One of the most helpful resources in planing for our Portraits of Southern France sailing was the rich library of videos available on the Viking River Cruises website.   Thinking back to our first full-length Viking River Cruise, a 15-day sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam, many times along the way fellow passengers commented “It’s just like the TV commercials!” when viewing iconic landmarks we often parked our Viking Longship right in front of.  Last December, on an enchanting Christmas Markets sailing with Viking, we walked through the streets of Passau Germany, following the aroma of fresh gingerbread being baked by the same bakery and the same bakers in the Viking website video.  Comparing the actual experience of our Portraits of Southern France itinerary to that depicted in video too favored well, as we see comparing the expectation set to images we captured live.

But you be the judge.  Watch this quick video overview then do your own accuracy check, comparing with the sampling of images we captured along the way in the gallery below.

 

In August, we went back to Viking River Cruises sailing along France’s scenic Saône and Rhône Rivers past some of the most beautiful vistas the French countryside has to offer, sailing from Avignon to Chalon-sur Saone. During the 8-day journey, we explored the famed region of Burgundyand the colorful fields of Provence. We visited Gallo-Roman ruins in both Vienne and Arles, walked the cobbled streets of Arles to see how it inspired Vincent van Gogh, and visited the historic Papal Palace in Avignon, “City of Popes.”