Enjoy an informative overview of our popular Paris & the Heart of Normandy journey with Kim Lucy, Viking’s recently retired Director of Western Canada and National Accounts. From the chic capital of Paris to the tranquil beauty of Normandy’s countryside, Kim provides an intimate glimpse of this unforgettable 8-day voyage along the Seine River. To ask a question or leave a comment, you may reach out anytime at vikingfamily@viking.com.
Broadcast on Viking.TV on February 7, 2024.
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[Music] hello everybody thank you for joining me today I’m going to share one of my favorite itineraries in France Paris and the Heart of Normandy it’s an amazing 8-day cruise with six guided chores that takes you North from Paris all the way up to the beautiful medieval city of Ruan and then on to the Normandy beaches to learn about the preparation and The Landings for the invasion of Europe we’ll be traveling back along the sand to Paris where we’ll spend an extra night and you’ll have an opportunity to hopefully explore Paris by night as well so let’s take a quick look at our map as I mentioned we’ll be starting off in Paris we’ll be spending two days there you’ll get a chance to do some exploration on your own as well as take in some of our optional tours and our included panoramic tour of Paris we’ll be traveling north along the S visiting some of the small medieval towns like L roson and jel which is where CL Mane spent much of his life and created many of his masterpieces from there we’ll be traveling north to the medieval city of Ruan which is where Jon of AR was condemned and burned at the stake then onto the Normandy beaches for a full day and then back along the send to Paris for another night fantastic itinerary and I hope you’ll enjoy enjoy our presentation today as I share some of my favorite spots as well as a little bit of History culture and uh and um insight into this incredible stretch of river we’re going to start our journey in Paris and we’ll be spending two days here you’ll be arriving and being able to board your ship we’ll be docking right near the Eiffel Tower as you can see in this Photograph uh the Eiffel Tower is nearby you’ll be able to to walk within 5 to 10 minutes to the Eiffel Tower or to many of the other monuments along the river It’s a Wonderful spot to just partake in some of the atmosphere of Paris and maybe even enjoy a little stop in a cafe Paris is the capital and one of the largest cities in France it is a city that people have fallen in love with over the centuries poets artists playwrights journalists writers have all written about this city and their love of it I spent some time studying in France and I used to come up to Paris for the weekend and just sit in the cafes drink in the atmosphere go to the museums and just enjoy the city it was nicknamed the City of Lights and that is because of its leading role during the Age of Enlightenment but also because it literally was uh one of the very first large European cities to use gaslighting uh on a grand scale on its boulevards and on its monuments shown in this picture you can see the s River cuts through the oldest parts of Paris it divides the city into two parts the Left Bank and the right Bank the Left Bank being more of the artist The Bohemian side and the right Bank being more of the sophisticated Couture cultural side our ship as I mentioned docks right near the Eiffel Tower which makes this the perfect spot to start your Viking Adventure the next day we’ll be doing our panoramic tour and you’ll learn all about the history of Paris and you’ll get to see some of the iconic monuments but a trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower which is truly one of the most famous monuments of the city it was built to Mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution and when Paris hosted the 1889 World’s Fair it was built as an elaborate entrance gate or Archway to welcome people into the World’s Fair and it was built on the Sher Mouse which is one of the largest parks in the center of Paris one of the other great monuments in Paris is the ACTA Triumph the ACTA Triumph was ordered um to be constructed by Napoleon in 1806 and it was he was done to celebrate his Grand arm or his great Army you can enjoy walking around under the base of the monument or if you’re feeling energetic and you want to pay a little extra you can climb the 280 stairs that will take you up to the top and you can look over Paris as well there are some amazing art galleries in Paris and one of the most famous of course is the Lou it’s one of the largest museums and houses one of the most impressive Rive art collections in the world it’s a magnificent Baroque style Palace and it sits right on the banks of the sen River it’s also one of the largest tourist attractions so if you’re traveling to Paris I do recommend that you get front- ofthe Line tickets through your travel advisor prior to arriving it’ll make the lineup so much easier the lube was originally built as a fortress in 1190 and it was reconstructed in the 16th century to serve as a royal palace in 198 3 it underwent a huge renovation architect LMP was awarded the project and he designed this incredible underground Lobby and above it he constructed this really Modern Glass pyramid and it brings the modern world together with