Best Of

Quick overview = it was flawless - amazing weather, great food, guides, excursions. We flew RDU>ATL>CDG in Premium Select on AirFrance & flew home direct CDG>RDU. Flights uneventful.

We traveled w/another couple - it was their 3rd Tauck Trip w/us and our 10th Tauck Trip. We arrived one day pre-cruise & used our GoT at Hotel Lutetia. We arrived at the hotel by 0830 from CDG & our rooms were both ready. We pushed thru & did a full day of a little shopping, Luxembourg Gardens, exploring, eating, etc. It was all of ours 1st time in Paris. The hotel was fantastic and full of history (Nazi). Miley Cyrus was also staying there, so the crowds outside the hotel were a little crazy at times. The next day we explored until we met the coach at the hotel at 1415 for transfer to the ship.

Our ship was the MS Sapphire. Our guides were Carmen from Croatia, but lives in Madrid -- Darrow from the States, but lives in Nice -- Dan from Transylvania. Our Cruise Director was Lindsey from the UK, but lives in Rouen. They were all fantastic. The food and service on the ship was top-notch all the way around. We did have a 1920s party one night in celebration of Tauck's 100th Anniversary.

Day#1 - Paris - Versailles & a surprise visit to the Louvre. Versailles was so gorgeous. We had the standard tour, plus a special tour only for Tauck guests of many rooms/wings not open to the public. We had ample time to explore the gardens before boarding the coach back to the ship for a wonderful lunch. After lunch, we had a surprise visit to the Louvre which was not on the itinerary. While we were only there for a couple hours, we did get to see major highlights-- the Medieval part, the Mona Lisa, Venus, Sphinx, the Stairway to Victory, the popular paintings, and sculptures by Michelangelo.

Day#2 - There was a choice of excursions today - we chose a City Bus Tour which took us to many of the Paris highlights w/stops for photos - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the major streets, a Military Museum & current Military Hospital & cathedral where Napoleon is buried. Then free time on our own in the Latin Quarter (Tauck gave us 30Euros per person for lunch). We were back on the ship by late afternoon and began sailing to Normandy.

Day#3 - Rouen (Home of Joan of Arc). We loved this stop. There was an optional tour that left early to go w/the Ship Manager & Maitre D to the farmers market where they buy cheese, veggies, tomatoes, etc. I'd say about 1/3 of us went on this. We had a small tour of the town before arriving at the Market where we got to sample many types of cheese. The market was so nice - lots of cheese, seafood, all types of meat, pastries, all types of veggies. We met the rest of the passengers at the cathedral for our main tour of the town - the cathedral is 12th Century and was stunning. We learned a lot about Joan of Arc and saw where she was burned and toured the church dedicated to her w/stained glass windows from 1456. The famous restaurant that Julia Child ate in which made her fall in love w/French cooking is also in this town in a 1/2 timbered home from the 1500s. Tauck gave us all another 30Euros per person for lunch in town this day-- but we opted to return to the ship for a delicious lunch and salad bar from the Farmer's market that morning. Rouen was a fabulous town, my favorite from the trip.

Day#4 - Choice of excursions today -- Etretat & Honfleur VS Caen WW2 Museum & the Bayeux Tapestry -- we chose the later since the main reason we did this trip was for Omaha Beach & the American Cemetery. I would have loved to have been able to do them both & wish Tauck would add a day to this tour so we could have. The WW2 museum is very well done. It would certainly take a full day to see it all. We then went to Bayeux, where we had lunch on our own, and then saw the Tapestry which was pretty incredible to see.

Day#5 - Omaha Beach & American Cemetery-- a long day, but the reason most of us chose this tour. We started at Pointe du Hoc, which I had never heard of before. It's where the US Rangers had to climb cliffs to reach land. Germans were in bunkers. Often they cut the ropes of the US Rangers. We got to see & enter the German bunkers here. We then went to lunch at an old house that is now a small hotel - gorgeous with more gardens to see (Wisteria was in full bloom and all over the area). Next, on to Omaha Beach for about 30min - then to the American Cemetery. It's a powerful day & Tauck did it all very well.

Day#6 - Caudebec-en-Caux -- quaint town with 1/2 timbered homes, stunning cathedral, pastries, good shopping. Got back on the boat and sailed to Abbaye de Jumieges - ruins of an Abby from 654 - this was an unexpected highlight for us all. One of my favorite things to have seen on this trip.

Day#7 -- Les Andelys -- town built in the 1st Century BC to the 12th Century -- another quaint town with 1/2 timbered homes, a cathedral, and incredible history. We then drove to some ruins from the 1100s. Final stop was an organic farm that also makes apple ciders, apple brandy, mustards, honey, candy, body creams, etc.

Day#8 -- Giverny Monet's Gardens -- another highlight! Tauck gets us in 1.5 hours before it opens to the public. The gardens were unbelievable! We got thru the entire garden area and some of the house before it opened to the public. We had free time to explore, see a museum, walk thru the town, and see the church.

Day#9 -- Debarkation -- we booked another 2 nights at Hotel La Tamise on our own which was near the Louvre. We did LOTS of walking, touring, eating, shopping, saw NotreDame, saw an incredible Bach-Beethtoven-Vivaldi concert at St. Chappelle's which is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen in all of Europe...full of gold & stained glass windows.

I must say, this was one of the most casual-dressed tours we've been on. Lots of jeans and sneakers in the Compass Rose Dining Room. Even saw a few men wear shorts. On the night we went to the Chateau for dinner, about 30-40% of men wore a sports coat, no tie, a couple men had on suits. One husband and wife wore jeans with a golf shirt for him and a casual t-shirt for her.

We go back to Europe in December for another Tauck Tour and want to book Savoring France, The Duoro w/Lisbon & Madrid next. One of our TGs, Carmen, is moving to the Rome, Almalfi Coast, Sicily Small Ship Tour which also looks amazing.