Andy44

Paris – The Eiffel Tower. This would be our last day with Trafalgar Tours and the prospect of saying goodbye to new friends was not a happy one. Meanwhile there were two major attractions on today's agenda and so we were to be ferried by bus about four blocks up the Quai de Grenelle to that most famous of Parisian landmarks, the Eiffel Tower. It was just after 9:30am when we arrived at the Tower. The day was heavily overcast and quite cool. Crowds were lined up in serpentine fashion waiting for an elevator ride up the Tower. It looked like at least a two-hour wait for them. For us, however, tour group passes took us to the front of the line and we were on the second level of the Tower in about 15 minutes. ... read more

Giverny. May 1 is the French equivalent of Canadian Labour Day, only more so. Cindy noted that the French inclination toward the dramatic meant that such occasions are marked by much marching, protesting and general ballyhoo. She warned that France would be closed today and we could expect massed gatherings in Paris. Happily, our morning's destination was Giverny, site of Claude Monet's home and garden estate, where he spent the last 43 years of his life, and where he painted some of his most beautiful and famous works. The estate is now a private business focused on tourism and, therefore, not affected by the otherwise general shutdown of the Country. Giverny is an ancient town which straddles the Seine, about 60km downriver, as the crow flies, from Paris. History tells us that artists in the late ... read more

Mont Saint-Michel. Our first stop on this day was to be Mont Saint-Michel off the coast of Normandy. This would be followed by a visit to Omaha Beach, site of the American Forces D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. I was excited at both these prospects. Pictures of Mont Saint-Michel had always struck a chord of wonder, rising, as it does, pyramid-like out of the sea to a perfect pinnacle formed by the spire of the abbey. What was exciting about Omaha Beach was that it was just down shore from Juno Beach, where Canadian troops had landed. We were on a special mission related to Juno Beach. The drive to Mont Saint-Michel took about 3 hours and went through rolling Normandy farmland featuring a lot of canola and flax. Cindy drew our attention to the ... read more

St. Emilion. Continuing eastward through the Dordogne Valley we arrive at the Chateau Soutard Grand Cru Classé (winery), just north of the village of St. Emilion. All the Chateau wineries throughout this region are considered "high end" and the Chateau Soutard was no exception. We were given a tour of the estate and had several samples of their products, which we pronounced as “good.” Carrying on to the village itself we were led through the ancient, cobblestoned streets and entered the Cave of Saint Emilion. Our local guide told us that Frere Emilion took up residence in this cave sometime in the 8th century. His plan was to live a simple ascetic life. Gradually his presence became known throughout the region and pilgrims would visit him for his blessings – or something, I really have no ... read more

Bordeaux. The final leg of today's adventure took us north, about 200km to the City of Bordeaux. Along the way, Cindy advised that we were going to drive through the longest stretch of pine forest we have ever seen (she has never been to New Brunswick.) This was where I discovered the remarkable application of a beret over the eyes as a mobile sleep aide. Bordeaux is considered by many to be the wine-producing capital of the world. It lies along the Garrone River, almost 100km up-river from the Atlantic, but has a major sea-port presence. The twelve deck residential ship "The World" was tied up alongside the Bourse while we were there. During the war Germany kept a fleet of submarines in Bordeaux from whence they would transit to the Atlantic to harass allied shipping. ... read more