Our amazing trip through Europe (Prague to Paris), with Viking River Cruises, exceeded our expectations. We cruised on the Viking Longship 'Idun.'
The Viking site says: "Idun is the Norse goddess of spring, rejuvenation, and eternal youth. She is the custodian of the golden apples of immortality which the gods must eat to preserve their youth. In one Viking tale, Idun is tricked by Loki, god of mischief, and she and her apples are seized by the giant Thiasse and locked in his tower. The gods quickly began to grow old, and they force Loki to rescue Idun. This he does by disguising himself as a bird and flying into the tower where he changes Idun and her apples into a small nut which he grasps with his claws, and carries her back to the gods. Idun is married to Bragi, god of poetry and theirs is an idyllic union."
Our trip, the ship, the amazing staff, and the delicious foods were outstanding. The very first day we boarded the ship, we were greeted by the Hotel Manager, Leonie. We went to our cabin to unpack and freshen up before dinner. Later, as we headed up to the dining room for dinner, we saw Leonie standing at the top of the stairs. As we passed her, she said "Mr. and Mrs. Murphy I hope everything is satisfactory. Please enjoy your dinner." We were stunned, without a list in her hand, she had remembered our names on the very first day. We jokingly wondered if we had been micro-chipped when we weren't looking.