Considering a Viking river cruise?

I was looking for a post like this when I was preparing for the cruise, so hopefully someone else will find this and be helped! Some of them are just general travel tips...This is the last of the cruise posts. Hope that you enjoyed them or that they at least had pretty pictures to look at!

Departure port consideration
Our vacation was from Berlin to Prague, but we didn't get on the boat in Berlin. It was a 2 hour bus ride from Berlin to Magdeburg where we got on the boat and where we (eventually) sailed from. It didn't feel like 2 hours because we drove about 40 minutes, spent at least 4 hours in Potsdam and then finished the drive to Magdeburg. However, another cruise that we were looking at another cruise that went from Paris to Prague, but the actual getting on the boat location was 4 hours away. Just something to think about!

"So where are you from?"
You'll get this question a lot, and some of those people will not be americans. Take a screenshot on your phone of the United States so you can point right to where your state is; it's easier than trying to explain it. Or else you'll have this conversation: "We're from Wisconsin....it's towards the top of the country, in the middle, parts of us touch Canada but there's a big lake on one side. Yep, lots of cows. Also that's where Harley Davidsons are made. And Jockey underwear. And Snap-on tools. Yep, lots of farms. No neither of us live on a farm we live in good sized cities." (okay you won't have that conversation unless you're from Wisconsin but you know what I mean)

On an unrelated note also this conversation a lot:
Person: So how did you guys meet?
W/Q: We're sisters actually. We're on a sister adventure.
Person: Oh how wonderful! Now that you say that you're sisters I can totally tell!
W/Q: We have the same fat cheeks (like the part under your eyes, we have the same ones. We look alike from the top of our eyebrows to the top of our cheeks.)

But then the customs girl at Vaclav Havel airport thought we were twins, which by now you've seen enough selfies of us to know that that is a) crazy talk b) insulting to Quinn.

Bring a converter
Viking is awesome because they have USB ports and American outlets in their rooms. However, at your pre and post cruise hotels, or at the airports, you probably won't be as lucky. My converter also has 2 USB ports. Handy when you're trying to charge camera batteries and phones and the like!

Also bring: thank you notes, a few plastic bags (ziploc-esque and grocery), a couple business cards, a cheap backup pair of earbuds

Don't bring fancy shoes
Viking has a reputation for being pretty casual, not like ocean cruises that have formal nights that include suits and cocktail dresses. And when I say casual I mean at the minimum, the shirt you're wearing should be clean and have sleeves. I was at dinner in jeggings and a black old navy tshirt with a statement necklace and didn't look out of place at all. The captain's dinner is a little bit nicer, I wore a maxi dress (I packed a lot of dresses, so it wasn't like I packed it especially for this occasion). So, one or two slightly nicer options with non-flip flop sandals and you will be good to go. Leave the heels at home (too many cobblestones anyway)! I brought my Tom's but barely wore them, I lived in these crocs  (shockingly cute and incredibly comfortable, even with my high arches) and these Aerosoles (comfortable, but a little less suited if you're walking on dramatic cobblestones due to the thinner sole).

Also don't bring: more than one scarf, more than 3 pairs of shoes, too much jewelry, your own toiletries (if you know the ship will have quality ones and your hair or skin won't rebel)

Make some change
I got money converted at my local bank before going overseas. Everyone says that this isn't the best rate, but I thought it was reasonable. Also, I'm paranoid so I didn't want to show up and all of the airport ATMS are broken or something. When you land and are at the airport, buy something. Something cheap, just to get some change jingling in your pocket.It's piece of mind in case you need to use a public restroom that is "pay to pee".

Currency converter cheat sheet
I made 2 indexes cards for Quinn and I. They were both little tables about how much x amount of foreign currency was in American dollars. If you're math challenged like we are, it's a good way to keep from keeping your money situation under control so you don't end up paying more money for something then you thought. This was particularly helpful in Prague!

There are many posts out there that will talk about what clothes you should pack for any situation, and I'm generally not the most streamlined packer so I will not offer too many tips about that!

If you've got questions feel free to contact me about packing or the cruise feel free to contact me!

(None of these links are affiliated/sponsored.)

Viking River Cruise Recap #1 - "So this soccer game is a bigger deal than we thought..." and accidentally running in a half marathon.

Hi everyone! So good to see you after my extended absence! For the next couple of days I'm going to be talking about the vacation I just got back from, but then we will be back to book content. So if you're not interested in the cruise and pictures of me looking sweaty, come back next week :) These posts will be long with lots of pictures, that is your fair warning...

