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  • Normandy D-Day Battlefields

    Normandy D-Day Battlefields

    To get to the Normandy D-Day battlefields, we booked a bus trip through a well-known internet site.  The trip was 14 hours in duration, with about three and a half each way journey from Paris.  When lunch and other times are taken out, we had about four hours in Normandy.  The tour touched on most of the major D-Day sites, but only that.  We would have appreciated more time to explore for ourselves.  As a result, we would have enjoyed ourselves more had we stayed in the area and combined this with other attractions, or tours we did, such as Mont Saint Michel.

    Why Did We Go?

    The D-Day landings and battlefields are historically very important and seeing them first hand would give us a good understanding of what happened.  It would also allow us to see the American Memorial near Caen, where many of the soldiers are buried. 

    Our holiday was on a tight timeframe, so we did not have the time to see all of Normandy and experience what it had to offer.  Instead, we decided to do the bus trip.  It would take us to the specific areas of interest for D-Day and we could see the other aspects of Normandy on a return visit.

    Unfortunately, we re-discovered that bus trips can be hit and miss, missing some sites, or limiting time at them.

    Caen Memorial

    The Caen Memorial has film and photographic exhibits covering World War Two, with an emphasis on D-Day.  This was all very interesting and comprehensive.  We specifically liked the underground bunker that exists on the same site.  You are able to walk through it at your own pace and see the displays of how it was set up to control the German troops in the area.

    D-Day Museum Flags Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    D-Day Museum Flags

    For anyone wanting to know the story of D-Day and the preceding years of World War 2, this is an excellent place to visit.  You should probably go here before visiting the D-Day sites in the area.

    Pointe du Hoc

    This is the area where high cliffs with fortified gun emplacements overlooked the invasion beaches.  American Rangers scaled these cliffs on D-Day morning and disabled them, enabling the invasion to be a success.  Several of the gun emplacements are still intact, to you get to see a genuine fortification and what the soldiers had to contend with.  More impressive is looking over the cliffs to see what they had to scale before assaulting the guns.

    German Bunker Omaha Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    German Bunker Omaha Beach
    Omaha Beach Today Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    Omaha Beach Today

    The bunkers can be entered, giving you the viewpoint of the defending Germans.  The surrounding area has generally been left untouched so that the effect of the allied bombardment can be seen and many bomb craters are still visible.

    Omaha Beach

    We walked down to Omaha Beach where we could look up to some of the cliffs overlooking the invasion beach.  In 1944 these would have been defended by German soldiers.  This perspective really drives home what the Rangers had to climb to reach the German fortifications.  The beach is very peaceful now with no signs of what happened over 70 years ago.  Some Americans in the group took samples of sand home with them.

    Omaha Beach Today Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    Omaha Beach Today
    Canadian Memorial Juno Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    Canadian Memorial Juno Beach

    American Cemetery and Memorial near Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

    This is the final resting place of nearly 10,000 members of the US military. The cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach, where many of them fell.  The graves of many men who were killed in the surrounding area are also here.  There is a stunning sculpture of a soldier ascending to heaven as you enter the cemetery.  This sets an excellent atmosphere for the rest of the memorial.  It is a very peaceful place, with the numerous rows of headstones set in beautiful gardens.  Many of the graves hold the body of an unknown soldier, with the inscription stating that they are known only unto God.

    US War Cemetery Memorial Omaha Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    US War Cemetery Memorial Omaha Beach
    US War Cemetery Omaha Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    US War Cemetery Omaha Beach

    Juno Beach

    Juno Beach is where a combined British and Canadian army landed.  The Canadian Memorial consists of a howitzer, and stylised sculpture of two soldiers and flags of the participating Canadian Provinces.  We walked on the sand, which was very peaceful unlike June 1944.

    Memorial at Juno Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    Memorial at Juno Beach
    Howitzer at Juno Beach Normandy D-Day Battlefields
    Howitzer at Juno Beach

    Arromanches Harbour

    We had hope to stop here and inspect the remains of the artificial harbour, as it was on of the great planning and engineering feats of the invasion.  Unfortunately, being on a bus trip and constrained by time tables, we were running late and had to miss this part, so only saw it as we drove by.

