Living the Viking Life

May 16, 2024

Our day in Regensburg was followed by an entertaining night on the ship. As always, the scenery is beautiful, and tonight we got a special treat – a viewing of Walhalla.

Both pictures were taken from the ship as we glided by. We were fortunate to have seen the monument from our dinner table, but many missed it. Our Cruise Director, Niki, could not point it out because of a Viking rule that no announcements are to be made during the dinner hour unless it is an emergency. A huge history buff who is not easily thwarted, Niki found out we were going to have to stop to wait for traffic in the lock ahead. Shortly after dinner finished, he asked the captain if he would back the ship up so everyone could see Walhalla. The captain was happy to oblige. Such is the service of this Viking crew, always ready and anxious to accommodate to be sure everyone has the best possible experience.

Walhalla was the brainchild of 20-year-old King Ludwig I. According to Wikipedia:

“By 1806 Napoleon‘s First French Empire had annexed German lands along the Rhine River and the North Sea…The War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807) pitted German forces on both sides against each other, and Napoleon again prevailed.

In 1807, 20-year-old Crown Prince Ludwig of the Kingdom of Bavaria …had the idea of reminding all Germans of their common heritage – of the great figures and events in ethnic German history…”

When Walhalla opened in 1842, 102 great German minds were honored – 24 of whom were female! King Ludwig I was very forward thinking!

Later in the evening we were treated to traditional German music, provided by a hilarious couple of guys who did a great job of encouraging audience participation.