It all started with the TV show Downton Abbey. My wife and I looked forward to each Sunday night episode. Unbeknown to us, Torstein Hagen, CEO of Viking Cruise Line had made a strategic decision to advertise on PBS, specifically just before each new episode of Downton Abbey.
Just prior to the beginning of each episode, without fail, we'd hear:
Sailing a great river, past extraordinary landscapes, into the heart of iconic cities, is a journey for the curious traveler. One that many have yet to discover. Exploring with Viking brings you closer to the world, to the history, the culture, the flavors. A serene river voyage, on an elegant Viking longship. Learn more at viking.com.
We both agreed we'd like to do one of those cruises. Before long, I did go to viking.com. I signed up to have their brochures sent to us. With each new brochure/booklet, we look through them and it just increased our desire.
This was pre-retirement and a unique thing happened. I was working a local two-year college. We had recently been merged into Georgia State University. After some time, it was discovered that the university's pay scale, for the same exact position, was much more. The pay scale was eventually brought into line. We were pleased. Even better, the pay was retroactive to the date of the merger. It was a fairly good chunk of money, enough to pay for a Viking River Cruise! That settled it, we were going to do this.
The next step, determine which Viking River cruise to do.
Little did we know how much this would impact our trips in retirement!
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