It's Not the Distance, It's the Experience, Right?

 

March 15, 2024

 

I was looking up river cruises, both foreign and domestic. I read a Ngaio Marsh mystery set on a river cruise, and it seemed very appealing. My mom and my sister took a riverboat from Hannibal, MO to somewhere several years ago, and I always envied them. I thought I’d go on one myself. It sounded short, sweet, and fun.

 

Here are some things I found: I can go from Prague to Paris in 12 days; or from Memphis to Nashville in 8 days. These leisurely voyages offer lots stops and lots of amenities, which is nice, since a 15-hour train trip takes 12 days, and a 3-hour car trip takes 8 days. I can feel the luxury and the slow pace swamping me with a sense of relaxation and well-being right now.

 

What I can’t do is make myself pay for them. Prague to Paris: $3,500. Memphis to Nashville: $4,000.

 

Here’s the kicker: I can pay $6,000 and travel around the Great Lakes (or some of them). For $13,000 I can get all the way to Antarctica. (OK, that includes getting to Buenos Aires by air.) For $13,000, I can also get from St. Paul to New Orleans.

 

Something just seems so wrong.