Bob speaking…. If you follow us on Facebook, you know that Sue and I are on a swing through Eastern Europe right now. I want to share a personal experience that is somewhat appropriate with Veterans’ Day coming up Monday.
The photo collage above tells well more than a million words, but I’ll keep it short. The fellow on the left is my Uncle Bill (actually my mother’s Uncle). He passed away in 2009, but this photo was when he was 20 years old. Like other young Canadians of his generation, when the war in Europe broke out in 1939, he was drafted into the Canadian Air Force, and spent the next three years flying missions over occupied France.
In September of 1942, his luck ran out, and he was shot down over Dieppe. He parachuted out, and eluded capture for two weeks in enemy territory. Desperate for something to eat, he knocked on the door at a French Catholic Church, who fed him and then promptly turned him over to the Gestapo.
He was transported to Stalag 344 in Lamsdorf, where he spent the next two plus years, before being walked at gunpoint westward across Europe (on the “Death March”) in January of 1945 with the Soviet army advancing from the east.
My earliest memory of this incredible man is walking down the street with him, and running into some tourists that he had guided the day before around his home town of Banff. He wasn’t speaking to them in English or French, so I asked him what language it was, and where he learned to speak it. He told me he had been a “guest” of the Germans in the 1940s, and while he was there, learned their language.
Now (in the 1970s), his retirement job was offering German tourists guided tours of Banff. If you ever wondered why they are called the Greatest Generation, this story must answer the question.
The middle photo is me visiting the remains of his German “home” at Stalag 344 this week in what is now Lambinowice, Poland. I was able to walk the same ground my great-uncle walked more than 80 years ago, although where he had machine guns pointed at him, there wasn’t even so much as a ticket booth obstructing my visit.
I imagined walking with the 20-year-old version of my uncle, and telling him he would survive this ordeal, and go on to live a long, full life, and be a pillar of his community. I told him that the atrocities of this war were far worse than he could have imagined during his time there. I then told him that Poland was now a model of democracy with a strong, independent and free people. I let him know that thanks to him, that Europe was mostly united as another model of freedom and democracy. France and Germany now don’t have a border and share a currency.
I finally told him about my son… who is now 20-years-old (the right picture above with Sue and me in Bosnia last year). My son, who has travelled all over the world, and backpacked with his friends through Europe at the same age that Bill was when he was a prisoner of war.
My imaginary conversation with my great uncle Bill ended with me thanking him for fighting for all of us for 6 years, with 3 of those years that could only have been a living hell as prisoner of war. I told him I can’t pretend to understand his sacrifice but have immense gratitude for it. I told him I was worried that we have not learned the lessons we should have from his experience. That I was embarrassed by the anger and entitlement our current society seems to embrace. What can we possibly be angry about, if he was touring his captors around his home town only a few years after his incarceration?
Finally, I told him that the ONLY reason I am able to travel the entire world (and help others do likewise), and the only reason my 20-year-old son can run around Europe under MUCH different circumstances is because of the sacrifice he made at Stalag 344.
Bill is one of millions of veterans from many countries with similar stories. The ONLY appropriate tribute to these incredible people is to remember what they fought for, what they fought against, and just how fortunate we truly are, and that ALL of our current grievances are petty and shallow by comparison.
Today’sTravel Opportunities
AMA WATERWAYS
AMA is a great option if you’re looking for an elevated culinary experience, and like lots of options for your included shore excursions.
EASTERN EUROPE: Budapest to Bucharest departing June 23 for 7-nights
- Travel through Hungary, and then visit Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. We’re on this cruise right now if you want to follow along on Facebook.
- Optional extension to Transylvania/Dracula’s Castle and Bucharest.
- Fares from $4040 including $150 per person on board credit.
PARIS & NORMANDY departing July 5 or August 2 for 7-nights
- Start in Paris, then visit Les Andelys, Le Havre, Normandy Beaches, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Vernon (for Monet’s Gardens) before returning to Paris
- Fares from $3839 including $150 per person on board credit.
BORDEAUX WINE Cruise departing August 28 for 7-nights
- Enjoy the famed wine region, historic architecture, and ancient castles
- Fares from $4470 including $150 per person on board credit.
FRANCE: Paris, Normandy and Bordeaux back to backs for 14-nights
- Do the above 2 cruises back to back. You’re going all the way to Europe anyway, so why not take in these completely different regions of France, with all the logistics between ships taken care of.
