Claudia - I had that river cruise canceled for this year and re-booked for 2021, I've been to both Versailles and Montmartre so I'll probable book a private tour that day to somewhere else but thank you for the insight into Marais versus Napoleon's tomb.
We used our Gift of Time arriving at the Versailles hotel on a Saturday morning and headed for the grounds of the chateaux. Since it was summer and the weekend, the fountains were all going which was great but had to pay a small charge. Spent the next day touring the Trianon section. Loved the hotel. You walk out the front door, cross the small parking lot then right thru the Queens gate into the grounds of Versailles. Did a lot of walking there.
Was a very nice cruise apart from the summer heat wave in Normandy.
Gladys, one of the places I haven't been to but wanted to see is the Sainte Chapelle. Wished we'd headed out on our own that day but always hard to convince my husband not to go with the guided tours. There are metro stops near where the ships moors so not that hard to do. Best of luck next year.
Claudia when I took the French Waterways river cruise in 2016 arriving a day early using the Gift of Time I booked a concert in Sainte Chapelle, it was a wonderful experience, if you make it to Paris again make sure you go see it, the stained glass windows are exquisite.
Does anyone remember that when Tauck started the Gift of Time it was 2 days instead of one?
No I don’t remember that Gladys, when did you first tour with Tauck? We started touring with them in 2003 and it was probably a couple of years later they first introduce the one day gift of time.
The gift of time was started in response to the great recession (2009?). It was 2 days to begin, but lowered to 1 the next year. I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope that they would bring back the second day in response to the pandemic.
They may need to make it 14 days.
😂😂😂😂😂
Working my way down the list, next tour up was England, Scotland & Wales which we took back to back with the Seine cruise that ended in London.
Can't say there was much in the unexpected disappointments category. We pretty much enjoyed it all with the exception of the dinner with a politician - not that I had high hopes on that one. We had some Tory blowhard that would not shut up so no one could ask any questions. Glad we only had him for starters and could enjoy the rest of our meal. I've noticed that Tauck took this item off the itinerary for the tour. No loss. Any days that were less than ideal had more to do with the weather than the sights - first few days were cold and/or wet. Thank god for hot tea.
Several unexpected delights starting with the kilt glad doorman when we arrived and the shortbread (and whisky) they greet you with as you check in to the Sheraton. We loved Bath though the TD about had to send in trackers to find me in the Roman Baths as I got absorbed in it then got a bit lost. The drive into Blenheim Palace was amazing. The bus turns through the gate and you just gawp at how beautiful it and the grounds are. Probably the most surprising delight - mushy peas. I was all set to find them disgusting and turns out I really like them. Who knew? [Haggis unsurprisingly looks disgusting and will never make it onto my plate again].
Claudia - Too funny. For me it was just the opposite. You can take the mushy peas and use them as concrete or mortar, whereas I was surprised to find haggis enjoyable. Now one thing I'd be surprised to find anyone that isn't from a British Empire country that likes Marmite or its Australian counterpart Vegemite. Now those are disgusting foods.