Travelore Report, Monthly In Print Since 1971: Normandy

Showing posts with label Normandy. Show all posts

Friday, August 12, 2016

Top Reasons To Visit In France In 2016

France 2016 promises to be a fun and exciting year. With a stronger dollar almost at parity with the Euro, here are major developments and events that American visitors are sure to enjoy.

Norwegian non-stop flights

To Paris From 29 July, Norwegian will begin its first operations from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport with low-cost nonstop flights to New York, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale/Miami.

To Martinique & the Guadeloupe Islands
Starting December 3, 2015 It’s time to visit Martinique and the Guadeloupe Islands. This coming winter season, starting December 3, 2015 and through late March, the award-winning low-cost airline Norwegian is flying non-stop and very affordably to both islands from three East Coast locations: New York’s JFK, Baltimore’s BWI and Boston’s Logan airports. It is the first time in 20 years that residents of the Northeast will enjoy direct service to these French Caribbean Islands.

Re-opening of the Unterlinden in Colmar, Alsace – December 12, 2015
Even further north and just in time for the Christmas market season, Alsace will welcome back the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar – home to the remarkable Isenheim Altarpiece. The museum will reopen December 12, 2015, after a reorganization of its extensive collections and three years of major works including a new wing dedicated to contemporary art.

Normandy’s Impressionist Festival – April 16 to September 26, 2016
As the cradle of Impressionism, Normandy will shine from April 16 to September 26, 2016, during the 3rd edition of its Impressionist Festival. It is the perfect time to experience both the works and sights that inspired masters like Monet, Pissaro, Caillebotte, Millet, Boudin, Renoir, Degas, and Cassat. They painted everyday life, depicting scenes from now-famed seaside resorts like Trouville, Deauville, Dieppe, and Honfleur. Over 25 exhibitions that will showcase portraiture – Read more (Main Impressionist exhibitions)

La Cité du Vin: Inauguration June 2, 2016 The gloriously restored wine capital of Bordeaux will include a Wine Museum and Cultural center, the Cité du Vin. Minutes away from Bordeaux’s elegant city center, the Cité will offer visitors immersive and multi-sensory technologies to explore a huge permanent exhibit about great wine cultures throughout the ages. Its opening will coincide with the lively Bordeaux Wine Festival scheduled for June 23 to 26, 2016. By day, visitors will be able to sample over 80 Bordeaux and Aquitaine wines and other culinary delights delivered on a mile-long stretch of the city’s magnificent Garonne River waterfront. By night and every night, this major biennial celebration features a music festival, followed by a spectacular sound & light show and grand fireworks display. Read More

Euro 2016 – June 10 to July 10, 2016
Sports and soccer fans have plenty more to celebrate in France, which, for the third time, is hosting the great European soccer tournament, Euro 2016, from June 10 to July 10. The month-long soccer fest will feature 24 of the top European teams. The 51 matches will unfold in 10 cities throughout France: Bordeaux – Lens – Lille – Lyon – Marseille - Nice – Paris – Saint-Denis – Saint-Étienne and Toulouse -

Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt
Reopening & inauguration of new wing - Fall 2016
At the other end of the country, in Picardy, the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt, will reopen in the fall of 2016 after an ambitious expansion that includes a new wing and reorganization to showcase its comprehensive collection of art and documents dedicated to the Franco-American relationship. The museum was founded by Anne Morgan, the remarkable daughter of U.S. industrialist, philanthropist and art collector J.P. Morgan. She transformed the Château de Blérancourt, her WWI and post-war headquarters in Picardy, into the Franco-American Museum. After she donated it in 1931 to the French Government, it was declared a national museum. The reopening will most likely be late September.

Lascaux IV – inauguration in Fall 2016
In the fall of 2016, the Montignac-Lascaux International Parietal Art Center, also known as Lascaux 4, is poised to become the leading tourist attraction and cultural tool associated with Lascaux's world-famous painted and engraved cave art. A new and complete replica of the Lascaux cave will be the beating heart of the Center, a sizable complex that uses new imaging and virtual technology for comprehensive interpretation purposes. Read more

2016 MAJOR ANNIVERSARIES

100th Anniversary of WWI - 1914-1918
The story of Anne Morgan’s war, the Chateau de Blérancourt and WWI all go hand in hand. There will be events to commemorate the WWI battles of 1916, most notably the battle of the Somme in Picardy and, of course, the battle of Verdun in Lorraine. Although the United States had not yet entered the war in 1916, it's never too early to experience the moving memorials honoring the American dough boys and allied soldiers who fought or lost their lives in Picardy and Lorraine during Great War. Read more

