Pictures from the Italy

St. Mark Lutheran Church

Pilgrimage to France

Led by:

The Rev. Gary Erdos
St. Mark Lutheran Church
Yorktown, VA

June 30 – July 8, 2012

Trip map

DAY 1, Saturday, June 30, 2012 - Depart Washington Dulles Airport for our flight on Air France into Paris. M

DAY 2: Sunday, July 1, 2012 - Upon arrival at the Paris Airport we will be met by our English speaking guide and driver.  We board our bus and travel north to Amiens, in 334 St. Martin of Tours was baptized and shared his cloak with a naked beggar at the gates of Amiens.  We enjoy a walking tour including Amiens Cathedral, the tallest complete cathedral in France.  Dinner and overnight Amiens. D

DAY 3: Monday, July 2, 2012 - This morning we visit Beauvais Cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter (Cathedral St. Pierre de Beauvais).  We see the Astronomical Clock,which depicts Christ surrounded by the 12 apostles and its mechanical figures perform scenes from the Last Judgment; the tapestries, from the 15th and 17th centuries and the stained glass windows, from the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries, most of them by Renaissance artist Engrand Le Prince, a native of Beauvais.  Our journey continues as we travel to Bayeux, the first town to be liberated by the Allies in 1944 and fortunate to escape war damage.  We visit Bayeux Cathedral, a Norman Romanesque cathedral and the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry.  We see Bayeux’s famous tapestry which is displayed at the Centre Guillaume-le-Conquérant.  We continue on to Caen for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 4: Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - After breakfast we travel to the Beaches of Normandy.  We visit the Musee Du Debarquement, built to commemorate June 6, 1944 and the Battle of Normandy.  We visit Omaha and Utah Beaches, where the US troops came ashore during the Allied landing on June 6, 1944.  We stop to pay our respects to those who fought to liberate France at St. Laurent with its endless sea of crosses.  Dinner and overnight Mont St. Michel. BD

DAY 5: Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - Today we visit Mont St. Michel, one of the most enchanting sights in France.  We walk the pilgrim’s route which has been followed since the 12th century.  We climb to the Abbey where we will have time to explore on our own.  Dinner and overnight Mont St. Michel. BD

DAY 6: Thursday, July 5, 2012 - We leave the Normandy Region and travel to Angers in the Loire Valley.  We visit Angers Cathedral, built in the 12th and 13th centuries by two ambitious successive bishops, Normand de Doué and Guillaume de Beaumont.  The best known feature of the cathedral is its collection of stained glass windows from the 12th - 16th centuries.  The oldest windows are on the north side of the nave dating from the 12th century.  We continue on to Tours, a city on the route of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and a major centre during the Middle Ages.  We enjoy a tour of the city including a visit to Castle of Blois, residence of 7 kings and 10 queens of France.  The castle is a site reminiscent of the power and daily life at court in the Renaissance.  It is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orleans.  Dinner and overnight Blois. BD

DAY 7: Friday, July 6, 2012 - This morning we visit the Château of Chenonceau, the prettiest château in the Lorie Valley and known as the Château of the Ladies.  The design of the château was entirely overseen by women.  We continue on to Château De Chambord, once a hunting lodge and the largest château in the Loire Valley.  This afternoon we continue on to Chartres, situated on top of a hill overlooking the River Eure.  We visit Chartres Cathedral to see the 13th century Labyrinth.  As a penance, pilgrims followed the torturous route on their knees, echoing the Way of the Cross.  The journey of 262 m (851 feet), around 11 bands of broken concentric circles, takes at least one hour to complete.  We will also visit the Stained Glass of Chartres, a glorious collection of over 150 stained glass windows that illustrate biblical stories and daily life in the 13th century (bring binoculars if you can).  We continue on to Paris for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 8: Saturday, July 7, 2012 - Morning tour of Paris.  We visit the Louvre, Europe’s oldest museum to see the famous Mona Lisa.  We see the world-famous masterpiece of the middle ages, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.  We visit Sainte-Chapelle, built in 1248 to house what was believed to be Christ’s Crown of Thorns and fragments of the True Cross.  The rest of the day we will be free to explore on our own.  This evening we enjoy a “farewell to France” dinner and a view from the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower.  Overnight Paris. BD

DAY 9: Sunday, July 8, 2012 - After breakfast we board our coach and transfer to the Paris airport where we bid our driver and guide “goodbye”.  We board our Air France flight to the Washington Dulles Airport. BM

Price: $3,919.00*.  Price is based without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Washington Dulles Airport on Air France.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single Supplement:  $469.00 per pilgrim. * Air taxes and fuel as of August 10, 2011 $548.00 per pilgrim (not included in the cost of the pilgrimage and is subject to change until the tickets are issued).

** The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the Euro and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the Euro.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.45 to the Euro. **

$300.00 per person deposit due with registration and copy of passport.

Final payment due March 30, 2012

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Until March 29, 2012:  $100.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ March 30 – May 15, 2012:  $200.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After May 16, 2012:  NO REFUND

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, M Meals on Aircraft

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.