CITYWEEKS: Venice – Paris |
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This will be the 10th time that I have taken a group to Venice, the 15th time for Paris. You can never travel to these cities too many times. Besides revisiting favorite places, there is always something new to see. You have many options with these tours–do only the first week in Venice and Verona, Paris only, or do them both. Venice will consist of five nights in Venice and two nights in Verona. You can then fly home from Milano or Venice or take the TGV (fast train) to Paris. With Paris, you have the option of staying for four or six nights, or taking a two night excursion to visit some of the World War I battlefields. In Venice, I will provide a boat pass for three of the days and will reimburse you (up to €20) for museum entrances. In Paris you will be given a metro pass along with a 4-day museum pass. Your only real responsibility is to show up at the hotel lobby at 7:20 each evening to walk to yet another great dinner. Wine is included with all meals on both tours, of course. |
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VENICE |
PARIS |
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| Saturday, March 10: Depart USA on transatlantic flight for Venice Sunday, March 11: Arrive Venice and transfer by water taxi to the Hotel Giorgione (+39.041.5225810). (1) Meet with the others on your flight, or who are arriving at about the same time. (see below) One of you will need to have euro for the taxi. There is an ATM in the airport. (2) Go to the taxi stand outside the airport. (3) Instruct the taxi driver to take you to Sant’ Apostoli or the Hotel Giorgione. (4) One person pay for the group (90 euro for two, up to 110 for 6) and get a receipt (un scontrino, per favore). I will reimburse you. (5) Ask directions to the hotel though it is simple enough: Walk in the opposite direction of the Rialto Bridge to the piazza Sant’Apostoli. Then keep the church on your right and walk a short distance directly to the hotel. Alternate directions if you arrive by yourself: Take the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma. Then take busboat #1 to Ca’d’Oro stop. Walk to Strada Nuova, turn right, and then turn left at Piazza Sant’Apostoli. Shower, change clothes, nap, and do whatever you need to do to recover from the long flight. Dinner at 7:30 in the Osteria Giorgione. Overnight in Hotel Giorgione, Venice. Monday, March 12: Orientation walk to Piazza San Marco. Entrance to San Marco provided, including the sala with the famous four horses. DO NOT MISS THIS!! You will have plenty of time to “do your own thing.” Afterwards, you are free to explore Venice to your heart’s content–get lost (easy to do and highly recommended), shop (glass is a specialty), hit the museums (I will reimburse you up to €20 including San Marco.) Dinner at the nearby trattoria, Vecia Cavana (041 5287106). Overnight in Hotel Giorgione, Venice. Tuesday, March 13: Today I will provide you with a 72-hour bus-boat pass which will enable you to get around all of Venice, including the outer islands. And to encourage you to visit the outer islands, I will schedule lunch at the Osteria Al Ponte del Diavalo on Torcello (041730401). Evening free, overnight in Hotel Giorgione, Venice. Wednesday, March 14: Continued explorations of Venice. Dinner again at the Osteria Giorgione. Overnight in Hotel Giorgione, Venice. Thursday, March 15: Continued explorations of Venice. Dinner again at the Vecia Cavana. Overnight in Hotel Giorgione, Venice. Friday, March 16: Mid-day transfer by train to Verona and the Hotel Accademia. Dinner at La Taverna di Via Stella (045 8008008). Overnight in Hotel Accademia, Verona. Saturday, March 17: Verona Dinner at Osteria Sgarzarie (045 800 0312). Overnight in Hotel Accademia, Verona Sunday, March 18: Depart Verona for Milano or Venice for return flight, or to Milano and then Paris. |
Sunday, March 18: Depart USA on transatlantic flight for Paris Monday, March 19: Arrival at Paris CDG. Since all of you are coming in on different flights, I will probably not meet you. To get to the hotel: Proceed to RER station. Buy a one-week Carte Orange for Zones 1 – 5 for 31.50 euro (I will reimburse you). Officially, you need a picture though I haven’t been asked for one for years. Bring your old Carte Orange holder if you can find it, or have a small picture available. Then take the RER to Chatalet/Les Halles station. After exiting the train area, follow signs to Rue du Rivoli, then after taking a long moving sidewalk, diagonal to the left, go up the escalator and take Rue St. Denis exit. Walk to the corner and look right for the Hotel Louvre-Rivoli, 7, rue Jean Lantier, (011331) 42 33 45 38 in the middle of the block. If you arrive early in the morning, your rooms may not be ready, so prepare