France & Loire Valley
500th Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's arrival in France In 2016, France will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s arrival with the Mona Lisa in tow, which could explain her cryptic smile. Invited by France’s great Renaissance King Francois 1er, da Vinci crossed the Alps to reach Amboise in the Loire Valley, where he settled and spend the last 3 years of his life at the Château du Clos Lucé, now a museum in his honor. It is the perfect opportunity to pay a visit to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and admire Leonardo’s inventions at the Château du Clos Lucé. Read more

Normandy 2016
Stretching back even deeper into history, the 1,050-year-old Mont-St-Michel Abbey in Normandy has been restored to its island status at the highest tides. A major decade-long national ecological project tackled the problem of rising sand levels, which posed a threat to the monument. The area's new and improved water flow will safeguard Mont-Saint-Michel bay as a maritime area and protect the ecosystem of this varied and precious place. To mark the occasion, the Tour de France will begin on July 2, 2016, from the Mont-St-Michel.

It will also be the perfect year to explore Normandy’s medieval heritage. In 1066, 950 years ago, William the Conqueror became the first Norman king of England after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. In the Bayeux Museum—also a storied D-Day site, resides a masterpiece: the 11th century Tapestry of Bayeux. Also known as the Queen Mathilda Tapestry, the 229-foot long and 19 inch high linen cloth, depicts through beautifully embroidered panels the Norman conquest of England.

ALWAYS NEW ACCOMMODATIONS

High on the radar of newsworthy items are new destinations to experience and new accommodations to enjoy. In Paris, there has been an impressive wave of boutique hotel openings. To name just a few, there are The Maison Souquet, the Grand Hotel Pigalle, the Bains Douches and the Champagne-themed and aptly named Bubbles of Paris Hotel. This coming winter there will also be the long-anticipated reopening of the legendary Hotel de Crillon and the Ritz.

Paris is not the only place where things are happening, of course. This fall, the Paris Region welcomed a boutique hotel of its own, La Demeure du Parc, in royal and beautiful Fontainebleau. This summer the Rhone-Alpes' classy Royal Evian Hotel reopened after extensive and innovative renovations. And Bordeaux has embraced the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa, brought in July into the InterContinental family of hotels. It has turned to world-renowned chef, restaurateur and television personality Gordon Ramsey to oversee its gastronomic restaurant, Le Pressoir d'Argent

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Normandy Impressionist Festival 2016 From April 16 To September 26

