Paris and Madrid 2011

=== THESE ARE THE PLANS ===

• Leave from Calgary International Airport at night for your flight via wide-bodied jet for Paris, France. Enjoy in-flight meals and services.

• Meet at the Lufthansa Departure Desk at 10:00 AM.
• Please make sure you have your passport with you!

• Depart Calgary on Lufthansa flight # 495 at 12:55 PM and arrive into Frankfurt Germany at 6:15 AM on Sunday April 17th.

=== THIS IS THE MAP ===

=== THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE ===

Lufthansa Airbus 340

Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport Interior

Vimy

=== HERE ARE SOME USEFUL WEB LINKS ===

=== THIS IS WHAT WE DID ===

=== HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF WHAT WE DID ===

Itinerary

Today you will have a Full Day excursion to Arras. Located just outside of this small town lies the twelve thousand tonne marble monument atop Vimy Ridge commemorating Canada’s significant victory during World War I. Bilingual Canadian guides offer a haunting tour of the networks of tunnels and trenches that housed German and Canadian troops during the battle. At the museum students may learn more about the battle and the monument at Vimy.

Later you will return to Paris for dinner and overnight at the hotel

===== [Map] =====

[Photos]

Daily Diary

Trip Photos

This morning after breakfast your coach and guide will take you to the Palace of Versailles, the monumental chateau of Louis XIV, the Sun King.

You will visit the Private Apartments of the King and Queen including the perfectly-restored boudoir of Marie Antoinette and the beautiful Galerie des Glaces also known as the Hall of Mirrors. Great state occasions were held in this room stretching 70 m (233 ft) along the west façade. Here in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was ratified, ending World War I.

Spend time exploring the vast beautiful gardens and fountains. You will return to Paris you might want to stop by the Grands Magasins such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Explore the Latin Quarter and pick up some interesting souvenirs.

Today you will have a Full Day excursion to the Loire Valley to visit some of the many chateaux that dot the area.

Most outstanding are Chenonceau and Chambord.

Chenonceau straddles the Cher River like a bridge and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The colossal palace of Chambord was mainly used as a hunting lodge for Francis I. Inside you can see the beautiful double-spiral staircase and on the terrace 365 chimneys all elegantly decorated.

You return to Paris for dinner and overnight

This morning you will have a half-day excursion to Fontainebleau to visit the Palace and grounds.

The Chateau of Fontainebleau dates back to the 12th century. The famous Mona Lisa was purchased by the King of France, Francois I, to hang on the walls of Fontainebleau. The palace was also inhabited by Henri II and Napoleon. Take some bread to feed the huge carp in the lake.

Return to Paris for lunch on your own after lunch you will climb the steps up to Montmartre where the white Basilica of Sacre-Coeur places of perpetual pilgrimage that gleams high above Paris. Visit the Basilica and then go round the corner to the nearby Place du Tertre where artists have set up their easels, and perhaps have your portrait sketched you will have your dinner at Montmartre.

Enjoy your evening in Paris with a scenic cruise down the River Seine on one of the Bateaux Parisiens.

Return to the hotel.