In September we went on a Viking trip from Geneva Switzerland to Paris, France. Geneva is set on Lake Geneva. There are beautiful views of the mountains across the lake, and the geyser-like Jet d"Eau which shoots water 460 feet in the air. The International district has the International Red Cross, the UN's European headquarters and Unicef. The Reformation Wall honors those individuals who led the Protestant Reformation. The Place de la Madeleine is great for sightseeing and the famous clock made of flowers, was created as a symbol for Geneva's watch making tradition.

We went wine tasting at the picturesque Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, toured the Olympics Museum in Lausanne which houses the largest collection of Olympic items in the world

We enjoyed the cog train trip up to the Matterhorn in Zermatt. It started to snow part way up and when we got to the top it was a white out. We never got to see the Matterhorn. Zermatt is a lovely town with red flowers filling the window boxes.

From Zermatt we took the Glacier Express, "the slowest fast train" through the beautiful Alps to Zurich. The city is a financial center but also very scenic.

The cog train to Jungfrau and Eiger Mountains was amazing. The views were gorgeous.

From Basel we boarded the Viking ship. We sailed on the Rhine River to Strasbourg, France. It is a city of both German and French influence.

From Speyer, Germany we took a tour to Heidelberg and Martin Luther's Worms. Worms is the place where Martin Luther was declared a heretic. The Imperial Worms Cathedral is beautiful. Heidelberg, on the Neckar River, has the oldest university in Germany, founded in 1386.

In Mainz, Germany we toured the city and the Gutenberg Museum. The St. Stephen's Church houses the beautiful blue stained glass windows created by Marc Chagall.

We continued on the Rhine River to Koblenz, which is at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. The Moselle is very picturesque with many vineyards and castles lining the hills above the river.

The Reichsburg Castle stands above the city of Cochem in Germany. The view from the castle, the wine tasting and kayaking on the Moselle are the highlights.

Bernkastel is called the "Pearl of the Moselle", with medieval squares and half timbered houses. Trier was once the regional captal of the Holy Roman Empire. Constantine built great churces and cathedrals there. Trier is Germany's oldest city.

In Luxembourg we toured the military cemetery and the lovely town. The massive Porta Nigra are the remains of the Roman city gates.

From Luxembourg we boarded a bus for the four hour drive to Paris. We toured Paris by day and night. We enjoyed the tour of the Palace of Versailles. We had a delicious dinner and amazing cabaret show at the Paradis Latin. We visited Sacre-de-Coeur. Then walked around Montmartre Hill, where various artists were showing their craft.