Held from 16 April to 26 September 2016, the third Normandy Impressionist Festival will continue the direction taken by the two previous editions, which attracted 1.8 million visitors.
This vast array of cultural activities, exhibitions, live shows, dance performances, operas, guinguettes, film programmes and seminars will attest the cultural vitality of Normandy to its French and international visitors.
The theme for 2016 is Impressionism in portraits: portraits in the classic sense of the term but also in more contemporary interpretations.
The goal is to place the human element at the heart of the Festival: though portraying a period in the nineteenth century with its society, recreations, women, children and artists, the Festival is also interested in contemporary versions of the portrait, like selfies. It explores the notion of representation, of oneself and others, as well as its value, message and significance 140 years on.
MAJOR EXHIBITIONS:
Gustave Caillebotte, Painter and Gardener
Musée des impressionnismes
Giverny
March 24 to July 3, 2016
Caillebotte, long considered a wealthy amateur painter, collector and the patron of his Impressionist friends, is today seen as one of the group’s major figures. A large part of his work was dedicated to gardens. Some 100 paintings, drawings and sculptures will reveal many inspirations for his art, from the Paris of Baron Haussmann to Yerres, from the Seine to Le Petit Gennevilliers and his garden, and his relationship with Monet.
Exhibition curator: Marina Ferretti
Bernard Clarisse
Musée de Dieppe
April 16 to June 5, 2016
Bernard Clarisse, a contemporary painter, has embarked upon the portraits of the great artists and thinkers of our generation and past centuries. The musée de Dieppe will present those important individuals who frequented or lived in Normandy, including those strong personalities from the Impressionist age in Dieppe. Bernard Clarisse renders manifest the creative force and influence that these individuals had on the arts by painting their portraits 120 cm in height, and superimposing the word MEGAS (Great) in gold Greek letters on the figure’s forehead.
Exhibition curator: Pierre Ickowicz
Caillebotte, an Intimate Portrait of a Norman Family
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Baron Gérard (MAHB)
Bayeux
April 16 to September 18, 2016
Gustave Caillebotte (Paris 1848 - Gennevilliers 1894) is mainly known for his paintings of the Paris region and the Seine estuary. The exhibition focuses on a different aspect of the character: his attachment to Normandy, the setting to his family’s history. The representation of his relatives was a theme dear to the artist. The painting Portraits à la campagne, held at the Baron Gerard Museum of Art and History, is one of his more personal works and is therefore naturally the main thread of the exhibition.
Exhibition curator: Dominique Hérouard
Scenes of Impressionist Life
Musée des Beaux-Arts
Rouen
April 16 to September 26, 2016
Portraiture lies at the heart of this display of about 100 paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Degas, Caillebotte, Fantin-Latour, Morisot, Cassat and many more. Sculptures, photographs and personal letters too will help lift the veil on the personal worlds of the great masters. Beyond a narration of the private lives of outstanding artists, this exhibition of masterworks will shed light on major developments in French society during the 19th century in terms of the status of women and children and the role of the artist.
Exhibition curator: Sylvain Amic
Jeanne Forain, Portraits of an Epoch
Musée Alfred Canel
Pont-Audemer
April 16 to September 26, 2016
Less well-known than the Impressionist painter JeanLouis Forain, her husband, Jeanne Bosc-Forain (Paris,1865–Le Chesnay, 1954) was nevertheless a painter and sculptor of talent. The exhibition to be presented at the musée Alfred Canel will be the first dedicated to her work and show some forty works from private and public collections.
Exhibition curator: Mathilde Legendre
Frits Thaulow, Landscapist by Nature
Musée des Beaux Arts
Caen
April 16 to September 26, 2016
This is the first retrospective of the work of Frits Thaulow (1847–1906), leader of the Norwegian painters in France during the Impressionist and Postimpressionist years. A cousin of Edvard Munch and the brother-in-law of Gauguin, Thaulow adopted nature as his central theme, and his body of work is characterized by "pleinairisme" and "atmospheric" painting that does not abandon the ecological and humanist vision of the countryside typical of Scandinavian culture. The exhibition also looks at Thaulow’s European and American career and the generation of artists affected by his genius, including Monet, who traveled to Norway in 1895.
Exhibition curators: Caroline Joubert, Franck Claustrat and Emmanuelle Delapierre
The Studio of Light: Portrait of Eugène Boudin
Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux
Le Havre
April 16 to September 26, 2016
Throughout his life Eugène Boudin was a writer. His letters, notebooks, journals and even a short autobiography tell us about the man, his relationships, his profession and his artistic ambitions. This exhibit will compare approximately 100 works (watercolors, pastels, drawings, paintings) of this pioneer of Impressionism with the thoughts and aspirations contained in his writings, many of which deal with his desire to master the depiction of natural light.
Exhibition curators: Annette Haudiquet. Scientific committee: Laurent Manoeuvre and Anne-Marie Bergeret
Under the Norman sun...In the footsteps of Paul-César Helleu (1859–1927)
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Relive the atmosphere of the seaside during the Belle Epoque through the work of Paul-César Helleu! A draughtsman and painter, and friend of the Impressionists, Helleu was lionized by society for his portraits of the most elegant women of his time. Bathing huts, seaside excursions, Parisian interiors, Norman beaches, his works plunge us into the social activities around the turn of the century.
Exhibition curator: Robert Blaizeau
Félix Buhot (1847-1898), Painter of Atmospheres
Musée Thomas Henry
Cherbourg-Octeville
June 9 to September 11, 2016
Originally from Valognes, a small, charming town some 20 kilometres from Cherbourg, Félix Buhot spent his life between Paris, the Normandy coast, England and Brittany. His works, produced at the same time as those of the Impressionists, embraced a wide variety of techniques, taking in oil paintings, gouaches, watercolours and prints on a series of repeated subjects. Buhot focused his attention on capturing the atmosphere of the places around him, attempting to “see superb things that others are unaware of”
Exhibition curator: Louise Le Gall
Sickert in Dieppe
Musée de Dieppe
June 25 to September 26, 2016
Walter Sickert (Munich 1862 – Bathampton [UK] 1942), an English painter born to a German-Danish father and English mother, is by far the most renowned of the artists who visited our town in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. A close friend of Jacques-Émile Blanche and a pivot of French and British culture, Sickert was a key contributor to the evolution of British painting to modernity based on a combination of his own Whistlerian heritage and the Impressionist movement, in the wake of Camille and Lucien Pissarro. Having already known Dieppe as a child, between 1885 and 1933 he was to spend a great deal of his life in the town.
Exhibition curators: Pierre Ickowicz and Delphine Lévy
Being Young at the Time of the Impressionists (1860–1910)
Musée Eugène Boudin
Honfleur
June 25 to October 3, 2016
www.musee-eugene-boudin.html
This display of both portraits and genre scenes will round out an understanding of what it meant to be young, especially in Normandy, during the years 1860–1910, including from the time from when one was cradled in one's mother's arms to the embrace of one's future partner. The classical traditions of portraiture stemming from the 18th century - such s imagining the subject of a painting as a mythological or religious hero - will be represented, as will, at the other extreme, the aesthetic novelties of naturalism. Impressionism, the link between the two extremes, will also sit in the mix.
Exhibition curators: Anne-Marie Bergeret and Dominique Lobstein
Sorolla, a Spanish painter in Paris
Musée des Impressionnismes
Giverny
July 14 to November 6, 2016
In 1906, Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla exhibited for the first time at the galerie Georges Petit in Paris, one of the main impressionist galleries. The exhibition was a resounding success and helped establish Sorolla’s international reputation. His masterful rendering of light effects led critics to view Sorolla as an impressionist painter. This exhibition demonstrates how he created a surprising, innovatory style in late 19th-century Paris. The musée des impressionnismes Giverny brings together around 100 paintings, including 50 oil sketches featuring landscapes, portraits and beach scenes, subjects for which he became famous.
Exhibition curators: Blanca Pons-Sorolla and Maria Lopez Fernandez

