A Different Pace

Her adventurous parents sparked a desire to see the world. But as they've gotten older, Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon is learning to slow down.

- Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon

THE CLOUDS WERE upside down-or at least that's how they seemed to me. I was three years old, flying for the first time from the U.K. to Jamaica, looking down at the puffs in the sky below us. It was the first of many trips with my parents during a childhood punctuated with transatlantic cruises, European vacations, and frequent trips to visit family in the Caribbean. I credit my dad, Tony, and mom, Peta, not only with igniting my desire to explore but also for giving me the confidence to do so. Now they are in their eighties and moving more slowly than they once did, and I'm reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that we may not have many more opportunities to travel together.

I set about brainstorming. My first thought was an ocean cruise, something both my parents have enjoyed in the past. But the idea of being aboard a large ship with endless activities, numerous decks to navigate, and thousands of other passengers, felt overwhelming to me.

Instead, I suggested a European river cruise, a weeklong itinerary aboard the Viking Forseti that started and ended in Bordeaux, France. We would sail the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, past beautiful vineyards and châteaux. And with only four decks, the 95-cabin vessel would, I hoped, be easy for us all to handle.