Excited whispers and the click of camera shutters told me we were getting close.
Sure enough, across expansive golden fields, I spotted the monument in the distance, looming above the horizon like a fortress.
Despite our group’s anticipation, I imagined that the early pilgrims who trekked to France’s Mont-Saint-Michel, a tidal island crowned by a medieval monastery, felt our excitement tenfold. After all, many had walked miles to reach this, one of the top pilgrimage sites in Christendom, braving the mud flats at low tide – pocked with pools of quicksand – and the incoming tide – moving fast as a galloping horse.
But, upon arriving at the magnificent landmark, I think visitors of all stripes and eras are overcome with the same emotions: awe, reverence and humility – to stand in front of a structure that has endured for a millennium and will continue to, long after they’re gone.
In fact, those emotions were a recurring theme throughout my six-day guided journey of northern France, which included the regions of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley. It was hosted by Insight Vacations, which touts its experiences as “premium escorted journeys,” and my trip certainly lived up to that standard. With our knowledgeable travel director, Frederic Faes, at the helm, we rode in a luxury coach equipped with free Wi-Fi, comfortable seats (with plenty of leg room), personal air conditioning and only 30 guests.
While I had visited Paris before, I knew little else about the rest of the country. But, after experiencing the moving history, charming towns, breathtaking landscapes and mouthwatering food of northern France, I was fully prepared to say, “Forget Paris!”
Normandy
Our journey began in Normandy, a pastoral, coastal region known for producing the four Cs – Camembert cheese, cider, cream and Calvados (apple brandy) – and as the launch pad for the Allied invasion of France, which eventually led to their victory in World War II.
About two hours from the City of Lights, our first stop was Rouen, the capital of Normandy. The town is known for its ancient Gothic cathedral – the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet – and the Great Clock – an astronomic clock on a Renaissance arch spanning a main street – as well as something more macabre: Joan of Arc was burned at the stake there in 1431.
A modern church now marks the spot where the 19-year-old warrior was martyred. At a nearby market, we picked up a fresh baguette and local heart-shaped cheeses to snack on en route. Plus, Frederic surprised everyone with a local treat: candied almonds called, roughly, Joan of Arc’s tears.
Located where the Seine river meets the English Channel, the charming fishing town of Honfleur is so picture perfect that it’s no wonder artists like Monet, Gustave Courbet and Eugene Boudin flocked there to paint it. Quaint buildings with waterfront restaurants surround a small harbor filled with sailboats. We lunched on galettes (savory buckwheat crepes) and local cider (non-carbonated and served in a pitcher with two small bowls as glasses) before strolling the cobblestone streets to shop for souvenirs and sample Calvados.
After resting and recharging at our hotel, Hôtel Barrière L’Hôtel du Golf, offering traditional lodgings and two golf courses in a bucolic setting, we set off for the most emotionally taxing day of the trip: the Normandy beaches, where the Allied forces landed to liberate the country from the Germans.
The group, guided by a local expert, was somber and reflective as we visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, a pristine plot of land overlooking the channel. Seemingly endless rows of white marble headstones, fashioned as crosses and Stars of David, dot the lovingly manicured grass.
All told, the 9,388 graves there represent only a fraction of the American lives lost in the D-Day landings and subsequent battles.
We also visited the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument, featuring German bunkers; a landscape still scarred by bomb craters; and a memorial to the U.S. Army Rangers who miraculously scaled the 100-foot cliffs there to take out German artillery.
In nearby Arromanches, the D-Day Museum outlines how the complex invasion came together and, in particular, the herculean feat of constructing an artificial port (remnants of which remain offshore) that made it all possible.
Down on Omaha Beach, where U.S. troops landed on D-Day in the face of blistering German fire (as depicted in “Saving Private Ryan”), we scooped a bit of sand into a small jar as a keepsake – and a remembrance of the sacrifices made there 75 years ago.
