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DAILY ITINERARY
Day 1: Monday, September 2: (Hotel
in Paris)Arrival Day:
- Walk in our home-base neighborhood:
Cross the little Solférino footbridge, enter the park of
the Jardin des Tuileries, and continue up the Champs-Elysées
for a panoramic view of the city from the top of the Arc de
Triomphe.
- Welcome apéritif.
Day 2: Tuesday, September 3: (Hotel
in Paris)
- Orsay Museum: See one of
the world's finest collections of Impressionist works and other
masterpieces of 19th century art and design.
- Orientation visit of Paris by coach.
- Visit two Gothic masterpieces: the
jewel-like Sainte-Chapelle and the impressive Notre-Dame-de-Paris
Cathedral.
- Walking tour of the Left Bank, the
"Quartier Latin": Stroll up the university students' favorite
Boulevard Saint-Michel, stop at the Cluny Museum
to see the beautiful and mysterious tapestry of the Lady and
the Unicorn, visit the Sorbonne, and return "home"
through the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Day 3: Wednesday, September 4: (Hotel
in Paris)
- Train ride to the Château de
Chantilly. Its huge collection of art work includes the original
illuminated manuscript of the "Très Riches Heures
du Duc de Berry." Visit the famous Horse Museum (perhaps
attend a dressage demonstration), and sample desserts made of
authentic "chantilly" whipped cream.
- Return to Paris for a walking tour
of Montmartre and visit of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.
- Evening: concert or show.
Day 4: Thursday, September 5 (Hotel
in Paris)Personal choice day! Possibilities include:
- Museums: the Louvre, Rodin
and/or Marmottan
- Walks: Place des Vosges (Victor
Hugo's home); Marais (Picasso
Museum and fascinating little shops); Beaubourg (recently
remodeled Centre Georges Pompidou); Saint-Germain-des-Prés
(beautiful old church, narrow streets, antique shops, restaurants).
Ask your guides for other suggestions.
- Evening boat ride on the Seine
or concert.
Day 5: Friday, September 6 (Hotel in
Honfleur)
- Beautiful country drive through
Seine Valley, stopping at Giverny to admire Monet's Garden,
at Les Andelys to see King Richard Lionheart's Château
Gaillard, and in Rouen, to see the cathedral which Monet
painted again and again as he studied the effects of changing
light.
 Day
6: Saturday, September 7 (Hotel in Bayeux)
- Guided tour of Honfleur,
picturesque port and birthplace both of Monet's mentor Eugène
Boudin and of composer Eric Satie.
- Drive through Pays d'Auge.
Its apple orchards produce delicious hard cider and the special
brandy "calvados" (possible tasting).
- Discover a few of the area's villages:
Trouville, Deauville, Beuvron-en-Auge, Dives-sur-Mer.
Day 7: Sunday, September 8 (Hotel in
Bayeux)
- Guided tour of Bayeux, see
the tapestry relating the Battle of Hastings, where Duke William
of Normandy became England's "William the Conqueror."
- Tour of Caen, William the
Conqueror's enormous Abbey for Men and his wife Mathilde's
small gem, the Abbey for Women.
- Visit the Caen "Mémorial", erected
after World War II as a Museum for Peace.
 Day
8: Monday, September 9 (Hotel in Bayeux)
- Tour the D-Day Landing Beaches and the American Cemetery
at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
- Visit the Renaissance château Fontaine-Henry, nearby
church of Thaon and WWII BBC radio studio at Creully.
Day 9: Tuesday, September
10 (Hotel on Mont-Saint-Michel)
- En route to the Mont-Saint-Michel visit Villedieu-les-Poêles,
center for copper and brass works. Stop to see its bell foundry.
- In Avranches enjoy a magnificent view across the bay to
the Mont-Saint-Michel. Stand on the platform where England's King
Henry II did penance for the murder of his Archbishop of Canterbury,
Thomas Becket.
- Guided tour of the Mont-Saint-Michel
- Evening walk around the Mont.