    This is one of the great drawbacks of participating in a bus trip.  An area of specific interest to you can be missed, and cut from the tour due to circumstances.  Had we been travelling by ourselves, this would have been something we would not have missed.

    What Did We Think?

    What we saw was excellent.  From the Memorials to the fortifications and the beaches, we gained a great understanding of the events of June 1944.  If we had more time, spending more time in the area and not travelling back to Paris in the same day would have been better.  We would have combined this with our trip to Mont Saint Michel and the Loire Valley Chateaux.

    Bus trips will always be problematic, as you can’t control who you go with, or the time-table if things go wrong.

  • Provins

    Provins

    Provins is a small medieval village about 90 minutes by train from Paris.

    Why Visit?

    The main attraction is the unspoilt nature of the many buildings as well as the city walls and Cesar Tower.  For younger visitors, there are also shows with knights and falcons.  We found this was an opportunity go see some of the French countryside, without going too far from Paris, as the train passes many small villages and farms

    How to Get To Provins

    The train runs from Gare de l’Est. We had a seven-day metro pass which covered this fare as well.  Without the pass, the normal price of the ticket is 11.50 Euros one way.  As the price of the seven-day pass was 30 Euro, we almost made our money back in one return trip.  Travel time was a nice relaxed 90 minutes.  The train was comfortable, clean and quiet.

    At Provins railway station, there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the tourist office, or you can walk into town and explore on the way.  It was a nice day, so we chose to walk.  It didn’t take too long, but on a wet day, or if it’s too hot, take the bus.

    Train Route to Provins
    Train Route to Provins

    What to See in Provins

    The highlight of the town, is the old medieval buildings.  Walk around the old streets and admire them.  We spent some time doing this, before having a coffee near the old market square, where there a few places to get a drink and a meal.  We found that the total walk time between all of the attractions was about 40 minutes.  However, more time is needed as you back track and go to look at other interesting buildings.

    Walking Around Provins
    Walking Around Provins

    Provins Street
    Provins Street

    La Tour Cesar

    This 12th century castle overlooks the town and surrounding countryside.  It is very well preserved and you can access the whole complex right up to the bell tower.  The climb really is part of the adventure and is highly recommended.  The stairways can be quite narrow and steep in places, giving a great feeling for the people who had to climb up and down them when the castle was inhabited. 

    Cesar Tower Provins
    Cesar Tower Provins

    You enter the bell tower and see the bronze bells, and the pigeons that now inhabit the roof tops.  The views out over Provins and the countryside are worth the climb.

    St Quiriace Church From Cesar Tower
    St Quiriace Church From Cesar Tower

    The rooms within the castle are also quite small, even the Count’s, who ran the whole town. Space was at a premium and no one seems to have had a spacious bedroom or quarters.

    Eglise Saint-Quiriace

    This is a community church in Provins that has an active congregation.  When you enter remember that this is a place of worship, so be respectful.  It really needs renovating inside, as the ravages of the last 850 years have not been kind. This doesn’t detract from reasons to visit however but makes it more interesting.  The old interior is in such a marked contras to the large cathedrals of Paris, that it makes it more interesting and gives it a welcoming feel.

    St Quiriace Church Provins
    St Quiriace Church Provins

    The Saint-Jean’s Gate and The Ramparts

    The city gate and walls (ramparts) are what makes Provins famous.  They are remarkably intact and very impressive.  It is near the gate that the Legend of the Chevaliers and Eagles of the Ramparts shows are performed.  We did not stay to see either, but they are aimed more at children.

    Provins City Wall
    Provins City Wall

    Provins City Wall Tower

    Not far from the gate is the local tourist office.  This is a great stop if you want to find out about any new events that are on while you visit as well as being great for souvenirs.

    What Did We Think?

