Benedictine Heritage Tour

Join Abbot Michael Liebl, O.S.B.
On this 11 Day Tour in 2010

Day 1: Flight to Paris                                                                

Your trip begins with regularly scheduled overnight flights to Paris aboard an internationally recognized airline.

Day 2: Arrival in Paris
Touch down in Paris. A Go Ahead representative greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. After checking in, an expert local guide introduces you to the historical and cultural landmarks of the City of Light. Drive down the sycamore-lined Champs-Élysées, pass the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. Tonight’s welcome dinner is included.

Overnight in Paris (dinner included)

Day 3: Lisieux & Caen
This morning you will transfer from Paris to Caen. Reach Lower Normandy, where your first stop is the village of Lisieux. You’ll visit the Basilica of St. Theresa, one of the world’s largest 20th-century churches. Tour the evocative Caen Memorial, a museum devoted to the 1944 Battle of Normandy, where troops battled for France’s liberation. Your tour director will lead an orientation tour of Caen. See the city’s two abbeys as well as the fortress that served as William the Conqueror’s Normandy headquarters.

Overnight in Caen

Day 4: D-Day Beaches
Immerse yourself in World War II history during this fascinating optional excursion to Normandy, where the Allied troops landed in June 1944. First, travel to Pointe du Hoc to view the evocative granite monument erected by the French in honor of the American Second Ranger Battalion, which seized German artillery positioned here before it could fire on American troops as they landed on Omaha Beach. Next stop is the American Cemetery in Colleville, burial place for more than 9,000 American soldiers who lost their lives in the D-Day invasion. From there, it’s on to Arromanches, the site of the world’s largest man-made port in World War II. Visit the War Museum, where you can view films and exhibits depicting D-Day and the events that surrounded it.

Overnight in Caen

Day 5: Mont-St.-Michel
Tour the breathtaking islet monastery of Mont-St.-Michel, one of the wonders of the Western world. Perched high on a granite rock, this 8th-century abbey is surrounded by water at high tide and quicksand at low tide. See too the picturesque medieval houses within the town’s surrounding fortifications. After your guided tour, you’ll have free time for a stroll around town.

Overnight in Caen

Day 6: Honfleur & Rouen
This morning you will transfer to Rouen with a stop in Honfleur, a picturesque seaport full of lively cafes, along the way. Following your arrival, embark on a tour director led guided tour of Rouen, whose cathedral was often depicted in Monet's paintings. You will see Butter Tower—named because it was financed by Catholics paying penance for refusing to give up butter, the renaissance clock and the square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Tonight’s dinner is included.

Overnight in Rouen (dinner included)

Day 7: Strasbourg
This morning you will transfer to Strasbourg. On your guided tour through the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stop at the famed sandstone gothic cathedral to see its astronomical clock before strolling through Petite France to take in its half-timbered houses.

Overnight in Strasbourg

Day 8: Engelberg
Transfer from Strasbourg to Lucerne with a stop at Engelberg along the way. Enjoy a guided tour of the monastery, including its extensive library and its pipe organ, the largest in Switzerland. Following the tour, watch the famous “Engelberg Monastery Bell” cheese being made by hand at the monastery’s cheese demonstration. Tonight’s dinner is included.

Overnight in Lucerne (dinner included)

Day 9: Lucerne & Munich
A local guide leads a tour of the lakeside city of Lucerne. View the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument), a sandstone carving that pays tribute to fallen Swiss Guards; and stroll across the Kapellbrücke, a covered bridge whose history dates back to medieval days—the murals lining the ceiling are nearly identical to those painted in the 14th century. Following the tour, transfer to Munich, one of Germany's cultural centers. After your arrival, enjoy an expertly guided sightseeing tour of the city, including the Residenz, Olympic Village, Nyphemburg Palace and Marienplatz.

Overnight in Munich

Day 10: Andechs Monastery
This morning, travel to the beautiful Andechs Monastery for morning mass. Following the service, take some time to explore the complex. Admire the stucco work of the Bavarian Baroque and Rococo era in the 17th and 18th century or just enjoy the handiwork of the famous brewery at the monastery’s restaurant. Spend a free afternoon in Munich before your included farewell dinner.

Overnight in Munich (dinner included)

Day 11: Departure
Your Tour Director will escort you to the airport in Munich for your return flight home.

Itinerary is subject to change.