TRIP TO THE LOIRE VALLEY Thursday, March 15th till Saturday

TRIP TO THE LOIRE VALLEY
Thursday, March 15th till Saturday, March 24th 2012
Departure on American Airlines (flight number: 651), Thursday, March 15 at 3:35pm from
Orlando. Arrives at Miami at 4:45 and departs at 6pm (flight 62) and arrives in Paris at 7:55am
On Friday, March 16. Aerogare 2 terminal A Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Travel by bus.
Friday, March 16th:
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. Seafood 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. 
Saturday, March 17th :
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’ll enjoy either a traditional Brittany “crêpe dinner” (“buckwheat pancakes called “galettes)
in a restaurant of Lannion, a quaint town close to Perros-Guirec or we will dine in a restaurant in
Perros-Guirec. ( I will let you know the name and location of the restaurant very soon.) We will
drink “cider,” not wine, to go with the “galettes bretonnes.” 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
Sunday, March 18 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 7pm at « Le Faux Saulnier, » a Troglodyte Restaurant located a few km from DouéLa-Fontaine. M. Justeau 6:30pm. 02-41-59-34-22
We will spend the night at “La demeure de la Vignole,” a hotel that has some troglodyte bed
rooms (cave dwellings)
Monday, March 19th:
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 12th and 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
Tuesday, March 20th:
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.”
Wednesday, March 21st:
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) 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.
Thusday, March 22nd:
Paris and we will use le Métro –a lot  
visit of : La Conciergerie, Notre-Dame, Le Louvre Museum,
Les Invalides (tomb of Napoléon) 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
Friday, March 23rd:
We continue the visit of Paris’ landmarks.
The Panthéon, Le Musée d’Orsay, 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 in the 15th arrondissement.
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.
Saturday, March 24th:
Leave Paris Charles de Gaulle, Aérogare 2, Terminal A at 9:25am (American Airlines: flight
45). Arrives in NY at 12:55pm. Departs at 3:20pm and arrives at Orlando at 6:20pm (American
Airlines flight number: 1917). Arrives in Orlando at 6:20PM.
Cost: $3,500.00. This includes everything except lunches.