TOUR DESCRIPTION:

 

We are beginning our exciting Wine & War series of tours along the Calvados Coast of Normandy, and ending with two luxurious nights in Paris, perhaps the world's most beautiful city. Based in Bayeux, for the first two full days, we will visit Omaha and Utah Beaches and places both famous, and less-well-known, where heroism was on full display during the D-Day battle in June 1944. After that, we'll switch gears focusing on the enjoyment of the region's bounty—its famous Calvados, art and natural beauty—as we wend our way through the Norman countryside and explore the seaside villages of Bayeux and Honfleur. We'll wrap up our tour with a stay in Paris, the City of Light, with a guided "Occupation and Liberation Walk," and with dining, wine tasting and much fun in some of Paris' best traditional wine bars, joined for the week by military historian and wine expert Todd Ross, and internationally award winning photojournalist Peter Martin, Managing Director of Martin Keegan Tours, LLC.

 

SUNDAY, Day 1 (Welcome to France) - Pickup at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, then a picturesque drive to Bayeux, in Normandy. Four nights’ deluxe accommodations at the charming, and altogether apropos, Hôtel Churchill, a distinctive hotel on a pedestrian street in the heart of Old Bayeux in Normandy, where you will be welcomed by inn keepers Rima and François Hébert. Hôtel Churchill is located just steps from the famous 11th Century Bayeux Tapestry depicting the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Before dinner, we'll gather for a welcome reception with local wines and ciders, then go over the itinerary for the week. Tonight we dine at Bayeux’s L’Angle Saint-Laurent.

 

MONDAY, Day 2 (Omaha: "The Tough Beach") - After breakfast we meet our expert battlefield guide, who will accompany our private group for the next two days and who will retell the history of the momentous events that occurred at locations throughout the Normandy battle. During the first half of the day our group will visit the formidable Longues-sur-Mer Battery, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery and visitors center at Colleville, before we break for lunch at La Belle Mariniere in Grandcamp-Maisy. In the afternoon we will visit Pointe du Hoc and its nearby battery location, Pointe et Raz de la Percée, and the Mulberry Harbor at Arromanches. Time permitting, we’ll visit one or more of the excellent museums including the Ranger Museum and the D-Day Museum. Dinner tonight is at La Râpière in Bayeux.

 

TUESDAY, Day 3 (Utah Beach “By Sea and by Air") - After breakfast we will be joined once again by our expert battlefield guide and begin our second day of touring at Sainte-Mère-Église—first town in Normandy to be liberated by Allied troops—and the excellent Airborne Museum. Then we will visit La Fière Bridge and the nearby site of the Medal of Honor action by Charles N. DeGlopper. A stop at Utah Beach follows, then we'll follow bocage-bordered lanes to our lunch at the country manor Le Grand Hard in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. In the afternoon we'll take in a number of other sites as time permits including the Holdy Battery and 1st Aid Station, La Colombiere Hospital, Heisville and General Taylor's Heaquarters, General Pratt Memorial, Angoville au Plain, Brecourt Manor, Chef du Pont, Le Barquette Lock, Marmion's Farm, Drop Zone D, and Bloody Gulch near Carentan. Dinner tonight is at the charming Le P'tit Resto in Bayeux.

 

WEDNESDAY, Day 4 (Calvados Route to Honfleur) - The focus of the tour turns today to a celebration of life as we visit the picturesque seaside village of Honfleur, untouched by war, and which enjoys the reputation of being the prettiest town along the Calvados coast. Tucked away at the mouth of the Seine, Honfleur is an artists' paradise with lovely cobbled streets leading to historic squares and to the ancient port that inspired many great painters including Boudin, Cézanne and Rénoir. In Honfleur we'll enjoy a lunch of Vincent Guyon's inspired cooking at Le Fleur de Sel. Enroute we’ll take in some of Normandy’s gustatory specialties—Calvados, Pommeau and Ciders—with a guided tour and tasting at the estate of Calvados Pierre Huet in Cambremer. Dinner tonight is on one’s own in Bayeux, with our recommendations.

 

THURSDAY, Day 5 (On to Paris) - We say farewell to Normandy as we transfer from Bayeux and embark on a two-hour drive to Paris, entering the city on the 79th anniversary of its liberation. There, we will enjoy two nights’ luxury accommodations at the Hôtel Scribe Paris. Resplendent in the glittering lights of Paris' Opéra district, this luxury 5-star hotel blends rich history and lavish architecture with sleek contemporary design. It was in this grand 19th-Century building, home of the legendary Jockey Club, that the Lumière brothers showcased their cinema invention in 1895. Joséphine Baker and many other renowned visitors have enjoyed the luxurious suites. It was here that chef Sébastien Crison obtained his first Michelin star for his blend of French gastronomy and creativity. After settling in to your rooms, you're invited to gather for a cocktail and light lunch in Scribe's bar L'Obscur, to toast the anniversary of Paris' liberation, as once did war correspondents Hemingway, Capa and Ernie Pyle in Scribe's one-time basement bar. After lunch you are invited to join in a professionally guided Occupation and Liberation Walk of Paris that will lead you through the events of 1944, and what happened before, during and after the Liberation. All aspects are covered; women and life in Paris during the Liberation, the daily events happening in Paris, the Resistance, the military highlights and Jewish life in the local neighbourhoods. There is also a special visit of the cellars where resistance fighters such Jean Moulin liaised with other members of France's so-called Secret Army during the war. In the evening, we'll launch ourselves into Paris’ wine bar culture as we take in one of the city's notables, Juvéniles.

 

FRIDAY, Day 6 (The City of Light) - After breakfast, guests are free to relax and explore Paris' many iconic landmarks—the Sacre Coeur, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, and the Eiffel Tower—on their own. Other attractions may include a visit to the Musee d'Orsay, or window shopping on Rue Saint-Honoré. The Marais district in the 3rd and 4th Arrondissements is home to a plethora of superb restaurants, cafés, Paris's famous old Jewish quarter, and the Place des Vosges, as well as a number of excellent museums including the Musée Carnavalet, Cognacq-Jay Museum, and Musée Picasso. Lunch will be on one's own today with our recommendations. Guests may also wish to join Todd and Peter while they explore some of Paris' hidden vineyards and wine bars. We'll all rendezvous for our farewell dinner at one of Paris’ iconic bar à vins, Willi’s Wine Bar, one of city’s best wine-centric restaurants.

 

SATURDAY, Day 7 - Departures for home via Paris CDG, et. Al., or onward travel.