2008 TOUR ITINERARY
- 2008 -
Normandy, May 31st to June 8th

May 31st, Saturday. Our members arrive throughout the day at our CDG Airport hotel and gather at 7 PM for cocktails and a Welcome-Orientation Dinner at the hotel.

June 1st, Sunday. We check-out of our hotel and drive north along the Seine river in a luxury coach, past Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's headquarters in Roche Guyon, through Giverny and Vernon to Normandy and the British Airborne landing sites at the eastern end of the invasion assault area. We will visit Pegasus Bridge, the British Airborne Museum, hostess Arlette at the Gondree Cafe, General Gale's Ranville church HQ, the British Airborne cemetery, the Merville battery, German pillboxes overlooking the British Sword Beach amphibious assault area. On to the city of Bayeux's mid town hotel to check-in for six nights. Bayeux is a photogenic picturesque 12th century city untouched by bombs, shell fire or small arms fire. Dinner provided.

June 2nd, Monday. Today we tour the British and Canadian battlefields. These forces were numerically equal in size to the Americans but had four times as many tanks as their anticipated battles were against determined, experienced German Panzer (tank) divisions. Dinner provided.

June 3rd, Tuesday. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the Norman invasion of England in 1066, a magnificent cathedral, numerous gourmet restaurants and quaint boutiques. This will be a day to yourselves to see the Tapestry and absorb the ambiance of 'old France'. Dinner on your own.

June 4th, Wednesday. Our touring today will carry us westward a few miles into the American battle zones of four mile long Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and the Ranger assaulted cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. We'll stand in the German pillboxes that created the devastating fire that killed so many American youth that D-day, 64 years ago but standing there the time will dissolve. Dinner provided.

June 5th, Thursday. Traveling southwest we'll visit the hard fought Martinville Ridge overlooking the 88% destroyed City of St. Lo now restored to its previous grandeur. This route will lead us to the uniquely famous Abbey of Mont St. Michel built on an island a mile off shore, in 944 AD and the separation point of Normandy and Brittany. It is also the area where General George C. Patton's third Army successfully broke through the German lines and made an end run around their western defenses. This will be a very full day with dinner on the island and returning to our Bayeux hotel.

June 6th, Friday. D-day, 64 years later (a windy, cloudyTuesday in 1944). We'll travel to the Utah Beach-Ste Mere Eglise area of the Contentin Peninsula to witness remembrance ceremonies and celebrations. You will see reenactors in WW 2 uniforms driving the military vehicle of the period. There may be a parachute jump by present day 82 Airborne Division members. This is rich in stories and evidence of the numerous battles in and around Ste Mere Eglise as shown in the "Band of Brothers", "The Longest Day" and "Saving Private Ryan". Dinner provided.

June 7th, Saturday. We check-out of our "Bayeux six day home" and travel south east to the closing battle scenes of the 77 day Normandy Campaign that will take us to Hill 112, Falaise, Chambois, Coudehard, Vimoutiers and our CGD Airport hotel for our "Farewell Dinner."

June 8th, Sunday. The hotel airport bus will take us to our respective airline departure terminals for return to the US or continuing connections.