the classic world of Paris it now houses an incredible Art Exhibit of almost 35,000 works of art which include Egyptian antiques ancient Greek and Roman sculptures paintings by the grand old master prior to the 1800s crown jewels and other artifacts from uh some of the French Nobles but of course one of the most famous pieces of is the Mona Lisa with her very mysterious smile and don’t forget the incredible Cuisine of Paris its culinary reputation precedes it whether you seek a a little cozy neighborhood beastro or you visit a Michelin star restaurant you’ll find that every single uh establishment Prides itself in the local food the Exquisite preparation and the presentation you’ll also find ptis and bonger and frer these are the the bakeries and the pastry shops and the cheese shops as well as the colorful Street Markets everywhere in Paris and they’re perfect for picking up all the ingredients for a picnic in one of the city’s beautiful Parks the next day we set sail on the sen and we’re traveling up the river to the beautiful little village of Lon this is known as one of France’s most beautiful little cities you’ll see why as you stroll along the town’s narrow streets that are lined with these beautiful little picturesque houses with wood panel facades nearby this particular picture is the Old Mill which stands guard on the remnants of the Old Stone Bridge it makes for perfect photographs and uh memories to bring home as well but one of the reasons since we stop here is to visit this the little village of J J is truly one of the highlights of this voyage and it’s where clo Monet painted many of his masterpieces you can uh choose to visit Jer either by coach or by bike we have an optional tour that will take you on a bike Journey along the the pave um bike path uh to jeli which is great fun the garden is still maintained and you can come and see why he was so inspired uh here so I hope you’ll enjoy this stop it’s a chance to to walk through this uh this incredible art and uh and and hopefully be inspired a little bit yourself from there we will Cruise uh through the morning the next day uh enjoying some of the scenery as we move towards the medieval city of ruon I love ruong it’s a it’s it dates back to the Middle Ages and you can see the remnants of those Middle Ages in the buildings this was where Joon noar came and was condemned and burned at the Stak right here in the Town Square uh it’s a perfect blend of old and new and you’ll have them the afternoon to explore on our walking tour you’ll learn about the medieval side of the history here and it will take you through the old town where you’ll see the spectacular Gothic uh noram Cathedral what which was painted Often by uh CL Monet you’ll be able to go inside uh and see the Magnificent uh interior of the cathedral you’ll also see the 14th century Courthouse where Jonah bark was sentenced to death and uh the square where she was martyred you’ll have lots of time uh to explore on your own our ship docks right close to the Old Town you’re within walking distance of this beautiful story book buildings we dock overnight so you can enjoy dinner or Shore if you would like uh or you can still enjoy dinner on board the ship but you might want to enjoy one of the many sidewalk cafes in the Market Square or have a meal at one of the oldest restaurants in France la coron which was founded in 1345 while you’re in Ruan you might want to take in some of the optional tours that we offer one of them is to the beautiful uh city of onur which is on the Atlantic coast it’s considered one of the jewels of the coastline it’s filled with historic houses uh that are situated along the harbor filled with little picturesque boats and it also has quaint Arc Galleries and restaurants for you to explore one of the main reasons for visiting ruong is it’s the perfect stopping off point to reach the Normandy beaches after breakfast we’ll begin our full day tour to the historic beaches of Normandy the drive along the Normandy Coast is about 2 hours and during this drive our guide will set up the arrival at the beaches you’ll learn about Operation Overlord and what it took to land these uh at to land the alies on the beaches and and fight their way up the cliffs into uh to begin the liberation of France so you’ll be driving um through the key towns of Kel Sur which is where the Canadian troops unloaded tons of supplies after D-Day and you’ll also visit two of the beaches Juno and gold where the troops came ashore these were the Commonwealth Landing beaches you’ll also visit the small D-Day Museum and the mberry harbor at arlos this is considered one of the greatest engineering feats in World War III they created these temporary mobile malberry Harbors which were developed for unloading troops vehicles and supplies during the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 1944 the D-Day museum at Aros overlooks the very spot where some of these Harbors were constructed and you can see that some of the remnants of the harbor still sit on the beaches from there uh we will uh split out so depending on whether you’re going to see the uh American beaches or you’ve chosen to go to visit the Commonwealth beaches at this point you’ll be able to go with your group to these two locations both tours include a fantastic lunch uh featuring Normandy Cuisine and then from there we