We are looking forward to beginning our cruise on the Zaandam, a Holland America (HAL) ship. This is an historic cruise in more than one way. No matter your political leanings, the current President of the United States had issued an Executive Order, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Not only that, but due to issues concerning Panama’s control of the Panama Canal, it is once again coming under American control. As this will be our second crossing of the Panama Canal, it will be interesting to learn of the cost associated with the US now controlling it. We will also be joining this cruise for the first time as “5-Star Mariners” which we consider the most important aspect of this adventure. Members of Tom’s family will be joining us as well: Dave and Paula Potter and Randy and Sally Lovell. This may be our best cruise yet!

We are ever so grateful for beginning our traveling adventures 10 years ago, taking our first TransAtlantic cruise nestled into an inside cabin, and, once disembarking in Barcelona, Spain, spending the next 6 months traveling around Europe, allowing ourselves only one suitcase each. Gradually, our adventures have become less “aggressive”, leaving the “Go-Go” years and heading into the “Go-Slow” years. There are a few challenges ahead as we are firmly ensconced in our “Golden Years” with unexpected events affecting our agility but not our resilience.

Our motto has served us well: Postpone Nothing!

November 17, 2025: Memphis, TN and the end our our tour

We made a pilgrimage to Graceland on our last full day in Memphis. Our first stop was the massive complex where we received our tickets to tour the mansion, but first were ushered into a small theatre to view a short film on the history of the life and times of Elvis Presley and his impact on the American culture. A shuttle bus took us to Graceland where we joined a small group and entered the home.

Graceland was an eclectic mix of elegance and the 1970s decorating trend, described as “the decade that taste forgot”. Carpeting on the walls, fabric on walls and ceilings, Polynesian Furniture giving the “Jungle Room” its moniker. Overall, it was a journey back in time in the home of a legendary figure.

Outside was Vernon’s office and a shooting range (former smokehouse). There were acres of horse pastures and a few horses grazing.

The Meditation Garden is where Elvis, his grandfather, mother, father, daughter and grandson are buried. 

The complex boasted a small racketball building and a separate facility housing historical information on Elvis that included his family, life experiences, outrageous furniture, entertainment costumes and a host of other memorabilia.

We left Graceland and headed back to the complex where we wandered through collections of cars, motorcycles and boats. There were 6 gift shops that needed to be explored as well.

Back to the Westin to regroup and check out a lunch spot near Beale Street. The Majestic fit the bill, on Main Street off the trolley track. Sadly, the trolley system is no longer functioning due to funding issues but that meant we needed to walk off our indulgences!

Michael and Kathy returned late afternoon, after their Graceland tour. Our last happy hour in Memphis found us finishing off our last bottle of champagne gratis from Viking and heading out the door to walk Beale Street for our last time, tucking in to Silky O’Sullivans for brews and bites as well as to be entertained by dueling pianos and the “Irish Diving Goats” (not as famous as the Peabody’s Ducks but close!).

This was truly a memorable trip, learning more about the Blues, discovering charming small towns, the history of the Mississippi River and the role it played in forming this great nation. Having Michael and Kathy along made this a very special adventure!

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As this was our first experience with Viking, here are a few photos from the ship:

November 16, 2024: Rosedale to Memphis, TN

The cruise portion of our adventure ended Saturday morning. We left Rosedale on a bus heading to Memphis, TN but it wasn’t an ordinary bus ride. It was an 8-hour excursion, “Mississippi Sings the Blues” that took us along the Mississippi Blues Trail, traveling through the Delta dotted with historic markers informing us of the men, women and places that are part of the American blues heritage. Our guide played blues selections throughout our journey on Route 61, describing the background of each musician while we listened. Passing through the very flat Delta, we learned that in the rich top soil could be up to 60-feet deep in some areas, making this an extraordinarily fertile farming region. History, music—what’s not to love

Our first stop was at historic Dockery Farms, considered the birthplace of the blues. We were given highlights of Charley Patton’s life along with other blues pioneers by the caretaker/storyteller of this “museum”. He reported learning and writing about this era from a 98-year old former slave when he was just 10 years old. 

We were back on the bus and, traveling to Clarksdale, MS, the reputed “Blues Crossroads”, where we enjoyed lunch at Ground Zero. Big A, a local blues artist, serenaded us with song after song while we sipped local ale and munched on fried tomato sandwiches with “gitback” sauce. Yum!

Before reboarding the bus, we toured the Delta Blues Museum then strolled to the Cat Head shop to pick out a book and buy Big A’s cd. Support local artists!

Onward to Tunica, our last stop before leaving Mississippi. Tunica is recognized as the Gateway to the Blues and boasts a museum loaded with exhibits involving all things “Blues”. The history is fascinating and I now know what I didn’t, which is volumes! 

We arrived in Memphis in time to meet Kathy and Michael and grab a bite on Beale Street. What an adventure!

November 15, 2024: Greenville

We arrived in Greenville, tying up to the levee just before 11am after cruising the entire night. Greenville is considered the “Heart of the Delta”, a flat region stretching 200 miles from Memphis to Vicksburg along the Mississippi. The alluvial plain is an area that distributes the flood waters of the river during times of heavy rain.

