CPO1802 Paris to the Atlantikwall and the D-Day Beaches

Day 11: Etretat - Versailles Our last riding day and it's time to head back to Versailles. After a fast run on the motorway we stop in Rouen, home to one of the most spectacular cathedrals in France. From here we head on Giverny, where we visit the incredibly beautiful gardens of Claude Money that served as inspiration for some of his most famous paintings. The last few miles take us back to Versailles and the end of our tour.  Day 10: Bayeux - Etretat We leave Bayeux behind and head further east. The Café Gondrée was the first building to be liberated on D-Day, the place is loaded with history and absolutely worth a stop. Honfleur, a small town situated close to the mouth of the Seine, escaped the war undamaged, in fact it has not been involved in any fighting for hundreds of years, so the little port and the narrow houses around it you can see today are almost unbearably picturesque. Next we cross the Pont de Normandie, a suspension bridge that elegantly swings across the river Seine. At the time it was opened in 1995 it was the longest bridge of that kind in the world (almost 2,2 km) and one of the highest (piers 203 meters tall). Past Le Havre, a city completely wiped out in WWII, we approach the Alabaster Coast and Étretat, a small town framed by tall, snow-white cliffs. Day 9: Rest Day in Bayeux  This rest day is dedicated to the liberation of Europe that started here in the summer of 1944. There are countless monuments, museums, cemeteries, battlefields, viewpoints and historic sites of all kinds along this stretch of coastline. You could spend a week of sightseeing around here and still not see everything. Our ride today focuses on some of the most imporant locations like the Pointe du Hoc, the American War Cemetery.Of course we`ll stop at Omaha Beach Day 8: Saint Malo - Bayeux Today is all about one of Frances' most iconic towns. Mont-Saint-Michel is a must-see on any trip to France. Two avoid the tourist traffic we get in early and have the town almost to ourselves. A stroll through the abby is an almost enlightening experience, only topped by the fantastic views of the surrounding bay. As the town begins to fill up we beat our retreat and head to Bayeux, our stop for the next two nights and home of the world-famous tapestry. Day 7: Roscoff - St. Malo It's another beautiful riding day in Brittany. Leaving Roscoff behind we swing East and head along the stunning coastline, full of spectacular cliffs and hidden shoreline hamlets. After an excellent lunch of Galletes and Crepes we reach the northernmost point of Brittany at Cap Frehel, then head into Saint Malo, just in time to take a strall through the beautiful walled city before dinner in an old-school French seaside bistrot. Day 6: Carnac - Roscoff The southern coast of Brittany is called Morbihan, which means "small sea" in Breton. We follow it to Pont Aven, a picturesque little town made famous by Paul Gauguin and his artist friends. Past Quimper, the lively capital of the Département, we reach the westernmost point of our tour and also one of the highest points of Brittany, a "mountain" named Ménez-Hom. From here we head inland again and then towards the northern coast. Day 5: Rest Day in Carnac It is time for a well deserved break! And what better place to have one than in the charming seaside town of Carnac on the Atlantic Coast. Slighty overcast skies give way to sunshine as the morning progresses and we head out into the back country of Brittany. Riding past stoneage burial mounds and ancient menhirs is an experience unlike anything else found in Europe! We end the day in true coastal style, with a mountain of seafood! Day 4: Angers to Carnac It's a beautiful sunny morning in France as we set out for our last day in the Loire Valley.  Riding through rolling farmland we make our way to Saint Nazaire, where we visit the incredibly impressive submarine pens before wolfing down some excellent seafood at a harbour restaurant.  Our next stop is at the salt flats of Guerande, home of the famous Fleur de Sel. With the afternoon sun high above we finally make it to Carnac, a charming little seaside town and our home for the next two nights . Day 3: Tours - Angers The main attraction today is the race course of Le Mans. And we will ride the famouse "Musanne Straight" on our way to the museum. Our day will end in Angers, the historical capital of Anjou. The old medieval centre is still dominated by the massive château, home of the Plantagenêt dynasty. It also houses the Apocalypse Tapestry, the biggest medieval tapestry ensemble in the world. It is 101 metres long, dates back to the late 14th century and illustrates the Book of Revelations. Angers is also the home of the world-famous orange liqueur, Cointreau. And we will have enough time to see it all. The 24 hours of Le Mans are one of the oldest and one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. Held annually since 1923, the "Mother of Endurance Races" takes place partly on public roads (of course closed to the public during the event), while the permanent circuit, named "Circuit Bugatti" hosts other races like MotoGP and Formula One. One stretch of public roads, the "Mulsanne Straight", saw cars running at speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) before chicanes were introduced to bring down speed. Day 2: Versailles - Tours It’s our first riding day and we dive straight into French history. We leave the hustle and bustle of the Paris metropolitan area behind us as we head south-west, to Chartres. Lonely Planet calls the city’s cathedral “one of the crowning architectural achievements of Western civilisation” and that is certainly true. It is a must-see for any visitor to France and therefore also for us. We won’t miss it! Later in the day we reach the valley of the Loire river where countless castles are lined up like pearls on a string. Chambord is the biggest, most spectacular and most famous one and shouldn't be missed the 17th century best preseved  French Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame was worth a visit isn`t it a nice weekend hunting castle. It is the largest, grandest and most visited one. Francois I was the builder and owner. When it was ready he didn`t like it and spent only 42 days here. the citchen nice little garden in front D 1: Guided City Tour Paris Tour start is in Versailles. The splendid and enormous castle was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV - the Roi Soleil, the Sun King, to project the absolute power tof the French monarchy. Some impressions... oriented to reflect the sunset, the Grand Canal, 1,6 km long and 62 m wide, is traversed by the 1 km long Petit Canal, creating a cross-saped body of water. marble statues everywhere, the hedges a perfectly cut Paris