... The chief welcomed us with open arms to join in the celebration of a young man becoming a senior warrior. It involved lots of dancing and singing ...

We were not disappointed in our first game rides for the trip, at Tarangire National Park. ... Highlights were the many elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and lions, ...

... We followed a mother leopard and her offspring for several hundred yards, from barely visible in the grass to up close as they climbed a tree. ...

... Here we found an abundance of zebras, wildebeest, gazelles and buffalo; as well as many water birds on the shores of Lake Madagi. ...

... While the animal sightings were spectacular and exciting the lasting impression we were left with was of the warm, welcoming people ...

... we thoroughly enjoyed the entire trip, with spectacular scenery, castles and cathedrals; a comfortable ship with 145 friendly fellow travelers and wonderful food; helpful and knowledgeable program leaders and guides; ...

... we passed through one of the most picturesque sections of the Rhine in the dark, so the next morning we were bused back along the Rhine valley to see the many castles on the adjacent hills. ...

... After lunch we had a guided tour of the Heidelberg Castle built around 1300 on a hill overlooking the city. ...

Our last stop before leaving the Main River was the city of Bamberg, founded in 902. With more than 2,000 listed historical buildings Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ...

...We then crossed the Stone Bridge and walked along the other side of the three arms of the Danube, enjoying beautiful parkland on our way back to the ship. ...

... After the walking tour we rode and walked to the 104-acre site of the Oktoberfest for the very crowded last day of the 16-day event. ...

... From Melk we continued on to Vienna, taking a longer route along the Danube through the beautiful Wachau Valley with terraced vineyards, small villages, and occasional castle ruins ...

... the tour included London, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, Chester, York, Whitby, Lake District, Llangollen, Snowdonia, Carnavon, and Edinburgh ...

... we arrived at our hotel next to both the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Our room overlooked the gilded Royal Rowbarge Gloriana in a Thames River marina ...

On the day we visited Stonehenge the weather ranged intermittently from dull overcast to bright sunshine with heavy rainstorms passing nearby, all adding to the mystique ...

In Llagollen we learned about the Welsh Love Spoon tradition dating from the 17th century ...

We had a delicious lunch at another York institution, Betty's Tea Rooms, before spending much of the afternoon at the National Rail Museum ...

Towering above the town are the ruins of Whitby Abbey, inspiration for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

Dominated by Edinburgh Castle which sits atop 250-foot high cliffs on three sides, the old town developed on the gently sloping fourth side where residents could retreat quickly to the castle in times of attack.

The next day we set off on an all-day drive through the highlands to Loch Ness, with rain on and off all day broken up by occasional bright sunshine.

In addition to all the wonderful sights and experiences of Paris, a highlight of the trip was exploring the locations where Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet painted many of their masterpieces.

Our time in Paris was short but magical. We enjoyed every minute of the guided bus, walking and boat tours, and our free time exploring the many attractions.

Along the way we stopped in Conflans and Auvers for Van Gogh sites, Vernon and Giverny for Monet's garden, Les Andelys for Richard the Lionheart's Castle, and Rouen for a home-hosted visit.

In the next phase of our journey we remembered and honored those who secured our freedom in World War II as we toured the beaches of Normandy.

Mont Saint-Michel was certainly the highlight of our time in Brittany. Dating from 1084 the magnificent Abbey sits atop a 250-foot high granite island.

The fjord cruise and Lapland were among the highlights, but the entire tour was incredibly scenic.

Highlights included the Rosenborg Castle, Royal Palaces, Tivoli Gardens, the Viking Ship Museum in nearby Roskilde, and Freetown Christiana.

Norway highlights included the futuristic Oslo Opera House, the amazing Vigeland Sculpture Park, and the amazing scenery of the Flåm Railway and Bergen.

On the Hurtigruten fjord cruise the scenery while cruising and while ashore was spectacular...

From Lapland in the far north of Finland to Helsinki in the far south we learned about the Sámi people and culture, reindeer farming, and an amazing city library.

In addition to the beautiful scenery, highlights included learning the history of the Yukon gold rush, and watching many bears feeding on salmon in Kenai National Park.

From Skagway we rode the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway up the historic White Pass into Canada

Dawson retains much of the character of the original frontier town.

In Denali National Park the backcountry ride in an old school bus provided magnificent views of the colorful terrain and a good deal of wildlife along the way ...

Katmai was by far the highlight of our trip.

We enjoyed a relaxing, scenic, and very educational river cruise on the Danube River through five Eastern Europe countries ...

Our journey started with two days in Romania's capital city of Bucharest, followed by a day in the Black Sea port city of Constanța where we boarded our ship.

In Bulgaria we spent time in three towns, Veliko Tarnovo, Arbanasi, and Vidin.

Our destination was Belgrade, but first we had to pass through two sets of locks and the Iron Gates gorge ...

Vukovar was almost entirely razed during the 1991 Croatian war of independence, and much of our tour was focused on that event.

The last city on our tour, Budapest, was by far the most scenic, especially at night.