 Day
10: Wednesday, September 11 (Hotel in Troyes)
- Drive to Rennes, then take train to Paris and to Troyes,
site of the great Champagne Fairs, which in the Middle Ages brought
crowds of artisans, merchants, customers and performers from all
over Europe.
- Evening walk in old Troyes.
Day 11: Thursday, September 12 (Hotel
in Troyes)
- Guided visit of the center of Troyes, famous for its original
fine architecture dating from the Middles Ages and Renaissance.
- Afternoon free to wander the town's narrow, winding, medieval
streets and special neighborhoods. You may want to step into some
of Troyes' unusual museums: Tools and Crafts, Pharmacology, Hosiery
and Knitwear, and Modern Art.
 Day
12: Friday, September 13 (Hotel in Reims)
- Drive through the Champagne countryside along the "Route
du Vin de Champagne."
- Stop in Epernay for a guided visit of cellars where fine
champagne is produced, and at Hautvillers, where Dom ("Brother")
Perignan first developed the champagne process and is said to have
declared to his fellow monks, "Brothers, I am drinking stars!"
- Guided visit of Reims and its famous 13th-century Cathedral,
rebuilt to its original gothic elegance after almost complete destruction
in World War I. The cathedral holds a unique place in French history
as the site where for 600 years French kings were crowned, including
Charles VII in 1429, proudly led by Joan of Arc.
- Visit the "Salle de Reddition" in the little technical
school where in 1945 the Nazis officially capitulated to General
Eisenhower.
Day 13: Saturday, September 14 (Hotel
in Strasbourg)
- Morning: Free time to explore Reims.
- Drive east, stopping at Verdun
to see sites of the historic Battle of Verdun in World War I. Arrive
in Strasbourg in time to enjoy a hearty Alsatian dinner.
Day 14: Sunday, September 15 (Hotel in
Strasbourg)
- Guided visit of Strasbourg
followed by boat ride on the canals of the city.
- Free time to explore Strasbourg. Suggestions:
stroll in the Petite France neighborhood and admire its half-timbered
houses; climb to the top of the red sandstone Gothic Cathedral,
see its astrological clock; visit one or two of the city's excellent
museums, especially the Alsatian Museum displaying popular
arts and crafts; go into the church of St-Thomas, where Albert
Schweitzer played the organ; visit a neighborhood "winestub" to
rest and soak up the atmosphere of the local culture!
Day 15: Monday, September 16 (Hotel in
Strasbourg)
- Visits along the Alsatian Wine
Road: picturesque Obernai and the Mont-Sainte-Odile;
Ottrot and the workshop of a master craftsman who creates
intricate works of art of using inlaid woods; the feudal castle
of Haut-Koenigsbourg, completely rebuilt at the beginning
of the 20th century on orders of the German Kaiser Willhelm II-spectacular
panoramic views for those who climb to the top floor!
Day 16: Tuesday, September 17 (Hotel
in Riquewihr)
- Discover Riquewihr, outwardly
almost unchanged since winegrowers built their houses here in the
16th and 17th centuries. Possible visit of wine cellars that form
a maze of tunnels under the village.
- Optional walk through vineyards to
Hunawihr (charming hilltop church, stork preserve, butterfly
gardens)
- Visit Kaysersberg and childhood
home of Doctor Albert Schweitzer, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Day 17: Wednesday, September 18 (Hotel
in Riquewihr)
- Explore Colmar, city of art
and of good living, of fine mansions with intricate decorations,
of canals that give the name "Petite Venise" to an entire district.
Take plenty of time to see its fine Unterlinden Museum, admire
the architecture, and shop for quality Alsatian goods.
- Walking visit of Eguisheim,
one of the most picturesque villages along the Alsatian Wine Road.
Day 18: Thursday, September 19
- Drive back to Strasbourg, then
"au revoir." We will take you to the train station or other
nearby location to help you continue your travels or return home.
TOUR 5: PARIS AND THE NORTH: NORMANDY,
CHAMPAGNE, ALSACE
18 DAYS, 17 NIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 2-SEPTEMBER 19, 2002
Price: $4250.00 PER PERSON, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT $600
Deposit: $500.00
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