Today was the last full day of the Viking Mississippi cruise and it was an action packed adventure. Passengers were transported just a few blocks away from the ship to the Jake and Freda Stein Auditorium where we were treated to a Big Delta Party. While listening to Blues and Country music, we were treated to a real Southern-style lunch consisting of hot tamales, fried catfish and hush puppies, pulled pork, coleslaw, mac n’ cheese, ending with banana pudding. A sample of moonshine was delivered and was quite tasty (diluted with a fruity beverage). Entertainment was provided by singer/songwriter Steve Azar, a native of Greenville and a driving force behind this city’s resurgence.

This region boasts many well-known personalities. Jim Henson was born a few miles from Greenville and played along the banks of the Mississippi. He used left over green cloth to create a puppet named after his friend, Kermit. Jake Stein took the store created by his father and expanded Steinmart countrywide.

After strolling through the art and craft gallery and taking a brief swirl on the carousel, we joined a walking tour around Greenville proper then out to the Cypress Preserve before reboarding the ship. The tour covered 5 areas in downtown, within a couple blocks of each other. The 1927 Flood Museum was small but packed with information about the devastating flood that covered the first floor of most buildings for months. Most talk about this flood as if it happened yesterday, however due to the catastrophic nature of the flood (130-foot wall of water)it was considered to be the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history and not easily forgotten.

The Greenville History Museum was packed with late 19th and 20th Century historic artifacts. It began as one resident’s passion and developed into an amazing cultural collection of memorabilia and archives.

The Hebrew Union Temple is more of a museum than an active temple. As in many small cities, the population practicing a formal religion is dwindling. Walking into the heart of the temple is like walking into a jewel box. Gorgeous stained glass windows, lighting fixtures, red carpeting and an amazing museum-quality collection from its founding in 1867. We were given a tour and learned more about life here in Greenville and family members affected by the Holocaust, a world away. 

Greenville is home to a number of famous writers. The William Alexander Percy Memorial Library features the Greenville Writers Exhibit and includes their books and manuscripts.

Our final stop was the Cypress Preserve, a 16-acre unique urban forest with hiking trails and observation decks. Contained in the preserve is a “flood water pole” which gives visual information on the height of the flood waters at various times during catastrophic events. Today, evidence of a drought was everywhere as the foot bridges and trails were usually elevated above water. We were able to see the Cypress “knees” and full trunk of the trees with no water to be found.

We left Greenville, heading back to the levee and the Viking Mississippi where we would spend our last night on board.

We started the day celebrating Tom’s birthday, breakfasting in the dining room and joining a walking tour of Vicksburg. We had toured the Vicksburg Battleground in the spring of 2023 so we decided to learn more about the history of the city itself.

Our tour guides played host/hostess by inviting the group into their unique home: two cottages joined together as one home. Bertram Davis is a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis and has a few artifacts displayed in the home as well as a genealogy poster. 

Walking back up Main Street, we stopped in to Christ Episcopal Church to view Tiffany stained glass windows and learn more about the lack of damage during the 47 days of continuous bombing by the Union troops during the Civil War. When Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, people began to return to their homes to rebuild their lives. July 4th celebrations were not performed here for decades.

Our last stop was touring the Martha Vick home, completely restored to its original decor by the owner’s father in the 1980s. She and her husband live in the home, in separate quarters that were not original to the house but did incorporate the former outside kitchen into the addition. It was a beautiful day to take a walk through history.

Tom’s birthday celebration continued back on the ship with a tour of the ship’s bridge (yes, time has moved on from the early 70s!), a birthday cake in our room along with another bottle of champagne. Kathy had organized a tour of the Bridge (pilot house) for Tom and Michael. Tom’s days in the Navy did not prepare him for the technological changes in navigation. Steering with a joy stick—incredible! Back to the restaurant for dinner of lobster tails and chateaubriand and yet another birthday cake; this one chocolate. Yikes! 

November 13, 2024: Natchez

Natchez is really a small town, boasting a population of around 19,000. It has a storied history, as many Southern areas have, but also has some unique characters and characteristics that we learned more about during our stay at the town built on the bluffs of the Mississippi River.

We headed to Stratton Chapel where a treasure trove of photographs were displayed. These dated back to the early days of Natchez where Henry C. Norman, a young photographer, opened his own studio in 1870. He documented life in and around Natchez where he caught people at work and in personal moments. His work would have been lost had it not been for Dr. Gandy, who in the 1970s purchased the Norman negatives. The result was hundreds of photographs, now framed and displayed in the upper floor of Stratton Chapel. They were amazing!

We continued on to tour the Magnolia Hall, built by Thomas Henderson in 1858. He was a Scottish Immigrant who made his fortune in cotton. Another magnificent home with 14’ high ceilings, 26 stairs to the 2nd story (the children learned their ABCs by naming a letter on each step!). Although most of the furnishings were of the period, there was one outstanding original piece—the bookcase. This was returned to Magnolia Hall by a distant relative living in North Carolina.

