It was dawn on day 3…..and there to greet us as we’d pulled back our stateroom curtain was the most amazing sunrise. It lit up the whole sky with the most beautiful colour display.

It  illuminated the entire landscape as it reflected magnificently in the tranquil waters of the Rhine. Oh and I do so love a beautiful sunrise.

I watched in awe at its unfolding beauty, just marvelling at the wonders of nature while capturing these precious moments on my beloved camera.

Back at home we usually arise early. Afterall, we often have to rush to get organized for a busy day at work.

Here on the Viking Tor Longship we knew we could be sleeping in. Mornings were very relaxed and so far we’d been having the most wonderful holiday; a time where all we really needed to do was simply reflect on the days weather, leisurely dress in some comfortable clothes (thankfully Viking promotes casual dressing) and saunter off down to the Main Dining Room, or alternatively, up to the Main Lounge/Aquavit Terrace for some breakfast.

But on this particular morning, the first light of the day was doing an extremely good job of distracting us and putting on a most spectacular display.

We were currently sailing towards Cologne (Koln as it’s called in Germany) which I believe is about the fourth largest city in Germany (Population of about 1.017 million; land Area 405 kilometers square).

Our breakfasts on Viking were friendly social events; there were fellow travelers to greet, dining preferences to be decided, a day’s itinerary to be pondered and many new interests to be explored.

Our food choices allowed for either a light continental or full cooked breakfast (the choice of course was up to you). A delicious buffet was always at the ready especially if you just wanted to save time rather than ordering from the more extensive menu.

Personally dearly beloved and I always liked to mix it up a little. Sometimes we’d simply choose from the buffet. At other times we liked to choose from the main breakfast menu.

I recall the “Eggs Benedict” was simply delicious.

Although you know, when I think about it now, I really do believe I may have caused those poor Viking waiters a wee bit of grief. I always like to order my “Eggs Benedict” rock hard…no runny yolks for me thank you very much. But as everyone knows a hard poached egg always takes much longer to cook….. and especially when someone wants it as hard as I do.

Now in hindsight, I think perhaps those lovely waiters may  have actually preferred to duck for cover when they saw me coming!! Ah but in reality they were always so gracious.

Despite this it was always breakfast with a smile even if they were moaning under that polite outer shell!!

We really enjoyed the magical slowness of these mornings on our Longship. Many of us just liked to simply sit, to catch up on the daily news from back home, pen a post card or two, or simply chat……..we’d often wile away an hour or so just watching the river go by as we anticipated what lay ahead.

Soon after this it would be off with a WHOOSH as we readied for the “soar and explore” sightseeing agenda of this new exciting day.