My husband and I took the 12 day Cities of Light cruise starting in Prague and ending in Paris. We started our vacation by spending two additional days in Prague. We were travelling with friends, another couple from Michigan. Prague was a fantastic city. We had no trouble getting around, the hotel, the Hilton Prague, was very nice, the people in the Czech Republic were very friendly and they all spoke English, which was a nice surprise. Travelling within the Czech Republic was easy - we rode the train, the subway, the bus, and the tram. We also did a lot of walking - lots of cobblestones - so bring comfortable walking shoes. We visited the Bone Church in Kutna Hora, and also the town of Terezin. I learned a lot of history about the Czech Republic during my stay there, and I would recommend a visit there to anyone. I hope to return some day - Prague has become one of my favorite European cities.

The cruise itself was fantastic. Even though it was our first time traveling on Viking, we were upgraded to a much larger room. The room was great, clean, lots of storage, nice bathroom. All of the crew were so friendly and helpful - they made the trip even more fun. The food was fantastic - the chef aboard our ship was creative with local produce - with delicious results. The wine served with dinner was also always very good.

The trip was mainly in Germany, a country I had not been in for 25 years. The cruise up the Rhein River was spectacular. It was more beautiful than I remembered. We visited the town of Rudesheim and it was still so very charming. The scenery was without equal. The excursion to Nuremberg was enlightening. All of the excursions in Germany were enlightening with respect to WW II history. The guides were remarkably well-informed and were adept at keeping the attention of the group. It was amazing to me how open the German people have become to WW II, not merely acknowledging the war, but actively taking responsibility and really making the effort to completely understand everything that led up to the war and all of the horrors of the war. I don't know how to quite describe what a privilege and honor it was to spend time with these people who were guilty of nothing, and in fact, some had families who fled the country, and yet they want to make change, want to make sure that they are the instruments of change. This was not just a cruise with excursions - we all came away from this experience with so much more understanding that we never expected - I could see it in the other passengers, too. The time that we spent in Luxumbourg was also a nice surprise. The capital city was charming, if a bit expensive. None of us even knew of the American cemetery there - as an American and a veteran, visiting that was also an honor. Read more