Paris and Normandy 2009
Day 1 - Depart Home Gateway City to Paris
Day 2 - Paris Arrive at Paris" Charles de Gaulle Airport where you - ll be transferred to the ship. (Dinner)
Day 3 - Les Andelys Les Andelys was of considerable strategic importance during the Middle Ages, prompting King Richard the Lionheart to build a fortified castle to protect the Duchy of Normandy from the French King Philip II in the 12th century. Walk to the English king's stronghold and admire the remains of the impressive Château Gaillard. (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Welcome Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Walk to Château Gaillard
Day 4 - Rouen Our visit to Rouen will take you to the stunning gothic cathedral of Rouen, the haunting medieval quarter with its half-timbered, glazed tile houses; and the Gros Horloge, a Renaissance clock tower that arches overhead. The walk ends at Vieux Marche, where Joan of Arc was punished for her defiance.(Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Walking tour of Rouen
Rouen (Normandy Beaches) Spend the day where one of the most famous events in recent world history took place - the beaches of Normandy, site of the D-Day Invasion by the Allied forces during WW II. Visit the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, the Allied landing sites at Omaha Beach, Mulberry Harbor at Arromanches, and the battlefield of Pointe du Hoc and all haunting reminders of the Allies" hard fight for freedom. (Breakfast / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Full-day Normandy beach tour
Day 6 - Caudebec (Honfleur) After crossing the majestic Normandy Bridge spanning the river delta, travel overland to Honfleur, a charming French harbor town recreated in numerous paintings by such artists as Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. You - ll be taken on a guided walking tour from the former smuggler's harbor of Vieux Bassin - the most frequently painted scene in Honfleur, where the fishing village backdrop is seemingly unchanged from over 500 years ago - through the pedestrian streets to St. Catherine's Church. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Visit to Honfleur
Day 7 - Vernon (Giverny) Visit Monet's home in his beloved village of Giverny, where he lived for 43 years, until his death in 1926. You - ll explore Monet's house, furnished as it was when the leader of the Impressionist school lived here, including his precious collection of Japanese engravings. Strolling the gardens, you - ll see the familiar Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by the weeping willows that so inspired this master's work. Watch the light play on the pond which is covered with the water lilies reproduced in Monet's numerous enchanting versions of The Nympheas (The Water Lilies). (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Farewell Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Monet's Giverny
*Giverny will be closed during early March and November departures. A visit to Versailles Palace may be substituted in its place.
Day 8 - Paris We begin our city tour with a drive up the grand boulevard Champs Elysées and past the Arc de Triomphe. We - ll stop for a photo opportunity at the Eiffel Tower before continuing to Place Vendôme, Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Latin Quarter. Then it's on to Les Invalides, the Louvre courtyard and the Luxembourg Gardens, where we will see a slice of daily Parisian life - gentleman playing boules and children sailing boats on the glassy pond - as well as view Bartholdi's model for the Statue of Liberty. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Paris city tour
Day 9 - Depart Paris Disembark the ship and transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport for your flight home, or extend your stay in Paris.
Day 10 - Cruise ship operating this itinerary Grand River Baroness
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