Travelogue:
Tour of Normandy and Paris – 11/29/2002 to 12/4/2002
Normandy:
Day 1 was our first look at the beautiful countryside of Normandie as we drove from Paris to Caen, where we stayed for 3 days. Day 2 we went to Le Memorial de Caen museum to see artifacts of World War II and met Jacques, our expert of the area. He had so many stories! We were all amazed at his experiences as a 4 year old when his family's house in Caen was bombed during the war. That night we toured Chateau Vendeuvre and met Count Vendeuvre, whose family is over 1000 years old. For dinner, we went to The Fine Fork (forgot the French name) in Falaise, where we tasted Kir for the first time. Kir is made with Calvados, alcohol made from apples, which we were to find later is nothing like hard cider! Day 3 we spent touring the beaches of Normandy involved in D-Day battles where the French have left some of the bunkers and guns intact. Omaha Beach and the American Military Cemetery were very moving for all of us, but especially for our group of veterans.
Paris:
Day 4 we drove back to Paris, where we stayed at the Hotel Mercure just a block away from the Eiffel Tower. Most of us went to the top, 1000 feet up. Cold! Cold! Cold! Day 5 was a busy day. We toured the Fragonard perfume museum and Notre Dame in Paris, then drove to Versailles, which is about 60 miles outside of Paris. It was originally a hunting lodge for the kings until King Louis XIV expanded it and made it the palace. Very impressive and so decadent! That night was an evening to remember at the Moulin Rouge for dinner and the show. Day 6, our last day in Paris, we toured the Louvre, seeing the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory, and so much more, and then had the afternoon to ourselves to discover and shop, shop, shop. We finished our tour with a farewell dinner at a quaint cafe in the Mount of Martyrs area, with music and lots of great wine!

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