How do you feel when asked to describe something that was beyond your wildest imagination, and you just don’t have the words?

That’s how I feel every time someone asks me about my favorite trips.

There’s the wonder, the awe, that comes with seeing anything spectacular for the first time. Then there’s the added impact of seeing those things with friends and loved ones. You just never forget it, do you?

My #2 favorite tour of all time (over 18 years now) is the Paris, Normandy, and Chateaux Country tour. It literally changed the way I see the world, and if you join me in 2024, it will delight, astound, and change you forever as well. Trust me.

First, there’s Paris, the City of Light. I’ve spent several weeks in Paris over the years and love it more every time I go. There truly is no more beautiful city on earth than Paris. And there would be no America if it weren’t for the French. Stepping back in time to those birthing years of our revolution and the influence that had upon the French, it’s not just a French history lesson, it’s an American one.

But beyond the history, there’s the art, the gorgeous architecture, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, The Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Musee d’Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe. I can go on and on. We spent Easter Sunday in Notre Dame with my Aunt and Uncle, and days later it suffered that catastrophic fire. Even when something has stood for hundreds of years, you need to see it while you can, don’t you? You just never know.

Then there’s Normandy. What can you say about Normandy? It is, and will always be, one of most emotionally impactful experiences you’ll ever have. The included WWII sights will both amaze and appall you. We overnight in Caen, and the WWII story of that city alone will be beyond your imagination.

But that’s not all. Throw in Giverny, the home and gardens of Claude Monet. Rouen with its’ medieval village and Joan of Arc history, and Deauville with its’ waterfront promenade. Then on to another top-rated attraction in France, Mont St Michel.

Mont St Michel is another place you will never forget. First you stand on dry ground and stare at it with incredulous disbelief. Then you make your way to that glistening apparition and climb your way up, up, up, to the Abbey. It’s an otherworldly experience.

The world-famous Bayeux Tapestries are next, ordered by the brother of William the Conqueror to celebrate his conquering of the English in 1066. I never had a rug last that long, did you?

Then on to Anger and the amazing medieval fortifications there from the 9th century. You must see it to believe it.

But then, the crowning glory. The Loire River Valley and the Chateaux’s of Chenonceau and Chambord.

Beautiful. Serene. If you’re a gardener, you literally won’t be able to tear yourself from the incredible formal and informal gardens at both. If you’re a history buff you won’t believe what was going on during the times these were in use. If you’re a fan of architecture, the grandiosity of these will have you gaping in disbelief.

We will end this incredible tour back in Paris with a farewell dinner and cruise on the river Seine.

I’ve worked my way through two bucket lists and am well into my third. If COVID taught my anything (and the fire at Notre Dame as well) it’s to go now, while you can.

Won’t you join me on this amazing, private, personally escorted adventure?

Email Joy

I Don’t Have the Words