This summer we are going to do something we've never done. We are taking a riverboat cruise down the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest. We figured if we wanted see the Balkans before it's too dangerous to go there, we'd better get going. Our friend Simone planted the seed of the idea for this excursion. She and her husband, Ion, are from Romania. One evening, we were at their home for dinner and they were talking about their homeland. Suzanne and I immediately thought that would be an interesting place to visit and a fun trip.
We found a river cruise on Viking that offered us a two-for-one cruise fare with a $150.00 round trip airfare, on KLM, no less. So we we booked it. Then, too late to change our tickets, we got an invitation to march in the Joan of Arc parade in Orléans, France.
Unsurprisingly, the opportunity to participate in the 588th Fête de Jeanne d'Arc in Orléans, was too alluring to pass. So, we are going to jump the return trip at Amsterdam, stay two days there, go by train to Paris, rent a car and drive to Troyes, stay two days and drive to Orléans. For those of you who don't know, Orléans, France and New Orleans, LA recently became sister cities. No one understands why it took them 300 years to make the connection. The New Orleans Joan of Arc Mardi Gras Krewe that we belong to has been invited to participate in the 588th Celebration of Joan of Arc raising the English siege at Orléans on May 8th. Additionally, I've been invited to participate in a photo exhibition in celebration of the "twinning" of Orléans and New Orleans.