Let's start with the basics:

Who: Travelers were myself and my older sister, Quinn.

What: A Viking river cruise! Quinn wanted a vacation where she didn't have to pack and unpack constantly and I agreed. I wanted to see Prague. It was a little bit costlier than we were originally planned on spending so we had to cut down on some froyo trips to make it happen (or save like maniacs, you know, whichever) but we made it happen!

Where: Down the river Elbe. Our itinerary was: Berlin, Potsdam, Magdeburg, Wittenberg, Torgau, Meissen, Saxon Switzerland (actually in Germany), Dresden, Litomerice, Melnik, Prague. Quinn and I decided to stay an extra few days in Prague so we could do the city right. This was the best decision ever. Also, our itinerary did not actually turn out to be like this, keep that in mind.

When: June 5th through 17th!

Why: Sister adventure! Quinn turned 30 last year, I turn 30 this year, she's never been to Europe and I was itching to go back. And who really needs a reason for Europe?

Let's begin.

Friday the 5th we fly out of O'Hare in Chicago to Amsterdam. In the most wonderful stroke of good luck, Quinn and I have a 3 person row to ourselves. This clears up all the anxiety I had about midnight bathroom runs over sleeping neighbors! (Also had no jet lag problems, so the two things I worried about were nonissues. Typical, thank the Lord.)The flight was on KLM, my first with them and it was a super pleasant experience. Quinn slept a good chunk of the trip, I didn't sleep for more than an hour. This is the problem with me and overnight flights.

We had a couple hour layover in Amsterdam at their tidy, bright, under construction airport and then boarded our plane to Berlin. Getting on this flight we noticed that there were boxes on our seats. Open them up and they contain a Heineken branded psuedo soccer jersey and a hat, courtesy of the airline in celebration of the Championship League game (Juventus v Barcelona). That's when we realized this soccer game might be a bigger deal than we thought.

After arriving at our hotel (after a slight mishap, my fault), dropping off our bags, and meeting Radim, the Program Director for our cruise (he really was our fearless leader in the mishaps that were coming in our near future), we set out to see some stuff. We hit the town hard seeing the sites and crashed about 10; excited to see the ship the next day! (There was one point during the day where we were a little bit lost and really wanted to get back to the hotel because it was at least 90 degrees and we were exhausted. It took forever to catch a cab because everyone was going INTO the downtown area and we were trying to get out. We figured out later we were only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Daaaaaaarn it).

(All pictures were either taken by Quinn or I, so don't use them without running it by me first. Danke!)

Me at Bebelplatz, where the Nazis burned books. I'm smiling because we found this place on our own; not because of the Nazis burning books. And because I like that dress, a "day before the trip, panic shop" purchase at H&M

There was all kinds of soccer shenanigans around the Brandenburg Gate, which kind of made it feel less majestic and special, but it made for a memorable stroll. (Lots of happy, singing drunks!)

Does anyone else read Philip Kerr's "Bernard Gunther" series? The main character was the house detective at this hotel, the Hotel Adlon, which I didn't realize was a real place until a few weeks before the trip. Then I  was all about getting this picture taken!

Selfies with the Reichstag and our "quiet vox". Which was basically an ear piece that meant we could always hear what the guide was saying even when we wandered off, or ran ahead, or lagged behind to take pictures.

I could fill a whole post with just pictures of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Unsettling and simple and poignant.

The next day we traveled towards the boat, with a good chunk of the day spent in Potsdam at San Souci Palace and the Dutch Quarter. I had seen the gardens of San Souci during my europe trip in high school, but it was spring so nothing was in bloom. Much nicer in summer! After traveling and seeing Potsdam we finally got to the ship! And that's where we will begin tomorrow....

The Potsdam half marathon was going on and so I was waiting to cross the street during a time that would not hinder the runners. Some of the old people panicked I would get lost. I was literally 5 yards away.

Hello yellow!

Quinn loves taking pictures of doors. This is her signature shot!

We traveled for small sections on these very nice motorcoaches. Quinn and I sat in the back row everytime, for many reasons. The main one so we could goof around and snore and no would see.

Quinn had a major craving for ice tea, so we found her some and emailed the parents to tell them we were alive using the free wifi. We did try really hard to eat local after this, just needed a tea pick me up!

Little bunny friend in the Dutch Quarter!