Normandy Tourist Board Website

Normandy Impressionist Festival Website

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Top Reasons To Visit France In 2016

France 2016 promises to be a fun and exciting year. With a stronger dollar almost at parity with the Euro, here are major developments and events that American visitors are sure to enjoy.

Norwegian non-stop flights to Martinique & the Guadeloupe Islands
Starting December 3, 2015
It’s time to visit Martinique and the Guadeloupe Islands. This coming winter season, starting December 3, 2015 and through late March, the award-winning low-cost airline Norwegian is flying non-stop and very affordably to both islands from three East Coast locations: New York’s JFK, Baltimore’s BWI and Boston’s Logan airports. It is the first time in 20 years that residents of the Northeast will enjoy direct service to these French Caribbean Islands.

January 2016 service update

2016 MAJOR ANNIVERSARIES

ALWAYS NEW ACCOMMODATIONS

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Top 10 Villa Holidays In France

Our experts' pick of the top 10 self-catering and villa holidays in France for 2015/16, including villas in Normandy, Brittany, Languedoc, Provence and the Dordogne

All prices are for property rental for a week in spring or summer unless stated otherwise. They are subject to availability.

1. Earthship Perrine, Normandy

Just outside the village of Gers, in the rolling farmlands of south-westNormandy, stands the only "Earthship" in Europe available as a self-catering holiday rental. A glorified greenhouse with a capital G, Earthship Perrine was constructed to a model developed in Taos, New Mexico, as an eco-friendly “home of the future”.

Its walls, half-buried in the rich Norman soil, consist of used car tyres rammed full of earth; its south-facing façade is entirely glass, enclosing a plant-filled conservatory corridor off which lie three large, warm (and somewhat dark) bedrooms plus a kitchen, bathroom and living area. The whole structure is off-grid, and self-sufficient for power and water, without stinting on things like comfortable beds and a wood-burning stove.

From £78 a night through Canopy & Stars (0117 204 7830;canopyandstars.co.uk).

Greg Ward

2. Château du Bec, Normandy

Circled by a broad, tranquil moat, overlooking its own lake and swathes of woodland, the thousand-year-old Château du Bec is 14km south of the seaside resort of Étretat. Though repeatedly rebuilt since the 10th century, it remains a magnificent vision, with its turreted towers and forbidding gateway.

Its interior spaces have been radically transformed, however, to give it two ultra-modern, architect-designed self-catering apartments, each capable of sleeping four, and two b & b suites, L’Atre and La Rotonde. The latter on the ground floor, does indeed have a round bedroom, encircled by curving walls of ancient exposed stonework. There’s also a b & b cabin in the grounds, with its own lakeside terrace.

From £110 a night; self-catering suites from £430 per week, £280 for a weekend (00 33 6228 32 417; chateaudubec.com).

^{Chateau du Bec in Normandy}

3. Châteaux of Brittany

Countless rental homes and cottages are available along the Breton coast. For something truly exceptional, though, how about renting a castle? The easy-to-use Oliver’s Travels website lists a dozen genuine châteaux in Brittany, capable of accommodating from 10 to 35 guests; all are ideal for hosting large-scale get-togethers. Among the pick of the crop are the Château de Moulin, commanding views of both St-Malo and Dinard from a seafront hill-top; the Manor de Chalandes, set in magnificent gardens near the Loire which comes with its own spa; and the imposing Château le Bois near Rennes, which has a private fishing lake.

