Sunday

Welcome to Normandy! We will meet you at Hotel Alize in Paris and transport you by private luxury mini bus to Chateau de l’Angotiere (subject to change with notice), your Normandy Château home for the week. After a bite to eat and a leisurely afternoon, you will enjoy an amazing Gourmet Dinner provided by Chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our accommodations.

Monday

Wake rested and refreshed. After a filling breakfast at our Normandy Château, we have a full day of Adventure ahead of us. We will head north to the Chrisbecq Gun Battery Museum where we will be met by a professional tour guide and expert commentator. The Saint-Marcouf (or Crisbecq) artillery battery played a major role during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, as it challenged the Allied fleet in front of Utah Beach and offered resistance to the progress of American forces. The museum enables visitors to discover how the defense of the German army along the ‘Atlantic Wall’ was organized.
Then we’ll head to Azeville Gun Battery. This defensive strongpoint consisted of a dozen casemates, including four blockhouses with 105 mm heavy guns, 350m of underground tunnels, underground rooms and ammunition storages. The position was held by 170 German gunners.
After examining this part of the “Atlantic Wall”, we head on to Utah Beach and the Utah Beach Landing Museum. Here, you will walk along the first of the five invasion beaches, this one being one of two beaches attacked by the Americans.
Then we’re off to Saint mer Eglise, a prominent town that featured a very disastrous event when American paratroopers actually dropped into the town in the early morning hours while locals were fighting a house fire near the town square. Many of the paratroopers were shot and killed by German troops before they landed on the ground. Three paratroopers got hung up on the church steeple. Across the square from the church is the American Airborne Museum that houses an actual C-47 that was used during the D-Day invasion. These C-47 aircraft were used to transport troops and supplies throughout the war.
Leaving St. mer Eglise, we head southwest to view one of the early battle areas, the La Fiere bridge, where American paratroopers were tasked with holding and preserving a key, vital bridge from the Germans. Here, we’ll also see a statue of “Iron Mike”, the term given the American soldiers. And then, just a small distance down the road, we will come to the Chateau de Bernaville, a structure used as headquarters by the German military high command in the area. The chateau is currently under renovation, but we will be able to stand on the very steps that Field Marshall Erwin Rommel stood upon.
Driving further down the road we will come to a C-47 Memorial where four fully loaded C-47s with paratroopers aboard were shot down and crashed all within a mile of this site. A short distance away we will arrive at an area called “Dead Man’s Corner”. The term “Dead Man’s Corner” derives from an event which took place on 8th June when an American Sherman tank was knocked out at the intersection outside a building. The tank commander, Lt. Walter T. Anderson, tried in vain to escape and sadly died as he was half out of the tank’s turret hatch. The body remained slumped in that position for several days and the tank was used as a point of reference for other American soldiers – “the corner with the dead man” or “dead man’s corner”.
And finally, as we head back to our Chateau, we’ll stop in Carentan to visit the Normandy Victory Museum.
Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter Eagleton and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our Normandy Château.

Tuesday

After a delicious breakfast at our Normandy Château, we will continue our in depth understanding of the Normandy invasion. We will meet our professional guide and expert commentator at the newly uncovered Maisy Gun Battery. The Maisy Battery played a crucial part in the events of D-Day. The German Army had built Maisy in total secrecy, whilst letting the world know all about the nearby battery at Pointe du Hoc, a position that was under construction on D-Day.
The battle at Maisy – and even the location of the battery itself – were lost amidst the 60 year Top Secrecy laws of the US and Great Britain. That was until a map was found in a veteran’s pair of trousers and it started a search for the missing positions. When questions were asked about Maisy, Ranger veterans started to open up about their knowledge of the battle. This area was unearthed in 2006 and has only been open to the public since 2012.
We will then head east to the famed Point du Hoc, a small peninsula where the Germans had installed six 150mm cannons capable of great destruction on Utah and Omaha Beaches, as well as ships in the Channel. Tasked with destroying these cannons, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 100’ cliffs only to find that the guns were no longer there.
We will then head to the D-Day Omaha Museum, a private museum very near Omaha Beach. Here you will get to see hundreds of various military pieces of equipment, uniforms, and other artifacts left behind in this area as the Americans pushed further and further into France. You can even climb aboard an actual Higgins boat, the craft used to transport thousands of infantry to the beaches.
Next on our stop we will walk on Omaha Beach, the most heavily defended and by far the deadliest of all the invasion beaches. Here we will see the Liberation Monument erected by Norman locals shortly after the war and also the Les Braves sculpture, erected in honor of the 70th Anniversary.
We will then head to the Overlord Museum/Omaha Beach. After a brief visit there, we will travel to the American Cemetery, where 9,387 American military are buried. Here, we will also experience the end of the day lowering of the Flag ceremony, a very poignant and emotional part of the visit.
To finish out our day, we will head to the extreme eastern area of Omaha Beach to visit the German Strongpoint WN-60, one of several defensive areas built to protect the beach. Located high on a bluff, you will get a vista view of the entire Omaha Beach area. From this vantage point, the defenders were able to dish out death and destruction with the various cannons, machine guns, and mortars.
We will then head back to our Chateau for an evening of delicious food, fine wine, and reflection. Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter Eagleton and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our Normandy Château.