to be a bit uncomfortable. Check in, shower, stretch out for a bit, put on some fresh clothes and then grab some lunch. Meet at 7:15 and we will then walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Tuesday, March 20: There is no itinerary for this tour other than meeting in the lobby at 7:20 to walk to dinner. I will list our restaurants here after I visit Paris again to make sure that my favorite restaurants are still up to speed. The museum pass has changed this year and now offers 2, 4, & 6 day options. I will buy everyone a 4-day pass unless you feel that two days will be sufficient. Wednesday, March 21: Enjoy Paris! See you for dinner. Thursday, March 22: Optional excursion to Normandy and the landing sites for WW II. Not to worry about missing the special dinner for Jay and Evelyn Rogers’ 50th Wedding Anniversary as they are coming along on the excursion. Anniversary dinner in Paris. Friday, March 23: Today, you have the option of staying on in Paris or taking the WW I excursion. If you stay in Paris, I will arrange and pay for your dinners and you can continue to use your Carte Orange and Museum passes. Saturday, March 24: Sunday, March 25: Transfer to the airport (use the RER) for return flight to USA |
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WW I EXCURSION
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| Friday, March 23: Option: 8:45 depart Paris and the Hotel Louvre-Rivoli for Verdun with our guide, Dr Andrew Thomson. A 3-hour drive takes us to the Meuse-Argonne battlefield just west of the city. Scene of the U.S.’s largest battle in World War I (September/October 1918), our tour will include visits to the largest US military cemetery in Europe, the site of the ‘Lost Battalion’, and a massive craterfield where the French and Germans dug under each other’s front lines to blow huge mines, destroying a hilltop village in the process. On arrival in Verdun itself we will have a short walking tour of the city.Dinner and overnight in the 3-star Hotel Coq Hardi right by the River Meuse in the heart of Verdun.. Saturday, March 24: Continue visiting World War I sites, spending the morning on the French battlefield of 1916 – the extraordinary fight to save Verdun itself. We will take in the sombre French memorials and fort at Douaumont, the preserved ruins of villages totally destroyed in the fighting, and the museum at Fleury. After lunch we will move down to the St Mihiel area which was the scene of fierce French fighting in 1914/15 and of U.S. fighting in September 1918 – here we will walk amongst amazingly preserved trenches in the woods, and German bunker systems. With large trench networks visible (not just a short stretch of front-line trench) this makes a dramatic finish to our World War I explorations. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel Coq Hardi. Sunday, March 25: 8:45 depart Verdun for Paris, making a tour of the Champagne vineyards near Reims (1 hour west of Verdun) before stopping in Reims to visit the Champagne cellars and the famous Cathedral with its spectacular stained glass. We will arrive back in Paris around 5 p.m. Monday, March 26: Return to USA. |
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Venice/Verona
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Paris (arrive 18 March)
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Paris (arrive 19 March)
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WW I Option (Verdun 2 nights, Paris 1 night)
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| Arrivals Mar. 10
Arr. 4:45P on BA 2584: Arr. 6:35 pm on Lufthansa 4088: Arr. 8:45A at VCE on DL #150: Arr. 4:45P at VCE on BA 2584 |
SINGLE (1) George Beddingfield (depart 25 March) Everyone below and in the next column will depart Paris 23 March. SINGLE (4) Laurence Barker Tom Michelson Julie Williams Mickie McElroy (w/Sara Lewis after 18/3) DOUBLE (5) Ann & Richard Adams Dale Fleishman & Ron Jenkins Greg & Judy Parks John & Linda Edmundson Dale & Patsy Meyers TWIN (1) Dan Rains & Catherine Gilbert |
DOUBLE (3) Jay & Evelyn Rogers (AF373, 8:35A) Carl & Martha Hix, (arr. on 3/14) David Dooley & Larry Richards (UA942, 9:40A) TWIN (4) Joe Di Dio & Robert Terhune, (AF31, 2:40P) Sara Lewis (BA315, 5:15P)(w/Mickie McElroy) Carrol Smith & Sally Mentzer (CO10, 9:45A) Mary Rose Walls & Gail Jarratt (AF373, 8:35A) |
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| SINGLE (3) Laurence Barker Mary Rose Walls Tom Michelson DOUBLE (8) Jay & Evelyn Rogers Carl & Martha Hix David Dooley & Larry Richards Ann & Richard Adams Dale Fleishman & Ron Jenkins Greg & Judy Parks John & Linda Edmundson Dale & Patsy Meyers TWIN (4) Joe Di Dio & Robert Terhune Dan Rains & Catherine Gilbert Sara Lewis & Mickie McElroy Carrol Smith & Sally Mentzer |
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