London, Normandy & Paris
London
Highlighting our tour will be Big Ben and Parliament, Trafalgar Square with the Lord Nelson Column, Westminster Abbey, and of course, Piccadilly Circus. Next we will visit the medieval masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, including the transepts, porticos, towers and domes. We will learn of its fascinating transition from the ruins of the Great Fire in 1666 to its present grandeur and the place where Diana married Prince Charles in 1981. We also take a pause in the American Memorial Chapel dedicated in 1958 (with President Eisenhower present) to those service personnel (based in Britain) that died during WWII.
An excursion to the famous White Cliffs on the coast of southeastern England. Composed of soft, white chalk, the cliffs stretch a distance of 16 miles and are an iconic symbol of England as well as the site of the historic Dunkirk evacuation during WWII. A visit Dover Castle where we are able to view the Secret Wartime Tunnels. We stop in the medieval city of Canterbury where we enjoy a guided walking tour of town and cathedral.
Off to the Tower of London where we will see the crown jewels and learn something about the lives of child-king Richard II and of Henry VIII. Next we visit the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. Here we discover the original Cabinet War Rooms, the wartime bunker that sheltered Churchill and his government during the Blitz.
Highlighting our tour will be Big Ben and Parliament, Trafalgar Square with the Lord Nelson Column, Westminster Abbey, and of course, Piccadilly Circus. Next we will visit the medieval masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, including the transepts, porticos, towers and domes. We will learn of its fascinating transition from the ruins of the Great Fire in 1666 to its present grandeur and the place where Diana married Prince Charles in 1981. We also take a pause in the American Memorial Chapel dedicated in 1958 (with President Eisenhower present) to those service personnel (based in Britain) that died during WWII.
An excursion to the famous White Cliffs on the coast of southeastern England. Composed of soft, white chalk, the cliffs stretch a distance of 16 miles and are an iconic symbol of England as well as the site of the historic Dunkirk evacuation during WWII. A visit Dover Castle where we are able to view the Secret Wartime Tunnels. We stop in the medieval city of Canterbury where we enjoy a guided walking tour of town and cathedral.
Off to the Tower of London where we will see the crown jewels and learn something about the lives of child-king Richard II and of Henry VIII. Next we visit the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. Here we discover the original Cabinet War Rooms, the wartime bunker that sheltered Churchill and his government during the Blitz.
Normandy
Today we are following in the steps of many of the allied forces to Portsmouth, where we leave by ferry for the Normandy area of France, a journey that many of the allied forces would have made. Once on mainland Europe, we transfer by bus to Bayeux, our home for the next 3 nights, where we begin our stay with a short orientation tour of the town, including a visit to the impressive Bayeux Tapestry.
A morning visit the Caen Peace Memorial, dedicated to the Normandy invasion. We visit the German artillery battery and observation post (used in the filming of “The Longest Day”) at Longues-sur-Mer and Arromanches where one of the Mulberry Harbors was constructed and where its remains can still be seen today, just a few hundred yards from the shore. A busy day is on the agenda today as we continue to explore the sites of the D-Day invasion; the greatest amphibious assault ever attempted and the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Third Reich. Our first stop is the American Cemetery and Memorial situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach. The cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom gave their lives during the landings and ensuing operations of World War II. At Pointe du Hoc, we view the German fortifications where courageous U.S. Rangers climbed the cliffs against incredible odds and overwhelmed the defenders. We also visit St Mere Eglise considered to be the first town liberated in France on the 6th of June and also depicted in the film “The Longest Day. From there it is onto Utah Beach, the site of the first allied beach landings on D Day.
Today we are following in the steps of many of the allied forces to Portsmouth, where we leave by ferry for the Normandy area of France, a journey that many of the allied forces would have made. Once on mainland Europe, we transfer by bus to Bayeux, our home for the next 3 nights, where we begin our stay with a short orientation tour of the town, including a visit to the impressive Bayeux Tapestry.
A morning visit the Caen Peace Memorial, dedicated to the Normandy invasion. We visit the German artillery battery and observation post (used in the filming of “The Longest Day”) at Longues-sur-Mer and Arromanches where one of the Mulberry Harbors was constructed and where its remains can still be seen today, just a few hundred yards from the shore. A busy day is on the agenda today as we continue to explore the sites of the D-Day invasion; the greatest amphibious assault ever attempted and the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Third Reich. Our first stop is the American Cemetery and Memorial situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach. The cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom gave their lives during the landings and ensuing operations of World War II. At Pointe du Hoc, we view the German fortifications where courageous U.S. Rangers climbed the cliffs against incredible odds and overwhelmed the defenders. We also visit St Mere Eglise considered to be the first town liberated in France on the 6th of June and also depicted in the film “The Longest Day. From there it is onto Utah Beach, the site of the first allied beach landings on D Day.
Paris
Today we drive to Paris, the City of Lights. En route we stop at the medieval city of Rouen, to view the square where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. We have a break for lunch on our own before continuing on to the village of Giverny. Here we visit the carefully restored gardens and home of impressionist painter, Claude Monet. Paintings of the Japanese bridge and of water lilies come to life as we stroll amid the colors which inspired Monet. We finish the day in France’s bustling capitol, Paris. Our day begins with a locally-guided panoramic tour of Paris including its renowned landmarks: the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, and the Champs-Élysées. Our tour includes an inside visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. The afternoon is free to continue our exploration of this historically and culturally rich city. The possibilities are endless. Art lovers with an interest in Impressionism will want to visit the Museums d’Orsay and de l’Orangerie des Tuileries with their works by Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne among others. Photographers gain a spectacular city view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. For shoppers there are the famed department stores Lafayette and Printemps. And for people watchers, a stroll along the banks of the Seine or seated at a sidewalk café in the Latin Quarter is just the ticket. Dinner tonight is on our own.
We have a full day free to continue our exploration of Paris.
Today we drive to Paris, the City of Lights. En route we stop at the medieval city of Rouen, to view the square where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. We have a break for lunch on our own before continuing on to the village of Giverny. Here we visit the carefully restored gardens and home of impressionist painter, Claude Monet. Paintings of the Japanese bridge and of water lilies come to life as we stroll amid the colors which inspired Monet. We finish the day in France’s bustling capitol, Paris. Our day begins with a locally-guided panoramic tour of Paris including its renowned landmarks: the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, and the Champs-Élysées. Our tour includes an inside visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. The afternoon is free to continue our exploration of this historically and culturally rich city. The possibilities are endless. Art lovers with an interest in Impressionism will want to visit the Museums d’Orsay and de l’Orangerie des Tuileries with their works by Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne among others. Photographers gain a spectacular city view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. For shoppers there are the famed department stores Lafayette and Printemps. And for people watchers, a stroll along the banks of the Seine or seated at a sidewalk café in the Latin Quarter is just the ticket. Dinner tonight is on our own.
We have a full day free to continue our exploration of Paris.
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