TRIP TO THE LOIRE VALLEY Friday, March 22nd till Sunday, March

TRIP TO THE LOIRE VALLEY
Friday, March 22nd till Sunday, March 31st 2013
Departure on American Airlines (flight number: ___), Friday, March 22 at 10:55am from
Orlando. Arrives at JFK at1:30pm and departs at 6pm (flight __) and arrives in Paris at 5:30am
On Saturday, March 23. Aerogare 2 terminal A Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Travel by bus.
Saturday, March 23rd:
First, we head for Omaha Beach, one of the Landing Beaches of World War II in Normandy.
We will also visit the ruins of the Norman castle built by William the Conqueror’s father. We
will then head for the Bayeux and its tapestry.
Evening at Le Mont Saint-Michel. Dinner at le Mont Saint-Michel at “le mouton Blanc” :)
or at “Les terrasses Poulard,” and Night right in the Mont Saint-Michel, also at Le Mouton
Blanc. 
Pour le chauffeur: Hotel de la Digue (02-33-60-14-02) [autres hôtels : Saint Aubert, motel
Vert et Mercure]
Sunday, March 24th :
9:00am, visit of the Abbey of The Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. We’ll leave around 11 am
and head toward Brittany.
Visit of the Pink Granit Coast. Spend the night at Perros-Guirec, a beautiful seaside resort in
Brittany and site of where the “Fantôme de l’Opéra” met Christine! (see the first three chapters
of the book)
Visit of Ploumanach. We will be looking at the Menhir de Saint Uzec near Pleumeur Bodou
and a Dolmen Dolmen et Allée Couverte de Kerguntuil located near Perros-Guirec and
Ploumanach, two monoliths.
We will have dinner at La Crémaillère, a very nice restaurant in Perros-Guirec. Mme
Lhommeau. 02-96-23-22-08
Before dinner, if possible, there will be at least one person playing the bagpipe in the garden. The
bagpipe is the musical instrument of Brittany, a Celtic province.*
Night in Perros-Guirec, at “L’Hôtel du Port,” a few hundred yards from the Madame Le
Guilloux’s house
Monday, March 25 th : We Go to the Loire Valley.
Visit of the Abbey of Fontevrault (Tomb of Richard the Lionhearted)
Visit of Chinon – if the schedule allows it- This imposing medieval fortress was the scene of
many historical events. Henry II Plantagenêt, the Templars, Jeanne d'Arc, Charles VII, all came
here. The château of Chinon contains a fine set of tapestries.
Dinner at 8 pm at L’Hélianthe, troglodyte restaurant near Saumur. Telephone: 02-41-51-22-28
M. Montais, owner.
We will spend the night at “La demeure de la Vignole,” a four star hotel that has some
troglodyte bed rooms (cave dwellings)
Pour le chauffeur: Hôtel Le Balcon Bleu. Owners: Beguet / le Roland. 3-2-41-38-10-31
[email protected]
Tuesday, March 26th:
Visit of Castles.   
Langeais. In the heart of the splendid Touraine area, the château of Langeais, built in the
middle of the 15th century, is representative of the Renaissance period and keeps its feudal
characteristics: drawbridge, large round towers.
Visit of Ussé. At the edge of the dark and mysterious forest of Chinon, the majestic white
outline of Ussé, the castle of Sleeping Beauty stands impressively over the Indre Valley. It
inspired Perrault to write his famous stories.
Maybe the castle of Brézé. Located 10km from Saumur. (Take la DN 93, direction
Varrains/Chase in the very town of Brézé – near Fontevraud)
Superb castle with troglodytes rooms. Super!!!
Troglodyte Village at Rochemenier, near Saumur. (if we have the time)\
02-41-59-18-15 from 5 to 6 pm M. Victor Leray
We will have dinner served to us at “Le Prieuré de la Chaise,” a 16th century manor located 5km
from Chenonceaux. Night at Le Prieuré. 02-54-32-59-77. Danièle Therizols 8, rue du
prieuré 41400 St georges sur Cher
Wednesday, March 27th
Visit of Chenonceaux. The "Château de Chenonceaux" ...the " perfect " Loire Valley Castle in the
harmonious setting of river Cher, forests , gardens ...shaped by women Catherine Briçonnet ,Diane
de Poitiers , Catherine de Medici ,Louise de Lorraine, Madame Dupin, Madame Pelouze ....
Visit of Amboise
Lunch at “Le Clos-Lucé,” the manor of Leonardo da Vinci.
Visit of the wine cellar , “La Cave à Montrichard.”
We will have our second dinner at “Le Prieuré de la Chaise.”
Thursday, March 28th:
We say good-bye to Madame Duret –Therizols, the owner of Le Prieuré.
Blois.
Chambord. This is the largest of the Loire castles , sumptuous Renaissance Palace , creation of
the king François I inspired by the famous Leonardo da Vinci. Dreams of a genial artist made
reality by the enthusiasm of the greatest king of the 16C.
Departure for Paris in the afternoon
Maybe a visit of one or two landmarks in Paris. (Les Catacombes, La Sainte Chapelle)
Dinner at “Au Pied De Cochon,” a famous restaurant in the Halles neighborhood of Paris. (It
used to be the location of the Market (Le Marché des Halles) where products arrived daily from
the provinces. 6, rue Coquillière. 01-40-13-77-00.
ré[email protected]
We will be joined by two French couples. 20h30
Night at L’Hôtel Waldorf near La Gare Montparnasse in Paris.
* I cannot assure you of the exact order of the visits of the landmarks.
Friday, March 29th:
Paris and we will use le Métro –a lot  
visit of : La Conciergerie, Notre-Dame, le Panthéon
Les Invalides (tomb of Napoléon) Le Musée d’Orsay, The Père LaChaise Cemetery (?).
Late afternoon at Montmartre, The artists area that overlooks Paris. We will see La Place du
Tertre where the painters display their works and master pieces.:)
Dinner will be at Les Noces de Jeannette, near l’Opéra. Angle 14 rue Favart et 9 rue d’Amboise.
01-42-96-36-89. 20h30 [email protected]
Res:20012-30-8626
Saturday, March 30th:
We continue the visit of Paris’ landmarks.
Le Louvre Museum at 11:45am. 01-40-20-57-60.
54-98-84-96-52-63?? Reserv: 20012-30-8626
La Tour Eiffel.
Les Champs-Elysées, La Place de la Concorde, La Place Vendôme.
Window shopping at Les Galeries LaFayette, a famous department store, near l’Opéra Garnier.
Dinner at 8pm in the 15th arrondissement, at Le Café du Commerce.
Tél : 01-45-75-03-27 51, rue du Commerce
75015 Paris
Nights of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at L’Hôtel Waldorf, located near the Gare
Montparnasse, on the left bank.
Sunday, March 31st:
Leave Paris Charles de Gaulle, Aérogare 2, Terminal A at 10am (American Airlines: flight __).
Arrives in Miami at 1:30pm. Departs at 2:20pm and arrives in Orlando at 5:20pm (American
Airlines flight number: __).
Cost: $3,650.00. This includes everything except lunches.