    A really great day trip out of Paris.  Provins is very well preserved and demonstrates what a medieval town was like.  There is plenty to keep you occupied and enough restaurants and cafes to provide a good variety for everyone.  Highly recommended.

     

     

     

  • Loire Valley Châteaux Day Trip

    Loire Valley Châteaux Day Trip

    A great day trip south of Paris, takes you to the Loire Valley and some of its amazing châteaux.  We booked a small group tour in a mini-van.  There were six of us and the driver/guide.  The itinerary took us to three châteaux, including lunch at the second.

    Château Royal d’Amboise

    The drive from Paris took two and a half hours.  When we arrived in Ambroise, our first stop was a little patisserie for coffee and croissants for breakfast.  A short walk from here was Château Royal d’Amboise.  This is a 15th century castle, built overlooking the rest of the town and river.   The overall structure is quite impressive, with towers and fortifications all around the high ground.  Once you enter and are inside the walls, it looks more like a manor house, as the top is flat, so you do not see the walls.

    Château Royal d'Amboise
    Château Royal d’Amboise

    The interior of the main building contains much of the original decor and is quite interesting to walk through.  Outside, there is a small chapel.  This contains what is presumed to be the body of Leonardo da Vinci.  Also worth a quick look.

    Leonardo Da Vinci's Tomb
    Leonardo Da Vinci’s Tomb

    The grounds contain some recreations of Leonardo’s inventions and some medieval siege weapons.

    Was it worth seeing?  We though so, if only to see Leonardo’s resting place and the exterior battlements.

    Château de Chenonceau

    The second stop on our trip was Château de Chenonceau, a sixteenth century building.  This one is interesting as it is built on and into the Cher River, using it as a moat.

    Compared to the first stop, parking and tourist facilities are more extensive, as is the security check to enter.

    Externally, it looks more impressive than Château Royal d’Amboise, with its bridge into the river and beautiful gardens.  If you intend visiting here, do it before Versailles, the garden will seem more impressive then.  Everything is overshadowed by Versailles.

    Château de Chenonceau
    Château de Chenonceau

    Château de Chenonceau
    Château de Chenonceau

    The guide gave an excellent history lesson on the château and then left us to explore for an hour.  We looked at all the rooms, which contain many original artifacts.  The kitchens are set up as they would have been when the chateau was in use.

    The gardens and surrounding moat are very nice and we spent a while walking around them. 

    Château de Chenonceau Surrounds
    Château de Chenonceau Surrounds

    Château de Chenonceau Gardens
    Château de Chenonceau Gardens

    Château de Chenonceau Gardens
    Château de Chenonceau Gardens

    Château de Chenonceau Moat
    Château de Chenonceau Moat

    Château de Chenonceau
    Château de Chenonceau

    Lunch was at L’Orangerie on the château grounds.  A set menu, which was OK and a bottle of wine which was quite nice.

    Was it worth seeing?  Again, we though so, a more impressive castle in a unique river setting, with nice gardens.

    Château de Chambord

    Our last stop for the day was Château de Chambord, a large Renaissance Palace an hour’s drive away.  This is a very impressive building with many fairy tale type towers.  The car park is even bigger than Chenonceau and you pass a row of gift, tourist and food shops as you enter.

    The château is surrounded by a wooded park, but the gardens themselves are not as nice as we had just seen.  However, the building was the largest we saw on the day and very impressive with its many towers.

    Château de Chambord
    Château de Chambord

    Château de Chambord
    Château de Chambord

    Inside however, is very disappointing.  Only a few of the rooms are furnished, most are empty.  There were some areas displaying modern art, but they clashed with the setting, and really didn’t belong there.

    Château de Chambord Gardens
    Château de Chambord Gardens

    We spent time walking around the interior, the spiral staircases are very nice and then walked across the outside upper area for a close-up of the towers.

    Despite its impressive exterior this was our least favorite stop of the day.  Apart from the dual spiral staircase, everything of interest can be seen from outside.  We though the interior was a waste of time.

    Drive time back to Paris was two hours.[ctct form=”41″]