Our last stop before returning to the ship was at the Civil Rights Monument, “Proud to Take a Stand”, dedicated to the Natchez citizens who were wrongfully incarcerated, specifically recognizing the 1965 Parchman Ordeal. A brief summary: a number of African American citizens were peacefully marching to the mayor’s office to present their demands under the newly signed Civil Rights Act. They were arrested, thrown into the Natchez Auditorium then bused to Parchman penitentiary. The irony was that people of color were not allowed to step foot inside the Auditorium before this.

November 12, 2024: St. Francisville

The Viking Mississippi tied up at the levee near St. Francisville. We boarded a shuttle to briefly check out the small town, population reported to be about 1,000. The 30-minute ride took us across the Mississippi River, past sugar cane fields and cattle pastures. It is the first day of sugar cane harvesting season so we had an opportunity to view vast acres of this valuable product before it was all cut down.

The bus dropped us off by the Town Office, confirming the pickup schedule being every half hour. As we were scheduled for an afternoon excursion to Rosedown Plantation, we covered a couple blocks and explored a few stores.

The most entertaining was the local pizza shop where we stopped for bottled water. The local bus guide told us about a speak easy connected to the pizza shop. Although it was closed until 4pm, the cashier led us down the hall and stood in front of an armoire. Once opened, it led into a charming space, owned and decorated by a local woman. Too bad we couldn’t indulge!

After our return to the ship, having lunched at the River Café, we again walked up the levy and boarded a bus to Rosedown Plantation. It had been fully restored by an Exxon heiress in the 1960s and is the “one of the most intact plantation complexes in the Southern USA”. The tour guide claimed that 90% of the furnishings were original to the 1835 historic home. Elegant gardens and a stunning entrance were created to impress—and they did!

November 11, 2024: Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Capitol

We explored Baton Rouge, the capitol of Louisiana, and learned more about this great state. The 4-hour afternoon excursion took us from the parking lot of a former steamboat-turned-casino that currently joins a newly built Queen Casino, past Huey Long’s White House replica, to the Capitol Park Museum.

Although we wanted more than just the 1.5 hour allotted time, we made the most of it by first beginning on the 3rd level’s exhibit, “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America” then made our way down to, “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation”.

Politics, Cajun culture, music, agriculture, outdoor recreation, on and on and on! So much to see here! Back on the bus after snapping a quick photo of the tallest capitol building in the country, we rode through the Spanish Town neighborhood and on to the grounds of Louisiana State University (LSU). Scott, our tour guide, just happened to be an alum. We stopped to check out Mark VI, the tiger mascot who lives splendidly in an enormous enclosure complete with a swimming pool.

November 10, 2024: Darrow, LA

We had settled in to our stateroom and spent our first night cruising the river, barely noticing the ship’s movement. The ship had tied up near a huge levee before we got out of bed. Up, showered, breakfasted and on to our first excursion: The Houmas House and Gardens.

We were able to walk from the ship, up and over a levy and on to a walkway leading to the grounds of this former sugar plantation. Burnside, an Irish stowaway at age 12, had amassed a fortune prior to the Civil War and had the mansion built, displaying his wealth.

There is a much deeper history here and well worth exploring either in person or online. We toured the home then strolled around a small portion of the extensive grounds. Back on the ship for lunch before embarking on our next adventure:  the Cajun Swamp Experience!

A half hour bus ride brought us to the pontoon boats where we boarded, motored and listened to a true Cajun (needed a translator for sure!). Captain Tom was never at a loss for words or stories. We learned about the extensive swamp system, saw raccoons, wild pigs and many many alligators. It seems their favorite food (aside from chicken) was marshmallows.

We cruised by a 1915 cemetery where victims of the Spanish Flu were buried. Further on, the remains of an old swamp home and a replica of a Houmas Tribe tepee. We were given the opportunity to see a baby alligator up close and personal, along with its favorite food, crayfish. Definitely a fun experience!

November 9, 2024: Walking Tour and Embarkation

Before joining the Viking Mississippi, we went on a “literary” walking tour of the French Quarter. It was a 2-hour fact filled, amusing tour led by Sandi, a spitfire of a woman who was born and raised in New Orleans. We began at the birthplace of New Orleans, claimed for King Louis XIV “and his mother Anna” (Louis-Anna). We took a minute to snap photos of bustling Jackson Square then onward, past Café du Monde and towards the French Market.

Orleans, France, is the sister city of New Orleans, so no surprise to see Joan of Arc or “Joanie on a Pony” as the locals have named her. From Decatur to Royal, led past homes with elaborate wrought iron fence and balcony railings, stopping in front of a few that had a special place in this city’s history. After walking past the Cornstalk Fence Hotel, we strolled to “The House of the Rising Sun” made famous in a song by the Animals. Rumored to have received the moniker as young men had to be home and at the breakfast table “before the sun rose” after a night frolicking with the ladies. We ended our tour at Jackson Square, near the former home of William Faulkner.

On the bus and off to the port where we checked in to the Viking Mississippi and began exploring the ship. We had an exceptional meal in the main dining room after listening to a jazz trio in an area designated as “The Living Room”.