Crown Princess will dock in Le Havre on July 17th to allow us a full day for a trip to Paris or for exploring the Normandy Landing Beaches.
Le Havre, "the harbour", is the second largest port in France after Marseille.
Click
here for a map of the Normandy Region. This is our first port of call, after crossing the English Channel from Southampton.
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France between Brittany (to the west) and Picardy (to the east) and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands.
The Normandy region of France is known for its cream, butter, cheeses, apples, and apple brandy (Calvados). Here's a wonderful regional recipe for
poulet à la normande. One of the ingredients is Calvados, the French apple brandy that is distilled in Normandy. My pantry contains a couple of small bottles of Calvados that I purchased on a previous visit to Normandy. I don't know if I will be able to bring any back this time due to strict airline rules limiting liquids... but perhaps I can purchase some & have it shipped! Cheese lovers will be in heaven here as you may get to sample some of the local "dream cheeses". Normandy’s cheese board is one of the most impressive in France. It's most famous cheese, Camembert, comes from the village of the same name near Vimoutiers; but you can also try Neufchâtel, produced in a variety of different shapes and sizes, Pont-L’Evêque and Livarot.
During the Second World War, the D Day landings on the Normandy beaches under the code name Operation Overlord, started the lengthy Battle of Normandy which resulted in the Liberation of Paris, the restoration of the French Republic, and was a significant turning point in the war.
One humbling experience is to visit Omaha Beach, one of the five Landing beaches. Ken & I toured this area a number of yeas ago, but plan to do so again. My Daddy was in World War II as a 21 year old officer. He was not part of the D-Day invasion, but was in the Normandy region for a while in 1945. The future of France and Europe was at stake here on 6th June 1944. When you visit this beach which extends over Vierville-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer, you will obtain a clearer idea of the progress of the battles. The Bessin coastline is composed of steep chalk cliffs, which rise one hundred feet or so above the sea. Inaugurated in 1956, the American cemetery at Colleville was laid out in an area of 70 hectares (170 acres) which was ceded to the United States by the French government. The cemetery contains 9,387 gravestones perfectly aligned on a majestic expanse of green lawn. Every day at 4:30 pm, visitors can watch the ceremony of the Lowering of the Colours. To the sound of a military hymn, the American flag is lowered and folded. The American ceremony is the biggest, the most well known and the most moving of the Normandy Landing cemeteries.
Le Havre is generally billed as the cruise line port for Paris. Just be aware that Paris is a 2 1/2 hour commute away from Le Havre, so just be prepared if you plan to visit the City of Lights. Princess offers many excursions to Paris ranging from "Paris on Your Own" (roundtrip motorcoach transportation) to a variety of escorted tours. While a stop in Paris on a cruise vacation may not give you enough time to see all the sights, it’s a great chance to get a taste of what the city has to offer...and to ensure your return! You can shop along the Champs Élysée, visit picturesque, iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, or spend a day taking in one of the most extensive art collections in the world at the Louvre.... and oh yes, be sure to have a crepe or a croissant with le buerre of course!
