Join Valerie Kent for an art enthusiast's dream trip, spending 3 nights in Paris and a 7 night all inclusive River Cruise aboard the River Baroness. You will travel through some of the Impressionists' favourite towns and villages; Argenteuil, Chatou, Bougival, Rouen Le Havre and Honfleur. The Seine river has a wonderful convoluted route through the Normandy countryside..

At the turn of the last century, the Impressionists were leaving Paris and travelling the towns and villages to the Normandy coast.

ITINERARY :

July 16 - Depart for overnight flight to Paris.

July 17 - Arrive Paris and transfer to our hotel in the fashionable Left Bank to settle in.

July 18 - After breakfast we will visit the Louvre then take an artist's pilgrimage to the lively Place du Tertre in Montmartre overlooking all Paris in the afternoon.

July 19 - After breakfast we have an included entrance to the Orangerie.
Tonight we offer the option of one of Paris's wonderful night clubs - the Moulin Rouge !

July 20 - After breakfast we will visit the Musée D'Orsay then transfer to the waiting River Baroness, our home for the next 7 nights. In the evening we will take a cruise through the centre of Paris as she shows us that she is truly the City of Light.
- Dinner on board

July 21 - PARIS - Included Excursion - City Tour
On our included city tour we will drive up the grand boulevard, The Champs Elysees and past the Arc de Triomphe. We'll stop for a photo opportunity at the Eiffel Tower before continuing to Place Vendome, the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Latin Quarter. It's then on to Les Invalides, the Louvre courtyard and the Luxembourg Gardens, where we see a slice of daily Parisian life; gentlemen playing boules and children sailing boats on the glassy pond. The afternoon is free for personal exploring and tonight is the Captain's Welcome Dinner !
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

July 22 - PARIS - Included Excursion - Auvers-sur-Oise Tour
Optional Tour: Palace and Gardens at Versailles
From the charming French village of Conflans, we take you to a spot favoured by artists of the Impressionist Period - Cezanne,Corot, and especially Van Gogh. The village of Auvers sur Oise may seem familliar to those who know Van Gogh's work. He lived and died here, and in just 70 days, he painted the surrounding countryside, and many of the local sites and people of this quaint little town. The "Auberge Ravoux", the "Church of Auvers sur Oise", the "Wheat fields", and the countryside - all immortalized on canvas but also still a part of the everyday life in this lovely quiet village along the River Oise.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

July 23 - ROUEN - Included Excursion - Walking Tour of Rouen Onboard Highlights - Insightful lectures
Today we travel back to the Middle Ages on a visit to the well-preserved city of Rouen, best known as the city where Claude Monet painted the Cathedral of Rouen. Our visit will take us to this stunning Romanesque Cathedral which he painted so vividly, and the beautifully preserved medieval quarter with its half-timbered, glazed-tile houses, the Vieux Marché - site of Joan of Arc's punishment for her defiance, and the Gros Horloge, a Renaissance clock tower that arches over the medieval street.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

July 24 - ROUEN - Included Excursion - Full-day Tour to Normandy Beaches
We'll spend the day at a location where one of the most famous events in recent world history took place. - the landing beaches of Normandy - site of the D-day invasion by the Allied forces during World War II. We will journey back into the past and visit the haunting reminders of freedom hard fought for at Omaha, Juno and Gold Beaches and Mulberry Harbour at Arrowmanches, a feat of military engineering with remnants that can still be viewed today.
- Breakfast, Dinner

July 25 - CAUDEBEC - Included Excursion : Visit to Honfleur, On Board lecture: Insightful history and culture lecture
Honfleur is a charming French habour town favoured by artists such as Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, who painted its fishing boats and slate-covered houses, among other picturesque vistas that have changed little over time. We will see for ourselves as we take our walking tour from the former smuggler's harbour of Vieux Bassin, the most often painted scene in Honfleur where the fishing village backdrop is seemingly unchanged from over 100 years ago, through pedestrian streets, lined with artists' workshops, to its Medieval centre.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

July 26 - VERNON (GIVERNY) - Included Excursion: Visit Claude Monet's House and Gardens
Today Today, we visit Claude Monet's home in his beloved village of Giverny. The unique light of the area's Seine River Valley in Normandy kept Monet in residence for 43 years, until his death in 1926. We will explore his house, decorated and furnished just as it was when the leader of the Impressionist School lived here, including his precious collection of Japanese engravings. Strolling the gardens, we will see the familiar Japanese bridge and Water Garden shaded by weeping willows, with its pond still full of water lilies that so inspired this Master's work.
Breakfast, Lunch, Captain's Farewell Dinner

July 27 - PARIS - Disembark for travel home or, continue on with Valerie on the Provence program

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COST : $ 4689.00 CAD (share twin) (Single rate on request)
Taxes : $ 380.00 CAD

Early booking Bonus - $300.00 per person for deposits Received by November 15, 2007 ! (deducted from Balance)

Note: Cost is based on per person sharing twin accommodation in both Paris and on board the River Baroness in Category #2.

Ship Details - Click Here

- Upgrade to Category #1 - $ 280.00 CAD per person

INCLUDED FEATURES :

• Return airfare from Toronto (add ons available from other cities
• All transfers mentioned in itinerary
• 3 nights twin accommodation in Paris
• Group entrances to:
  • Louvre Museum
  • Musee D'Orsay
  • Orangerie
• 7 night deluxe river cruise aboard the River Baroness
• All meals as shown in the itinerary above
• All lectures and excursions as shown in itinerary above
• Fully escorted by Valerie Kent with opportunities to paint throughout the program.

www.valeriekent.com

Deposit required to hold a reservation - $750.00 per person
Balance due by : April 30, 2008