We rented bicycles as the means of touring the beaches and surrounding countryside because we wanted an authentic tour of the area. During our travels, we stumbled upon an amazing local who lead us to a tiny building that housed a museum known only to the locals. Inside, sat an older gentleman referred to by the locals as the expert on local history. He shared with us his memories of the invasion when he was a boy and provided us a hand-written map that contained the Normandy battlefields, as well as, little known villages and roads that were perfect for accessing by bike. I doubt the natives would have been as helpful if we arrived by car and I believe they took a liking to us precisely because we rode up on bikes.

The ride from the museum to the beaches was fascinating because it took us past the hedgerows that proved lethal to soldiers of the invasion forces because they formed a natural defensive barrier that German forces used to their deadly advantage. Another interesting sight on the ride was the monument in every village, hamlet and crossroad honoring the local soldiers killed during WW I. The French casualties in the First World War were far greater than in WW II and that left an indelible impact on the French psyche.

The American Military Cemetery, the beaches and the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc are emotionally overwhelming and moving to a degree that is difficult to describe in words. Needless to say, these sights are awe inspiring and will make every American honored by the sacrifices made by our fathers and grandfathers in the name of freedom.

Our final stop was the village of Sainte Mere Eglise made famous in the film the Longest Day as the landing site for hundreds of U.S. paratroopers during the early hours of D Day invasion. The village is picturesque and is built around a stone square that is dominated by the church of the same name and made famous by a paratrooper whose chute was caught in the steeple and he spent the duration of the battle watching the fighting play out below him. In recognition of the American sacrifice, a replica of the paratrooper hangs in the steeple to this day. The square is surrounded by cafes that are a perfect place to sit back and enjoy this historic village.

On our way back to Paris we visited the charming picturesque seaside town of Honfleur – not to be missed and enjoyed a fabulous night at another Relais & Chateaux property La Ferme Saint-Simeon! Honfleur is a historic shipping port and the starting point for many French expeditions to the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries including Samuel Champlain. The buildings date back centuries and the shops and port are so picturesque. If you want to revisit world history to appreciate what our freedom means, make sure you head to Normandy.

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Windstar Cruises are known for their sailing vessels, but they have added some ocean liners and we cruised on their Star Breeze which accommodates only 212 passengers. Much smaller than your typical ocean liner. The crew was predominately from the Philippines and they were outstanding – genuine and professional. The food was perfect. We had breakfast and lunch each day al fresco on the aft deck and one night to celebrate the big birthday we dined alfresco under the stars. This was the same night that we cruised through the many locks of the Panama Canal.

I didn’t expect the locks to be such an interesting experience but to my surprise it was! My husband was in his glory and had acquired another check on his bucket list.

We spent two nights before the cruise began in the city of Panama, staying at the beautiful Hotel Bristol. The city of Panama is a dichotomy of old & new. I preferred the old. Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Quarter) is the historic district of Panama City. It was built following the near and total destruction of the original Panama City in 1671 when the city was attacked by pirates.

Today, it is vibrant and authentic with many wonderful restaurants and homes. It’s a must see when traveling to this part of the world.

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We’ve been to Italy several times but never to Lake Como.  I dreamt of lying alongside the lake whiling away the hours in the Italian sun and drinking Bellinis!  So that’s exactly what we did.  The plan was to feel like a local!

Since we were going to spend 7 nights in one place, we opted for a more reasonably priced hotel but also very authentic.  We stayed at the small boutique Hotel Belvedere.  Our room overlooked the lake and had a huge terrace which was great for early morning cups of tea and late day sunset viewing.  We stayed in the town of Bellagio which I would highly recommend.  We were able to walk from our hotel into town for meals, shopping and people watching.

We rented a car and each day after a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we ventured out in our small rental car (with a HUGE sign that said RENTAL on the side) to explore all the towns of this lake region.  The sign on the side actually was a blessing as the Italians could easily recognize that we were not locals and politely gave way on their extremely narrow road ways.

We visited two of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen while on this trip.  Frist, we drove to Villa d’Este in Cernobbio.  We were treated to a delicious lunch by my Virtuoso partner.  We sat beside the lake under an umbrella and felt like we were in another time.  We had the opportunity to look at many of the room categories and one was more beautiful than the next.  The gardens at Villa d’Este are epic and make the resort feel like paradise.

Another day, we took a boat across the lake from Bellagio to meet with another Virtuoso partner at The Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Tremezzo.  She too treated us to another lakeside lunch on the most beautiful terrace.  The food and atmosphere were beyond my expectations.  One of their three swimming pools literally sits over the lake and the hotel has a private beach.

If you are looking for a romantic getaway and have the luxury of time then I would highly recommend a week in Lake Como.

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The service onboard was excellent and the river cruise schedule could not be more relaxing.  Due to the small size of these vessels, you pull right into the cities you visit.  This means literally walking off the ship when you are ready to explore – so easy and convenient.

We stopped in some wonderful towns and cities such as Antwerp know for it’s Belgian Chocolate, Rotterdam known for their beautiful Delft China, Kinderdijk famous for their windmills and finally Amsterdam.  Although each stop was wonderful, for me, Amsterdam was the highlight!  Amsterdam is a biker’s paradise with more bikes than people and the major source of transportation around the city.  The museums are outstanding – my personal favorite was the Van Gogh museum.

When all is said and done, however, the absolute most amazing thing that I saw on this trip was the Keukenhof Gardens outside Amsterdam.  Tulips are my favorite flower and as a tulip worshiper I have always wanted to visit this special place.  The gardens were more beautiful than I ever imagined and the fact that this wonderful place is only open eight weeks a year, yet employs a staff year round was fascinating to me.    They receive over one million visitors per year and I am very happy that I was one of them!

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