Monday July 19 – Sea Day
We had a pretty full day as it was the last day we could start
packing the things we would no longer need as the day before disembarkation was
a port day and a late night as it allowed some people to go to Paris (3 hour drive each
way), stay local in Le Havre or visit Normandy. We packed a bit in the morning and then
went to Bingo. After Bingo we went to the Most Travelled Passenger Luncheon
hosted by the captain & senior officers. It was held in the Steakhouse and
there were 40 of us. (we wouldn’t make the cut on longer more exotic
itineraries with more loyal Princess passengers) We sat with the Chief
Financial Officer, and she was interesting to talk to. There was a single lady
who didn’t talk much, and I sat next to a couple from Northern Ireland.
The food was out of this world, and each course was a work
of art. How I neglected taking photos of the appetizers & the main dish is
beyond me, but I got the dessert. We both said it would probably be our only one unless Princess ups their game or they have a killer itinerary or a super low price. Complimentary photos were presented to everyone at the end and our souvenir menus. The braised short ribs were very tasty, and the main dish with the of beef filet was topped with an edible basket of tempura prawns on potatoes and a Jack Danielle demiglace. It was served in a tall stack and the lady next to me asked me how do we eat this? I said just disassemble.
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We packed some more and went to the afternoon Bingo. (we didn’t win) We packed some more and it was time for dinner. It was a formal night and we went to the dining room. I had the steak and shrimp and though not as spectacular as my lunch it was so far the best meal of the trip so far. The Show was Fiera and it is fairly new and they had a few technical difficulties but after a short break they pulled it off.
Since we had an early morning, we got ready for the tour to
Normandy and went to bed.
Le Havre (For Paris/Normandy), France – Monday July 21
I booked a small group tour to Normandy Landing Beaches
& American Cemetery with Overlord Tour. Group
Tours #9B From Cruise Ports - Overlordtour.
Many will take the train or bus to get to Paris, but since
we were there last year, we saved Normandy for this trip.
The tour went quite well but finding them in the morning
wasn’t easy. There was a large group of people looking for them and they were
nowhere to be found. Maybe they weren’t allowed in the port area as their
vehicles were all in the parking garage. We finally saw a guy arrive and holding
a small sign by the door. Since everyone was already outside not sure why he
didn’t look around for people. We walked up to see what the sign said, he was
from Overlord and he told us our guide had a “bathroom emergency” and would be
right out. I told him that many people looking for Overlord were looking for
him and he asked me which ones. I told him there’s a large group over there, maybe
you should walk around and show your sign. He gathered a large group of people
and they were off. Our guide Theo (pronounced Tayo) finally came out, and he
was only looking for 6 people. Four of us were there but the other two had gone
with the other guide. We picked them up in the parking garage. We were
impressed that they split the groups into much smaller than the advertised up
to 16 people. So, we only had one other couple and a mother traveling with her
adult daughter.
We drove straight to Omaha Beach, and it was cool and windy
as we stood on the beach, and he told us the history and recreated the events of
day. Omaha Beach was the code name for the heavily defended 6-mile sector of
the Normandy coastline targeted by the U.S. Army during the D-Day invasion on
June 6, 1944. Facing steep bluffs and intense German fire, American forces
suffered roughly 2,400 casualties before securing a crucial foothold to
liberate Europe.
Our visit was during low tide and Theo told us that this is
what the beach looked like when they landed. The timing was intentionally
chosen so that underwater obstacles planted by German forces would be visible
and avoidable, but it forced soldiers to cross 300 to 500 yards of exposed sand
under heavy fire. He showed us photos of the day which really helped you visualize
the day. Throughout the day we realized that there wasn’t anything you could ask
Theo that he didn’t know. He was really into history and knew all the military
questions. (and the politics)
Next up was the American cemetery. He gave us an overview
and explained that the annual ceremonies are normally held here. We were given
ample free time to walk around the cemetery. He told us that 9,400 Americans
were buried there and there are three Medal of Honor recipients buried there. Forty-five
sets of brothers lie side by side.
Honestly, in a day it barely scratched the surface of the locations that could have been visited if we would have had 2 or 3 days here. (Utah Beach, Ponte du Hoc, the white chalk cliffs of Étretat, and Mont-Saint Michel which is a medieval walled abbey perched on a rocky tidal island that is cut off by the sea during high tides.)
He took us to La Crémaillère Restaurant for lunch in Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Everyone else got croissant sandwiches and they were all kind of burnt. We got ham
and raclette panini and they were yummy. Luck of the draw we chose correctly
and everyone else wished they ordered that instead.
After lunch we stopped at the Medieval city of Bayeux which is
one of the only towns to survive the bombings and keeps all its old splendor
and authenticity. Earlier Theo told us that many things were closed in Bayeux
and the famous tapestry museum was closed for renovation, so we’d have a shorter
stop here and longer in Honfleur. Theo lives in Bayeux and he said the old
houses and the cathedral were worth the stop. We were almost to the Cathedral
when he passed us and told us to make sure we didn’t miss the tree in the
courtyard. The Liberty Tree in courtyard of the Bayeux Cathedral is around 33 meters
high London Plane tree planted on March 30, 1797. It was much larger than it
appears in the photo. It was an impressive Cathedral, and we had time left to
grab a magnet and wander the streets and grab some gelato. I had one flavor I
liked and the other was quite weird. (don’t remember what it was but an odd mix
of things, but I like to try different things as sometimes they are
surprisingly good)
Our last stop was Honfleur, a port city that is one of the
pearls of Lower Normandy. It's on the estuary where the Seine River meets the
English Channel. Our ship is too big to dock there, but he says most of the
tours they do originate there. It was a lovey town, and most streets were
closed to vehicles. We walked around the small area and found a chocolate shop where
we would return later after touring and walking around the marina. There were a
couple of interesting works of art.
Tomorrow, we disembark and we have a private tour set up to
take us to Heathrow with a tour of Highclere Castle & Downton Abbey sites on the way.
Web Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fv1H74G4XGDh7U4S6