Château de Moulin from £7,991; Manor de Chalandes from £5,486;Château le Bois from £1,448 (0800 133 7999; oliverstravels.com).

4. Grabels, Languedoc

As in Provence, so in Languedoc it makes sense to take one’s country break near a big town. Thus, when the need arises, one may get away from getting away from it all, and get back in among it. Montpellier’s the place for this. It’s among the liveliest and most elegant of all French cities, with a full roster of culture, bars and restaurants dotted about a superb old centre, a magnificent main square and, in Antigone and beyond, France’s most ambitious modern developments. Grabels, a charming village about seven miles out, is where we find the Villa Emma - a contemporary spot of decadently luxurious standards: loads of glass, light and air, lawns, pools, four fine double bedrooms, lolling areas for eight and more. Beyond Montpellier, the Med is but a hop. Behind Grabels, the Hérault high country leads quickly to the Cévennes. This is, in short, a great base - and a pretty smart place to return to.

From £1,826 with French Country Cottages (0345 268 0796; french-country-cottages.co.uk).

Anthony Peregrine

5. Pézenas, Languedoc

Maison du Pézenas has the sort of contemporary gleam you see in design magazines, plus mandatory terraces, gardens, big pool and a built-in sense of entitlement. Pézenas centre is under a mile away, with its period drama of narrow streets distinguished, in the past, by Molière and Clive of India (though, sadly, not together). It’s 30 minutes to the beach or the shellfish of the Etang-de-Thau, rather less to the Hérault hills and Héric gorges so remote that they get yesterday’s sunshine.

^{Maison du Pézenas}

6. Var, Provence

Stick a pin in a map of Provence and it will land in a pleasant villa somewhere lovely. The truth is that in Provence, prettiness, warmth and, hence, villas are ubiquitous. So I’ll simply choose one of my favourite bits - the hill country around Fayence, where the Var département starts to rise towards the Alps, strewing gorges, vines, rocks, torrents and perched villages as it goes. British-run Pure France has an outstanding collection of top-end properties in the area (and, if you’re not going top-end, why go at all?). These include the stone-built, 10-sleeper Bastide de Cavaroux, far up a hill and with a wow factor (pool, gardens, general sumptuousness) to convince the meanest among us that we are fleetingly part of the élite.

From £2,930 (0203 514 2359; purefrance.com).

7. Aix, Provence

It’s an excellent idea to spend one’s Provençal country holiday not too far from a fine town so, when it arises, the craving for culture, shops, bars and hubbub may be assuaged. Step forward Aix-en-Provence, brainiest city in France, most civilised in the south. A past involving Good King René, nobles, jurists and Paul Cézanne informs present elegance, enhancing everyone. Walk along the wide, tree-lined Cours Mirabeau and you’re a better person already. Villas du Monde has some cracking properties in the surrounding countryside - not least an eight-sleeper (romantically termed B398) with great pool and gardens, nine miles from Aix centre. Deeply bucolic itself, it’s also within hailing distance of the Luberon and the Camargue, to assuage further rustic cravings. Ideal, really.

From £1,650 (0033 800 800 565; villasdumonde.com).

8. Rocamadour, Dordogne

Few properties plunge guests into the heart of la belle France quite like Château de Cantecor in the Lot, south-west France. Snug between chestnut forests three miles from the town of Rocamadour, this château means business. It has turrets and watchtowers. It has history harking back to the 12th century. And the valley view from its self-catering gîtes is magnificent. The holiday house in the former watchtower sleeps three. But the real thrill is the luxurious tree-top cabin with two stylish double bedrooms and a decking terrace for starlit dining and view swooning. Gîtes share the swimming pool and barbecue built in the chateau’s former bread oven.

From £890 for the treehouse, £420 for the watchtower (0033 5 65 33 73 50;amadour-hotel.com/fr/gites-de-cantecor.php).

Nicola Williams

^{Rocamadour (Photo: AP/Fotolia)}

9. La Clusaz, French Alps

It can be hard to get away from it all in the French Alps. Not so at Les Ecotagnes, a romantic cluster of treehouses and 18th-century chalet with hot tub in the forest not far from La Clusaz. So off the beaten track is it that guests park in Les Villards-sur-Thônes and tackle the final off-road climb up to 1,350m by 4x4. At the wheel is Hugo, a ski teacher and first-rate chef who runs Les Ecotagnes with passion and care. The luxurious treehouses built by his father have wood-burning stoves and sleep two. Water comes from a mountain spring, and flaming torches light the forest path leading to the main chalet, where dinner is served around a shared table. Les Ecotagnes is open from May to mid-November.