The next day, I could barely contain my excitement as we set off for the breathtaking Mont-Saint-Michel, at the border of Brittany and Normandy (but located in the latter). A causeway – the best place to take photos – reaches out to the island, which contains a tiny town of 50 residents below the seemingly gravity-defying Romanesque abbey.
A local expert led us up the one winding, steeply ascending street through the charming village, full of restaurants and souvenir shops, to the abbey on top, where monks and nuns continue to live. Among its many rooms and points of interest, the cloister was a peaceful spot: a verdant garden framed by shaded arcades, well suited for prayer or meditation.
Brittany
Fans of the book “All the Light We Cannot See” will appreciate this next stop, moving west along the coast into Brittany: Saint-Malo, the picturesque setting for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also known as the City of the Corsairs, the historic port was long dominated by these royally sanctioned pirates. It’s also the birthplace of explorer Jacques Cartier, who’s buried in the town’s cathedral.
With our local expert, we walked the labyrinthine cobblestone streets of the Intra Muros (“inside the walls”) district to the ramparts overlooking the water. From that vantage point, we took in sweeping vistas of the old town and the bay.
The convenient location of our hotel, the chic Hôtel Le Nouveau Monde, encouraged us to explore Saint-Malo that evening to sample its quaint bars and restaurants and taste Breton seafood, like razor clams and cockles.
Loire Valley
Leaving the coast and heading southeast, we entered the Loire Valley, home to the Loire River, an east-west waterway that separates northern and southern France. The rural region, full of meandering rivers, rolling hills and fertile fields, is best known for its vineyards and many historic chateaus.
After sampling refreshing sparkling wines and touring the caves at Bouvet Ladubay winery in Saumur, we arrived at Chateau de Villandry, a Renaissance chateau known as the Jewel of the Loire. While the building is private, its 17 acres of masterfully cultivated gardens – ranging from vegetable and herb gardens to a water garden and a maze – draw scads of visitors.
Then, we arrived at the most spectacular lodging of our entire trip: Chateau de Rochecotte, a late 18th-century chateau in the Louis XVI style, located on a remote hillside. This is the kind of place where you want to unplug and enjoy a book in your beautifully appointed room or roam the serene grounds, comprising terraces, a pool, a park and gardens. (We even skipped an optional excursion on our second day there just to spend more time at this gem.)
After checking in, we joined an optional experience to a nearby restaurant to absorb some authentic local flavor. The flamboyant chef and his traditional French cuisine did not disappoint as our group enjoyed having the small eatery all to ourselves.
Another stop on our chateau tour was the Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau. The name may be hard to pronounce, but it was easy to fall in love with this 16th-century stunner, built on an island in a river. Like something out of a fairytale, the French renaissance palace is tailor-made for photos as it reflects in the calm waters surrounding it, creating a perfect mirror image.
After gathering for a toast and our farm-to-table Celebration Dinner at Chateau de Rochecotte, the group set out on our final day of the trip.
En route to Paris, we stopped to tour the Chartres Cathedral, beloved for its impressive stained-glass windows and a relic believed to be the tunic the Virgin Mary wore when Jesus Christ was born. We lit candles in remembrance of loved ones lost.
When we arrived in the City of Lights, Frederic surprised us with one last stop. We got off the coach and gathered in front of Les Invalides, a complex of military museums and monuments, and a man with a camera approached us: a professional photographer. We were there to take a group picture that – in addition to the unforgettable memories we made along the way – will serve as a vivid souvenir of this magical Insight Vacations trip through the north of France. O
Photos by iStock.com/KavalenkavaVolha, M. Trebaol, author, E. Ursule, Olivier de Caen, L. Peigner, B. Collier, Teddy Verneuil, Emmanuel Berthier, Jacqueline Piriou, courtesy Insight Vacations, iStock.com/ValeryEgorov; Rochecotte, Daniel Lassman, iStock.com/kjschoen