The Ageless Inspiration of Normandy.

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hat is it about Normandy that’s kept invaders coming since the tenth century?

First it was the Vikings, down from Scandinavia. Then the English grabbed hold during the Hundred Years’ War. The Protestants were next. Then the impressionists. And 6 June 1944. The longest day, and the beginning of the end for Nazi domination.

But we’re not interested in invading—we’re here to slip in to see the region, experience it from the inside out, and leave it untouched. (Don’t these people deserve some peace?)

Arrive in Paris, then take a lovely drive to Normandy. Reach back to A.D. 708, when St. Michel instructed a bishop to build a chapel on a hunk of granite in the English Channel. (Build it and they will come.) Mont St. Michel cries out for exploration. And so we do.

Walk in the footsteps of our troops: Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Arromanches, Caen. FOllow the D-Day Overlord Route. Payer a somber visit to the American cemetery where 9,386 of our boys (way too many, way too young) are buried.

To Bayeux to examine the tapestry, the Western world's original comic strip. Stitched by the women at home who wanted to chronicle William the Conqueror's victory over the English. Walk past it twice (it's enormous).

Onto the Calvados countryside. Think apple brandy and sinfully creamy cheese (our favorite is Pont L’Eveque). See how it’s all made along the Cider Trail. See Normandy's most charming village, built around a covered market. Fall in love.

In Deauville, pretend you’re today’s James Bond. In charming Honfleur, catch up with the impressionists. In Rouen, see Monet’s cathedral in the flesh (and stone).

En route back to paris, explore the ruins of Ch’teau-Gaillard, and hear the tale of how a toilet did in the duke. (No kidding). Pay a visit to Monet’s beloved Giverny and Vetheuil. a nearby srtists’ colony. Pay homage to Van Gogh at his burial site in Auvers sur Oise.

Back to Paris and home again. History lesson done.

The Ageless Inspiration of Normandy.

Departures: Throughout the year as a private journey.

Price: Tour per person sharing room from $5,490. Price varies depending on length of the journey, hotels chosen, and meals included. Price does not include any air, but it does include all ground transportation within France.

While you’re in France, we strongly suggest that you do a bit of poking around in Paris before or after Normandy. See what the Parisian artists left behind when they headed out to the pays. Contact R. Crusoe at 800.585.8555 (or 312.980.8000, if you are calling from outside the U.S.).