will travel if you’re on the uh American tour you’ll be going to the American cemetery and Memorial at koville s this is located high on the cliff over Omaha Beach and I have to tell you when I’ve been there it is an overwhelming side to see these 10,000 white crosses spread across this beautiful white field of grass this is where the American servicemen and women are Ed you can walk amongst many of the white crosses and the stars of Davids and visit at the at the visitor center you’ll also get a chance to go to the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum this Museum tells the story of the American losses at the Battle of Normandy with objects and memorabilia it has um a permanent exhibition which is really interesting and that deals with the consequences of these conflicts on the civilian population if you’re traveling to the Canadian beaches of the Commonwealth beaches you will also um get a stop at Juno Beach which is where the Canadians landed after which time um you’ll be able to visit the uh Memorial that the Canadians have built there uh the Juno Beach Center and you’ll also get a chance to visit the cemetery at v um it’s an homage to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during this particular War it truly is one of the most emotional days that I’ve experienced uh to to travel here it is really a sense of North American history that rests on the beaches of Normandy it is really something you shouldn’t [Music] Miss from there we will begin our journey back to Paris and we’re going to be stopping at the small town of leandi this is situated along the sand and it’s best known for this imposing castle that sits overlooking the city it’s called The chatau Gap it was built in 1196 by Richard the lionard of England it has this incredible view over the sand you can see why it was such a strategically important Castle it’s also one of the strongest and most magnificent castles of its age uh that guarded this area as you walk with our guides you’ll learn about how its fast system uh was created to defend Normandy during the war of the religions it’s also one of the most critically important in Richard’s campaign against the French it’s uh it’s really something to see as you can see the the winding roads and just this beautiful view from the top of this hill where the castle stands after breakfast you will disembark for a visit at the chatau Mone which is where Napoleon bonapart spent the last few days in France before his Exile this elegant manner was purchased by the emperor for his wife Josephine in 1799 and it serves the seat of the French government from 1800 to 1802 it’s really um it’s a lovely stop for those who are interested in this type of History however one of the other options you have is a visit to the chatel de verai and I this is one that I highly recommend if you haven’t seen the chatau deai it is remarkable it’s one of the most luxurious palaces it’s one that inspired places like Catherine’s Palace uh in in St Petersburg it is on inspiring it is a world UNESCO heritage site so you’ll get a chance to go into the palace where you’ll be able to Marvel at the extravagant and the excess of the French royalty inside you’ll see the state Apartments of the king the Hercules drawing room the Magnificent painted ceiling of the famed Hall of Mirrors this is the glittering coridor of Shand elers um this is also where the Treaty of Bai was signed that ended World War I and finally you will be returning to Paris for one more night it’s the perfect place to do a night tour of Paris or to go and enjoy dinner at the Eiffel Tower or one of the other local restaurants it’s truly a city that Sparkles at night and uh a place that will seal the memories of this particular trip the following morning you’ll set off on your return home or if you’re planning to stay a little bit longer uh you can certainly talk to your travel adviser and book one of our more of of our Explore More tours we have two Explore More tours that you can enjoy um you can extend in Paris either at the beginning or the end of your trip I do highly recommend this because Paris is not one of those places that you can see in a couple of days uh this includes uh stay at a for festar hotel located in the center of the city some of the meals are included it includes a guided tour or tours depending on the length of the extension there’s a viking host on site to help you with any questions and your transfers are included as well one of the other options is Oxford and high Clair Castle so you’ll be traveling over to England uh and traveling through some of the Rolling Hills of the English Countryside you’ll go to Oxford blenham Palace which was the home of Churchill and and also to the CW and it also is includes an exclusive visit to highair Castle uh recognized by fans worldwide as the real down Abbey so these are wonderful extensions that you can add by talking to your travel advisor to our Paris and the Heart of Normandy Cruise thank you for joining us today and a special thanks to our travel advisers for inviting you if you want further information about Viking or this particular itinerary please reach out to your travel adviser thanks again for joining us we look forward to welcoming you on board to travel the world in Comfort with [Music] Mikey
1 Comment
Can’t wait to take this cruise later this year!