- Visit during harvest! Depart October 2, 2025 from $8179 ($500 off)
AZAMARA Small Ship Itineraries
If you want small ships (680 guests) with immersive itineraries, then Azamara may be the right fit for you:
SOUTH AMERICA: Santiago to Buenos Aires departing February 2 for 23-nights
- Visit 6 ports in Chile, and 2 days in the Chilean Fjords, Ushuaia, a sail-by of the Antarctic Peninsula, Elephant Island, Falkland Islands, Puerto Madryn, Montevideo
- Fares from $5849 with a $750 cabin credit
ICELAND, GREENLAND, CANADA: Reykjavik to Montreal departing August 30 for 14-nights
- Visit Reykjavik (overnight), 3 ports in Greenland, St. John’s, 2 ports in Quebec Eastern townships, Quebec City before finishing in Montreal.
- Fares from $4099 with a $500 cabin credit
ITALY INTENSIVE: Nice to Venice departing October 9 for 11-nights
- Visit Florence, Pisa, Rome, Salerno, Sicily, Crotone, Taranto, Kotor.
- Fares from $4549 with $400 cabin credit
HX
Travel on the world’s first Hybrid Electric cruise ships, with only 500 guests to the remote corners of the globe.
REMOTE ALASKA from Vancouver to Anchorage departing May 29 for 13-days
- Depart Vancouver, sail the Inside Passage, then to Misty Fjords, Wrangell, Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, Haines, William Henry Bay, Sitka, Icy Bay, Cordova.
- Fares from $6027
Includes drinks with meals, wifi, gratuities, and outdoor gear.
See our ship tour video here: https://youtu.be/1L_ByDqhGR0
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS and Quito for 9-days
- 2-nights in Quito, then fly to Galapagos (included in fare) for 6 nights. Visit Mosquera Inlet, Santa Fe, South Plaza, Santa Cruz, Charles Darwin Research Station in Port Ayora, Espanola Island, Eden Islet.
- $7456 for departures May through August
TAUCK DOMESTIC LAND CRUISES
Michigan Lakes and Mackinac Island from Traverse City to Detroit for 8-days
- Visit Traverse City (for the sand dunes, vineyards, and sandy beaches), Petoskey, Mackinac island, Midland, Bay City, Frankenmuth Bavarian Village, Dearborn (for Henry Ford Museum), Detroit.
- Departures from May through October from $5290 per person.
SOUTHEAST from Jacksonville to Charleston for 8-days
- Visit St. Augustine, Jekyll Island, Savannah, Beaufort.
- Departures March through October from $4990
FREE AIR Promo with VIKING
It’s NOT unusual to see Viking offer FREE AIR. It IS unusual to see it to these destinations:
JAPAN & ALASKA. Toyko to Vancouver departing April 17 for 26-days
- Visit Tokyo (overnight), Sapporo (overnight), Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Seward, Valdez, Yakutat Bay, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, then sail the Inside Passage to Vancouver
- Fares from $4999 ($3000 off) including Free Air. This is a repositioning cruise, and the cost per day is unheard of.
AUSTRALIA & BALI. Sydney to Bali departing March 21 for 17-days
- Visit Newcastle, Brisbane, Whitsunday Islands, Townsville, Cairns, Thursday Island, Darwin (overnight), Komodo NP, Lambok.
- Optional 6-night pre-trip land extension to Ayers Rock and Port Douglas.
- Fares from $7499 with Free Air.
EGYPT. Round-trip Cairo for 12-days with several departures February to June
- Do 3-nights in Cairo (for the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids & Sphinx, then fly to Luxor to board the ship, and visit the temples of Karnak and Luxor, Qena, Valley of the Kings, Esna, Aswan, Felucca Ride, Edfu.
- Fares from $5999 with Free Air.
In Case You Missed It:
Do you need a visa to visit Europe? https://pamperedcruiser.com/do-you-need-a-visa-for-europe-or-the-uk/
Mediterranean in the off-season? There will be fewer crowds, for sure, but what else do you need to consider? https://pamperedcruiser.com/quiet-season-mediterranean/
Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?
Earlier this year, Viking replaced its Book on Board program with the BON VOYAGE incentive. This allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 2 weeks BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so:
- $100 per person on board credit
- 6-month final payment date
- $100 per person OFF one-week cruises, and bigger discounts for longer itineraries.
We made a short video about the Bon Voyage Program if you’d like more details:
Contact us to book your NEXT VIKING CRUISE
Latest YouTube Post: AMA Waterways Shore Excursions
Bob sits down with Kristin Karst – Co-Founder, Owner, and EVP at AMA to discuss how they do their shore excursions differently than the other river cruise lines in Europe:https://youtu.be/YK30TUkkueY
Have something to say about this?
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