Wednesday

After a homemade breakfast, we will continue our D-Day Adventure. Today, we head to the German Gun Battery of Longues-Sur-Mer where we will get a close in view of bunkers where some guns are still in place.
Just a bit further east, we will visit the town of Arromanches and the 360 Circular Cinema to experience the invasion in film and sound. The film, “Normandy’s 100 Days”, is shown on 9 tall and wide screens in HD, where we will discover exceptional archive footage collected from around the world that tells the whole story of the 100 days of the Battle of Normandy. Some key stats: by June 12, 1944 more than 300,000 men, 54,000 vehicles, 104,000 tons of supplies had been landed. During 100 days of operation of the port 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tons of material were landed. The best performance of the port was in the last week of July 1944: during those seven days the traffic through Arromanches exceeded 136,000 tons or 20,000 tons per day.
We will then go down to walk on Gold Beach. You will be able to see remains of the temporary Mulberry Harbors out in the Channel.
For a change of pace, we will then head a couple of miles south to the French town of Bayeux, the first major inland town liberated by the Allies on D-Day. In Bayeux, you’ll have the afternoon to choose where you want to visit: 1) Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy – exhibits and artifacts of the D-Day landings, 2) the Bayeux Tapestry – the Medieval tapestry museum containing the 69m long story of William the Conqueror’s English invasion, 3) the Bayeux Cathedral – a towering Norman Gothic religious edifice, with a treasure room & chapter house, and/or 4) Shopping for souvenirs and gifts.
We’ll then head back to our French home away from home Chateau. Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter Eagleton and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our Normandy Château.

Thursday

Today, after breakfast, we are off to tour the Juno Beach Centre, and ultra-modern museum build in honor of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day by Canada. Here, we’ll also get to see, up close, one of the German anti-aircraft guns used in defense of Normandy.
Shortly thereafter, we’ll walk on Juno Beach and visit one of the few German Bunkers actually located on the Beach itself. Then we’re off to visit and walk on the 5th invasion beach, Sword Beach. A short ways away, we’ll tour Museum of the Atlantic Wall (Le Grand Bunker) – located a stone’s throw from the beach. The Atlantic Wall Museum is inside the old German headquarters which was in charge of the batteries covering the entrance of the river Orne and the canal. The 52ft high concrete tower has been fully restored to make it look how it was on the 6th of June 1944.
Then, we’re off to the Merrville Gun Battery, a coastal fortification in Normandy, France, in use as part of the Germans’ Atlantic Wall built to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion. It was a particularly heavily fortified position and one of the first places to be attacked by Allied forces during the Normandy Landings commonly known as D-Day. Here, you can walk amongst the trenches and visit inside various bunkers.

At the conclusion of today’s visits is a visit to the Memorial Pegasus. The Memorial Pegasus is dedicated to the men of 6th Airborne Division and their role during the Battle of Normandy from June to September 1944. Then, back to the Chateau for another amazing dinner and fellowship.
Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter Eagleton and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our Normandy Château.

Friday

Awake rested and ready to go. We will enjoy breakfast and head to Le Mont Saint Michel. This is not just a church on a rock; it is a whole medieval city, one of the few places in France to have preserved intact its medieval walls and defenses. The city, though small, has a mayor, and in addition to its religious monuments, has a post office, old houses, narrow streets, hotels, restaurants and shops. Lunch is on you own at a local restaurant on Mont Saint Michel.

Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter Eagleton and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at our Normandy Château.

Saturday

Today, at 8:00 am, with Brown Bag Breakfast and coffee in hand, we say goodbye and transport you by private luxury mini bus back to the Hotel Alize in Paris on your way home or on to your next adventure! À Bientôt!
Itinerary subject to minor changes.

Welcome to our private countryside Chateau in Normandy! This amazing Chateau has been lovingly restored for our complete comfort. (Subject to change with notice)

Although the existence of Domjean’s fief has been attested since the 11th century, the origins of the Chateau remain unknown.  A manor farm was erected in the 15th century with an imposing dovecote that testifies to the nobility of the place.  The buildings are surrounded by pastures, crops, orchards and woods. In the nineteenth century, Alain de Chartier, Marquis de Sedouy, remodeled and expanded the mansion which became a small castle. In front of the main facade, an English park is located along the entrance avenue lined with linden trees.

This amazing location is on many Bucket Lists. And if you have been in the past, you have not been the Artistic Gourmet Adventures way – Private Villa Accommodations-NO Hotels; Private Transportation-NO Big Buses; Gourmet Meals with Wine Pairings by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris educated Chef Walter Eagleton while dining at Villa-NO Set Dinners in pre-Chosen Tourist Restaurants; ‘slow travel’-NO Rushing to Catch the Bus; Special Surprise Excursions-A Comprehensive Itinerary-Personal Relationships with Locals-Personal Relationships with YOU! Just to name a few!

Price and What’s Included:

• Round Trip Transfers from and to Hotel Alize in Paris

• Luxury Chateau Accommodations with En-suite Private Bathroom

• All Private Tours, Transportation and Entry Fees During Tours

• Daily Ground Transportation by Private Van

• All Homemade Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners, with Wine and beverages, when dining at Villa or as mentioned as ‘included’ in the itinerary.

Proof of Travel Insurance is required and can be bought on line from Squaremouth Travel Insurance.

Not Included:

Airfare or rail to or from Adventure. Meals marked with the symbol *.  Any excursions not mentioned as Included in the Itinerary.

$4150 per person double occupancy

$4750 per person single occupancy

A Non-refundable deposit of $750 pp is due upon booking.

Your balance is due 90 days prior to the first day of your Adventure. (We will send out a reminder letter)