"I loved sitting on one
of the wooden deckchairs
forward of the bridge
with a commanding
view of the river ahead."
Clockwise, from top:
Sun Deck; the Lounge bathed in light; the
Bar at the Lounge; The Aquavit Terrace.
intimate ship. The highlight for me was the
performance in the Lounge by La Strada, a
violin-guitar trio who would grace the Royal
Albert Hall. I missed the history lecture, but
did manage to catch the fun demonstration
on how to make flammkuchen, Strasbourg's
take on pizza.
Also impressive was the spread of included
and optional shore excursions offered by the
Viking Tialfi team. I found it easy to blend the
two while still having ample time to explore
independently, with the help of the maps and
tips from guest services.
And, if I returned to the ship during the
afternoon, there was one little treat I
automatically steered towards—the freshly
baked cookies at the tea and coffee station.
and dinner meant I did not have an escalating
bill at the back of my mind if I had an extra
glass of wine.
The Viking Tialfi crew were unfailingly a
credit to the ship. You expect staff to be
courteous but the team were also happy to
chat like friends, as well as looking after any
request. I regularly bumped into Salvatore, the
ever-affable Italian hotel manager, and
enjoyed our on-the-spot conversations.
With a mix of British and North American
guests on board, plus a few Australians, the
atmosphere was easygoing. Lively talks that
started over cocktails at the bar often
continued through dinner and beyond.
One of the most pleasant surprises on the
Viking Tialfi was the amount and quality of
entertainment and enrichment on such an
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