From £130pp a night half-board in a treehouse, including 4x4 shuttle, is £130 a night in a treehouse (0033 6 70 02 10 14; ecotagnes.com).

10. Montreal, Burgundy

Burgundy’s medieval villages make a great base for exploring the local area. In the golden light of midsummer they are picture-postcard perfect, with panoramic views across the wild Morvan national park. Better still, they are low-key lively, with bars, restaurants and cafes on your doorstep. Vezelay is the most famous of these villages, but accommodation can be hard to find in the summer months. Better to head to nearby Montreal, which is less visited but equally picturesque, with 600-year-old houses, a remarkable church and a view to die for. From here you’ll be able to explore the Morvan, the local chateaux and basilicas and the region’s vineyards. Casamundo has villas for rent across Burgundy, including a lovely three-bedroom cottage in Montreal.

From £480 (020 3514 9377; casamundo.co.uk).

Giles Milton

For our other expert holiday selections in France see our top 10 beach holidays in France, activity holidays in France, culture holidays in France and food and drink holidays in France.

This article was first published in November 2014 and updated and republished in July 2015

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Travelore News: Joan of Arc Museum Opens in Rouen

On March 21, the highly-anticipated Joan of Arc History Museum (Historial Jeanne d'Arc) opens to visitors in Rouen, France. The €10 million ($10.6m) project combines a state-of-the-art, immersive exhibition space with comprehensive historical content, transporting visitors back to Middle Ages and enabling them to explore the myth and legend of France’s national heroine

Although, commonly referred to as the Maid of Orléans, Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was actually burned at the stake in 1431 in Rouen. She was later exonerated, posthumously, after a second trial in Rouen in 1456 and, today, is considered a French heroine as well as a Catholic Saint. The Joan of Arc History Center is housed in a magnificent, 15th century archbishop’s palace, adjacent to the cathedral, where both of the trials took place. Joan of Arc’s legacy lives on in Rouen; especially in Place du Vieux Marché, where she met her fate has a church in her honor.

Construction and renovation on the archbishop’s palace, for the museum project, began in 2013 and was developed by a team of internationally renowned historians, museum specialists and museum design agencies. A film production company worked in collaboration with local actors and Rouen Opera’s costume department, to create fictional documentaries that will form part of the visitor experience. One stand-out aspect of the new museum casts tourists as witnesses to Joan of Arc’s trials, where a hologram of Juvénal des Ursins, the ecclesiastic and judge, depicts her exoneration procedures. In another exhibition space, visitors explore the myths and legends surrounding France’s most famous female protagonist. In addition, visitors will be able to discover the palace’s Roman and Gothic crypts, its 15th century tower and the 18th century Aubigné chapel and, when not in use, the state room. Museum visits will be conducted in groups (up to twenty-five people per group and four groups per hour). Audio guides will be available in different languages and an educational center will be available for both school groups and families.

Museum officials and the Normandy Tourist Board anticipate some 100,000 to 150,000 visitors annually to the museum. Additional Joan of Arc Sites in Rouen include: the Joan of Arc Donjon (dungeon) and the Joan of Arc Church which was built in 1979.

Joan of Arc History Museum Page/Rouen Tourist Office Website

Rouen Tourist Office Website

Normandy Tourism Board Website

Official Website of the Historial Jeanne d'Arc (French language only)

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

A New, More Relaxed Way To Cruise Through Normandy

Scenic Cruises' 128-passenger Scenic Gem debuted this summer on the Seine River in France. (Photo: Photo courtesy of Scenic Cruises)

ABOARD THE SCENIC GEM -- Stewart Bayford, 62, of Perth, Australia, is standing with his wife Debbie, 60, at the bar of the newest cruise ship on France's Seine River, laughing over how they ended up on board.

"It was a compromise," says the retired geophysicist, pausing to grab a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. "I wanted to go to the battlefields, Debbie wanted rest and relaxation. With this ship, we were able to get a little of both."

A little of both, indeed. In more than a week on the 128-passenger vessel, the Scenic Gem, the Bayfords have been able to spend several full days touring some of the Normandy region's most famous battlefields, including the D-Day landing beaches of World War II, as well as other historic sites, villages, cider estates and more, while still having plenty of time for relaxing on board.

"It's just been lovely," says Debbie, a retired teacher. "It's not rushed at all, and yet there are plenty of activities to do."

