Our itinerary is exciting and different for both of us:
1. Normandy - here we come! After arriving in Paris from LA, we will rent a car and drive from Paris to Giverny and Monet's Garden, where we will meet up with my pen-pal from England, Freda, and her husband Jim. Freda and I have been pen-pals for FIFTY YEARS -- THIS YEAR! We will surely celebrate this special anniversary of friendship - we have met several times in the past, and I have been fortunate to spend time with Freda, Jim and their lovely family during my travels to Europe.
From Giverny, jet lag behind us in the back seat, we will drive to Normandy, and specifically to Bayeux, where we will stay for three nights. I have always wanted to visit the beaches and sites of Normandy. Bayeux is the area where the paratroopers landed on D-Day and about 20 minutes from Omaha and the other beaches.
2. Amsterdam, and Avalon Cruises -- we will then drive back up to Paris, catch a short flight to Amsterdam, and board our Avalon river cruise on the new ship Panorama. This will be its maiden voyage (hopefully the kinks have already been worked out!).
We then embark on a 14 day cruise itinerary -- you can see on the map below. The link will take you to the details.

So, check back regularly because we are packing our technology and will post regularly when we can.