I had never been out of the country (except to Canada, I wasn't sure I cared to leave the country, but I knew I wanted to treat my wife to something special. I looked at Disney World and decided I could go somewhere else in the world for that kind of money. So I looked at Paris. Now if I was going to go to Paris, I knew I had to get to Normandy. On most maps, Normandy is about 2" from Paris. Unfortunately that equals approximatley 250 miles. No one, including my wife is ready for me to drive 250 miles each direction in a foreign country, National incedent. The I was told to look at something called a river cruise. I googled Paris to Normandy river cruise and found Viking River Cruise lines, as well as a few others. After reading and playing on each website I was definately feeling as if Viking was the way to go. I e-mailed them asking for information, feering the dreaded sales call and hard pitch program. What a pleasant surprise. Someone called me back quickly, they were VERY helpful, they were not pushy and they invited me to check some things out and then call again whenever I wanted more information. I did my part called back and signed up, painless, no hard sell, no over-promise under-deliver.

My wife and I arrived, we used the optional shuttle service from the airport to the ship, well worth the cost. Then the fun started. Every day was great, every tour was more than I expected. The tour guides were knowledgable and fun. Dennis, our feerless leader did everything with a smile and he did it well. I was not expecting this, they exceeded my expectations daily. The staff, the ship, the Capitan, the chef, the sailors, were all exceptional. We were a couple of the younger guests and we did not feel out of place. All the way to Normandy. The most emotional trip I have ever been on. I would do it again. The history, the manner in which we were treated by the staff and the citiens was exceptional. I have every intention of going on this same trip again, I also have every intention of finding Dennis and taking whatever cruise he is leading.

We looked forward to every meal, the way everyone had the option of sitting with people we didn't know was fun. When we entered the dining area, people would yell out "Montana, come sit with us!". How extremely wonderful this feeling. The food, especially the food of the region was great. Frog legs, escargot, oysters, fantastic wine, oh the list goes on. I will go with Viking again. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!