Looking for a cruise through France's Normandy region that is as leisurely as it is upscale? As of this summer, your best bet just might be a sailing with a company that is barely known in North America: Australia-based Scenic Cruises.

Unveiled on the Seine in late July, the Scenic Gem is a stylish, unusually all-inclusive vessel that offers a more elaborate -- and relaxed -- itinerary through the region than those available from such major North American lines as Viking, Avalon and Uniworld.

Starting with an overnight stay in Paris, the Scenic Gem spends 10 nights traveling the Seine to the Normandy coast and back -- three more than most cruise ships on the meandering waterway.

As the Bayfords experienced earlier this month during one of the vessel's first sailings, the extra time allows for an all-day excursion to the Somme battlefield of World War I -- something almost no other line offers -- as well as a more in-depth view of several charming Norman towns.

Notably, the ship stops in the provincial capital of Rouen for three nights -- one to two more than most other lines. Passengers are able to spend hours strolling its historic downtown -- full of centuries-old, half-timbered houses and a famed cathedral painted by Monet -- while still having time to take a Scenic-organized excursion to the Rouen-based French Baking and Patisserie Institute for a two-hour class. Some even had time for a second local excursion to see the Monets and other Impressionist paintings of Rouen's highly rated art museum.

Scenic also spreads stops in the Seine River towns of Les Andelys and Vernon across two days. Most lines visit them in a single day. In Les Andelys, an extended morning visit allows for a Scenic-organized tour through the Norman countryside to Lyons la Foret, a picture-perfect French village, and a trip to a local estate for a cider tasting. In Vernon, passengers bus or bike to Monet's house in nearby Giverny.

The Scenic Gem also is specially designed to travel all the way north to Honfleur, one of the region's most picturesque coastal towns. Located near the mouth of the Seine, it only can be reached by vessels with certain types of hulls, and most river ships only go as far as Rouen or Caudebec-en-Caux. Alas, as of this month the line has yet to win approval from French authorities for the stop and instead is docking the Scenic Gem at a charmless industrial shipping area in nearby Le Havre (Scenic officials say they should have permission for the Honfleur stop for the 2015 season).

In addition to a longer trip on the Seine, Scenic is touting a more intimate and all-inclusive experience than what is offered by many river lines.

For starters, the Scenic Gem offers more space per passenger than many of its competitors. Four Viking and AmaWaterways vessels on the Seine, for instance, are roughly the same size as the Scenic Gem but pack in 22 more people. An Avalon Waterways ship is the same size but carries 12 more passengers. Among lines targeting North Americans, only Uniworld and Tauck offer a more intimate experience with similarly sized vessels carrying just 118 passengers.

With a crew of 42, the Scenic Gem also has a higher crew-to-passenger ratio than many of its competitors. Every cabin on the Scenic Gem comes with private butler service, and the ship has its own on-call masseuse and hairdresser. Again, only Uniworld and Tauck offer a higher crew-to-passenger ratio on the Seine.

Still, where the Scenic Gem really stands out is in its all-inclusiveness. Scenic includes unlimited complimentary beverages in its fares. Sodas, mineral water, espresso drinks, wine, beer and even premium spirits are available with meals, at the bar or even from cabin minibars for no extra charge at any time. Many other Seine cruise operators only offer complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner (Uniworld and Tauck are exceptions here, too, with both also offering unlimited complimentary beverages).

In addition, gratuities on Scenic as well as shore tours and airport transfers are included in fares. So much is included, in fact, that the line doesn't even bother to swipe credit cards when passengers arrive. Many leave without a bill.

"It's the way to go," says Jan Cattanach, 67, of Warialda, Australia, echoing many of the ship's passengers. "It's absolutely wonderful to know you've paid for everything up front."

Like Cattanach, by far the majority of passengers on the Scenic Gem are from Australia. Well known in the country, Scenic Cruises until recently wasn't even marketing in the United States, and despite recent efforts, still is drawing just a handful of Americans. On this sailing, there are just four Americans. There are eight passengers from the UK, six Canadians, two New Zealanders and 98 Australians.

The result is a cruise that at times has a distinctly different feel than a similar sailing with a North America-based line. As a group, the Australians on board are much more lively -- and social -- than one would find with the passengers on a North American ship. Singles and even couples sitting alone in the lounge will find that they are quickly pulled into the nearest group for conversation -- whether they want to be or not. Happy hour starts early, and there is often dancing late into the night.

"They're a fun group of people, very outgoing and friendly," says one of the few Americans on board, Mark Lassman, 67, of Weston, Fla. "We've felt very comfortable."

