2008 TOUR ITINERARY
- 2008 -
Normandy, Oct. 4th to 12th 2008

Oct 4th, 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.

Oct 5th, 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.

Oct 6th, 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.

Oct 7th, 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.

Oct 8th, 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.

Oct 9th, 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.

Oct 10th, Friday. D-day, 64 years later (a windy, cloudy Tuesday in 1944). We'll travel to the Utah Beach-Ste Mere Eglise area of the Contentin Peninsula . 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.

Oct 11th, 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."

Oct 12th, Sunday. The hotel airport bus will take us to our respective airline departure terminals for return to the US or continuing connections.