Adventures Online: The Best of Normandy From Giverny to D-Day

Orientation. At 2:00 p.m. (ET), our resident expert and Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date schedule and any changes, discuss Zoom meeting protocol and technical instructions, and answer any questions you may have. This Orientation session will last approximately 30 minutes. We’ll then have a lecture (30 minutes) on the history of the Normandy region, from its Viking founders, to the influence of the Norman conquests of England and Sicily. We will look at the influence of the Hundred Years War and learn the fascinating story of Joan of Arc, a symbol of French nationhood and freedom to this day. Our virtual field trip (60 minutes) will begin with a “visit” to the Viking tombs in Rouen’s Cathedral. Next, we’ll visit the Bayeux Cathedral, which was the first home of the Bayeaux Tapestry. The tapestry depicts more than seventy scenes preceeding the Norman conquest of England and is thought to have been embroidered in the 11th century. This magnificent piece of history is now housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Bayeux. Afterwards, we’ll journey to Mont Saint Michel to learn about the history of pilgrimages, followed by a visit to the market square of Rouen and the city of Caen, William the Conqueror’s capital. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the history of Normandy.

This afternoon we’ll enjoy a lecture (30 minutes) that will focus on WWII, Operation Overlord and D-Day. We will explore the historical context for the Allied landings and learn about the strategies used to overcome German defences. Our virtual field trip (60 minutes) will take us to the landing beach of Omaha, where we’ll learn about how the beachhead was taken, with great sacrifices from American troops. We’ll also explore Utah Beach, the artificial harbor at Arromanches, Pegasus Bridge, as well as the American Cemetery, which is located in Colleville-sur-Mer and honors the soldiers who gave their lives during World War II. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the importance of all the locations we visited.

Our lecture (30 minutes) today will focus on Normandy’s importance as a center for painting in the nineteenth century, particularly for the Impressionists. We will learn about Eugène Boudin and his influence on Claude Monet and explore the lifestyle and gastronomy of this unique region. On our virtual field trip (60 minutes), we will visit the beautiful fishing port of Honfleur, a center of Impressionist painting and explore the collections of the museums of Le Havre and Rouen. We will also visit Rouen Cathedral, famously painted in series by Claude Monet. We will also see the cliffs at Etretat, which appear in many Impressionist paintings. Finally, we will visit the house and gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, in which he lived from 1883 to his death in 1926. Monet’s beautiful gardens often served as inspirations for his renowned works of art. Following our field trip, we’ll end the day with an open discussion (30 minutes) with questions and answers about the importance of Normandy as a center for painting in the nineteenth century.

This afternoon we will explore the particular gastronomic and cultural traditions of the Normandy region, which still maintains a unique local identity. We will examine the proud monastic tradition in the region and its influence on Normandy’s unique cuisine, while looking at some of the foods that have put Normandy on the gastronomic map, such as cheeses and cider. Our virtual field trip will take us to the traditional fishing port of Honfleur, the cheese making town of Pont l’Évêque and explore local delicacies in specialty shops around the region. Pont l’Évêque cheese is named for the location in which it is made, and is one of the oldest cheeses still produced in Normandy. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the lifestyle and cuisine of Normandy. This concludes our program.