Modern and stylish, the Scenic Gem's rooms are relatively big for a river ship in Europe, though still small compared to high-end ocean ships and hotels on land. Each room boasts a sleek if somewhat small wall storage unit and beds topped with white-on-white Egyptian linens. Nearly every room also comes with a small balcony area -- a relatively rarity on river ships. Cabin bathrooms feature walk-in showers, high-end Duravit sinks and top-of-the-line Dornbracht fixtures (a handful of top suites also have Duravit bathtubs).

The cuisine in the Scenic Gem's main dining room, too, is relatively upscale -- at least for river cruising. Multi-course meals arrive elegantly plated, though as cruising regular Lassman notes, the food isn't nearly as gourmet as what is found on top ocean ships.

"You don't have the variety for one thing," says the veteran of more than 30 ocean cruises on lines such as Regent Seven Seas and Oceania. Dinner menus feature a choice of just three main courses that change daily, he notes, as well as a few always-available items.

Once per cruise, passengers also have the chance to dine at L'Amour, a fine dining restaurant with around 20 seats carved out of a corner of the main lounge. It offers a more drawn-out, six-course meal. During the day, the same space is used for a casual, self-serve lunch service.

Passengers in the most expensive top deck rooms also receive an invitation once per cruise to a special table in the dining room, Table La Rive, for a six course meals with premium wines.

All of the extra perks and all-inclusiveness come at a price, alas. Fares for the Scenic Gem's 10-night Seine cruises start at nearly $600 per person, per day -- far higher than many of its rivals. Avalon and Viking's Seine cruises, by contrast, start at around $350 and $200 per day, respectively.

Still, passengers on board say it's worth the cost. As the Bayfords of Perth note, the crew on board is a delight -- upbeat, friendly and engaging. They seemingly work around-the-clock to make the experience wonderful for passengers.

Says Stewart Bayford on the last day as the ship pulls back into Paris: "We just filled in the questionnaire, and I honestly couldn't find any reason to be critical."

For a deck-by-deck look at the Scenic Gem, click through the carousel below.

Contributed by Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

Unveiled on France's Seine River in late July, Scenic Cruises' 128-passenger Scenic Gem is a stylish, unusually-all-inclusive vessel that offers a more upscale experience than many of its competitors. (Photo: Gene Sloan, USA TODAY)

Friday, June 6, 2014

The Best Way to Tour Europe’s World War II Sites

Normandy’s Omaha Beach, as viewed from the American Cemetery. Photo by Valerie Joannon/Normandy Tourism.

Question:

Hi Wendy,

My husband and I are seasoned travelers and would like to take a trip to see some of Europe’s important World War II sights, including Normandy, the Ardennes, Amsterdam, Munich, and Nuremberg—and we’re open to other suggestions. We want very knowledgable guides in each place and want to stay in the nicest accommodations. Who should we contact to help us plan such a trip?

Thanks,

Randy B.

Answer:

With the 70th Anniversary of D-Day coming up this Friday, there’s a lot of interest right now in European itineraries that encompass the Normandy landing beaches and other WWII sites. Randy, this means you need a Western Europe travel specialist with knowledge of, and access to, the best guides for these sites.

My suggestion is that you reach out to Rudi Steele of Rudi Steele Travel. He’s a particularly well-connected travel agent who was born in Germany (where his older brothers were actually drafted into the Hitler Youth) and raised in Switzerland. World War II is a passion for him. Over the years, he has made private guided WWII itineraries a sub-specialty, and he also has close relationships with the general managers of Europe’s finest hotels, and that translates into preferred treatment and extra benefits for you.

Rudi is imaginative with itineraries, so fasten your seatbelt. He may suggest that you start off in London at theImperial War Museum. It’s currently closed for renovation, but just last week he got some travelers inside it privately with a historian. Rudi can even fly you by helicopter from London to one of the Landing Beaches in Normandy! As you move through France toward Germany, he might recommend you make time for some of the underground fortresses along the Maginot Line. As for Germany, the court room in Nuremberg is a must, of course, but Rudi says a highlight for World War II buffs is a visit to Colditz Castle, near Leipzig. The Germans used the Castle as a high-security prison for Allied officers who were considered particularly dangerous and had escaped from other prisoner-of-war camps; many managed to break out of the Castle anyway, and you can tour the escape tunnels.

Randy, over the next few days the beaches of Normandy (like the one pictured above) will be bustling with 70th anniversary activity. By the time of your trip, though, all should be back to normal and peaceful. Have a great trip!

U.S. soldiers storm Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Contributed by www.wendyperrin.com