The Cathedral Tour

To myself, I jokingly dubbed this the Cathedral tour, but it is no exaggeration.  I have been fascinated by the Gothic cathedrals of northern Europe for years. The idea that you could build such tall intricate, finely carved stone structures, assembled without power tools, computers or modern heavy equipment is truly amazing. Gothic is a style that is misunderstood. Far from being dour imposing bastions of religious authority, the purpose of this architectural approach was to open up the church and let the sun shine magically through elaborate curtains of stained glass. Sadly, our perception of Gothic is coloured by the moody 19th century literary genre that shares the same name. These buildings were often constructed over long periods, and represented both the faith and aspirations of the community that built them. Of course, this tour is not exclusively about that, and includes numerous historical sites as well. Northern France is especially important to Canadians since it the site of many memorials, and was the tragic site of many battles in both world wars. At the moment, this is a self directed rail trip, since almost all the sites are easily connected. The outline below includes self directed day trips with the option to use escorted day trips where appropriate.

Paris – Arrive

• Paris: Tour City (2 days)
• Day trip to Chartres by train: Visit the medieval city’s famous cathedral and tour the hilly town around it.

Travel by rail to Reims

Reims

• Visit to: Reims Cathedral
• Site of German surrender in World War II, Champagne Tasting, Art Museum
• Day Trip to Verdun: Visit Old City, Fort Douaumont tour, Verdun Memorial, Douaumont Ossuary
• Half Day Trip to Laon: Cathedral, lunch in the town centre

Travel Day to Amiens

• Morning stop in Soissons to see Cathedral.
• Afternoon stop Compiegne: Visit the site of the World War I Surrender

Amiens

• Visit: Cathedral, Jules Verne House
• Day Trip to Canadian Vimy Memorial
• Day trip by Rail to Dunkirk: Site of the famous evacuation
• Day trip by Rail to Dieppe: Site of the tragic 1942 raid

Travel by rail to Rouen

Rouen

• Visit: Cathedral, Joan of Arc Museum, Gothic Architecture
• Day Trip to Giverny: Visit home of Claude Monet, site of many of his paintings

Travel by rail to Bayeux

Bayeux

• Canadian Normandy Beaches, D-Day museum, Bayeux Tapestry Museum, Bayeux Cathedral
• Day trip to Mt. St Michel: Explore the famous Monastery that seems to rise out of the sea.
• Day Trip to Honfleur: Enjoy a relaxing last day in the seaside resort town

Travel by rail in the evening to Paris – Depart