May 3, 2014
We are in the midst of preparing for our trip to Paris and Normandy, starting on the 14th of May. We have only been to France once before and this was during a Rhine river cruise when we visited Strasbourg and Colmar in eastern France. Both are beautiful places and we had a very enjoyable time there. Many of our friends have mentioned trips to Normandy - mostly as part of a Seine river cruise and we have been tempted to do one of these. However, as we took a look, it seemed that none of these cruises really gave enough time in Normandy and we really wanted a more focused visit there. We wanted time to view the countryside, the culture, the food and also the WWII historical sites. That was really what we wanted. So we decided we better figure out how to do this now as time is rolling by. Also, since it would be the 70th anniversary of the D-day invasion we felt it would be great timing. We just couldn't find a packaged tour that did what we wanted so we decided on doing our own tour. All of this was last fall.
So what did we want in the trip? We wanted a focus on Normandy, but not just the WWII aspect. We feel Normandy has a lot to offer beyond the war interest - interesting towns, villages and countryside, history, food, cathedrals and Abbeys. Of course the WWII aspect is also important for us as both of our fathers were WWII vets. So we wanted some focused time in Normandy for a broader exposure. Given this, we outlined the following geographic points to anchor the tour: Rouen, Honfluer, Mont St. Michel and Bayeux. Also, given that we would travel through Paris and that we have never been there we wanted some time to explore some of it as well. Looking at what we wanted to see we decided on the following:
-- arrive Paris, stay two days
-- train to Rouen, stay one day
-- car to Honfluer, stay one day
-- car to Mont St. Michel, stay one day
-- car to Bayeux, stay 4 days
-- train to Paris for departure
This gave us 10 days in France with 2 air travel days. As for hotels, we wanted small/quaint as opposed to "western" or modern. Most of the train/car travel would be in the mornings and we hope to be out exploring no later than after lunch. This would give us the afternoon and evenings in each of our one day locales.
So here's a bit of what we hope to do. I'm hoping that this plan holds up, but we'll see what unexpected opportunities may arise.
For Paris, we realized it is impossible to do justice in 2 days, so we focused on our top priorities - Notre Dame Cathedral and other nearby sites such as St.Chapelle, Eiffel Tower, walks along the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, Tuileries gardens and the Louvre. On the "walks" portion we plan to be mainly outdoors, so for example at the Louvre we will just do a walk around outside. We'll use a hop-on/hop-off bus service to get from one spot to another. We will take the time to fully tour Notre Dame, St Chapelle and the Eiffel tower. We will be staying in a small hotel, Hotel Agora, in the Latin Quarter with an easy walk to Notre Dame. We plan to do meals wherever we find interesting places and we should have time to stroll a bit in the Latin Quarter.
At Rouen we will do a walking tour of the old town and visit the main cathedral there. We'll stay at the Hotel le Cardinal which is directly across from the cathedral. Rouen is also the site of Joan of Arc's final days, the capital city of Normandy, so it is full of interesting history. We have a rental car awaiting us as we arrive at the Rouen train station.
After an overnight in Rouen we'll drive out for Honfluer which is a small port town on the channel as the river Seine meets the channel. On the drive out to Honfluer we plan to stop at the Abbey of Jumieges which is a historic location on the "Abbey trail". At Honfluer we'll just walk about and soak up the sights and sounds. There is an interesting wooden church in town and of course seafood! We'll be at the Hotel l'Ecrin which was recommended by a friend and seasoned traveler.
Next day and on to Mont Saint Michel. This will be our biggest drive of the trip, about 110 miles, but through very rural countryside. It turns out that this is the 2nd most visited place in France after the Eiffel tower and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's a small island, really just a rock outcropping, at the base of Normandy's Cotentin peninsula. It's about a quarter mile into the bay, but connected to the mainland by a causeway. We'll stay on the island at the hotel le Mouton Blanc. There is a very small village at the base of the island and the the Abbey sits above on the rock prominence. We anticipate a lot of great views and sights here. I've also heard that it is famous for it omelets so we'll be sure to give this a try.
Now back to the heart of Normandy, the WWII invasion beaches and battlefields. We have chosen the town of Bayeux as our base for four days of activities. Bayeux is about 5 miles south of the channel and invasion beaches. It lies roughly between the Canadian beach named Juno, and the American Omaha beach. So location is perfect. Bayeux itself is historic town with a beautiful cathedral and the famous Bayeux tapestry - a 100 meter long embroidery depicting the famous battle of Hastings in 1066. So there will be lots to do in the town itself. We'll be staying at the Hotel Reine Mathilde located near the cathedral.
The 2nd day of our stay at Bayeux we have signed on to a guided tour of the American invasion beaches and inland, hedgerow battlefields. This will be an all day tour of Omaha and Utah beaches as well as some of the places of noteworthy actions. One of these is the town of St. Mere Eglise, near Utah beach where some of the US paratroopers landed and one famously got hung up on the church steeple. Also, this tour will include a visit to the American Military Cemetery above Omaha beach. So this will be a busy, interesting and sobering day.
The remaining days we will free lance. We hope to get out into the Norman countryside and stop at some local village cafe's for coffee, wine, pastries, cheese and more! One side trip We hope to take is to a little village called St. Germain de Tournebut that is about 10 miles north of St Mere Eglise, near Utah beach. My father was bivouacked in the apple orchards outside of this village when his unit arrived in Normandy (after the battle had moved well into France). They were there for final training and supply coordination before being shipped to the front lines in eastern France.
On our last full day in France we will be travelling back to Paris. We drive from Bayeux to Caen to return the car and to catch the train back to Paris. We'll overnight near the Charles de Gaulle airport so we'll have an easy connect to the airport for our morning flight home.
So I hope this has set the stage for some fun blogs. However, I can't guarantee I will actually be blogging during the trip. It will depend on three things: how much energy I have at each day's end, wifi connections, and my ability to access with a tablet or smart phone. If I can, I hope to include daily highlights and some photos, but we'll have to see if I'm really able to do this! If not I'll make it an "after action" series of reports.
Bob
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