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Monday, 07 May:
Leave Toronto on our non-stop Air Canada flight to London/Heathrow
airport.
Tuesday, 08 May:
Arrival in London. A coach will take us to our first hotel, The Castle
at Taunton in Somerset. After arrival at this special hotel, there will
be time to rest and enjoy the many amenities or walk to
 the town centre.
Before dinner there will be a reception where you can visit with your
fellow travellers.
Wednesday, 09 May:
Your morning will be free.
In the afternoon, our coach will take us for a tour in the gentle
Somerset countryside. We’ll visit Coate’s Willow & Wetlands Centre
at
nearby Stoke St. Gregory. The P.H. Coate Company has been operating on
this site since the early 1800’s and is the only site where willows are
still cultivated on a large scale for the weaving of baskets, garden
fixtures and furniture. We’ll be given a tour and no doubt will gain an
appreciation of this labour intensive, skilled craft. There will be time
to view their historical collection of willow articles, including a
coffin, and you can walk through the ‘withy’ beds or along the River
Tone to see the many butterflies and dragonflies which are found in the
area. There is a shop where you can purchase the local products,
including kits to try yourself. Thursday, 10 May:
This afternoon we’ll go for a drive in the neighbouring county of Devon.
We’ll stop to visit:
Exeter, the regional capital and location of one of England’s most
stunning medieval cathedrals. We’ll also have the chance to walk through
the Quayside, which used to be the site of Exeter’s woollen cloth
industry in the 1600’s, and now is a restored bustling area with shops
and restaurants.
 Honiton, a centre for lace making ever since it was settled by Flemish
refugees in the 16th century, made the lace for Queen Victoria’s wedding
dress. At Allhallows Museum in the town, we’ll be able to view many
examples of this fine lace.
Friday, 11 May
We leave Somerset, travelling through Devon and crossing the River
Tamar, which is the border between Devon and Cornwall, the most south-westerly area of Great Britain.
It has a long history of occupation and settlement by the Celts, Saxons
and Normans, dating as far back as the Stone and Bronze ages. Our
touring will take us from the Standing Stones, dated from the Bronze Age,
and the sites of the stirring Arthurian Legends, all against a backdrop
of stunning coastal scenery. The Cornwall flag is the same as that of
St. Piran, patron saint of miners, which reflects the history and
importance of the tin mines to the area.
Saturday, 12 May to Tuesday, 15 May:
The next four days will be a mixture of relaxation and exploration of
this special area.
We’ll visit picturesque St. Ives with its narrow cobbled streets and
fishermen’s cottages, see the exhibits at the Tate St. Ives, and the
Barbara Hepworth Museum, formerly the studio of the late sculptress.
There are galleries, studios and shops reflecting the importance of the
area as home to many contemporary artists. Due to its clement climate,
there is a profusion of flowers, and the town frequently wins the title
in the ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition.
The area is also the setting of many novels, especially the novels of
Daphne du Maurier and the poetry of Sir John Betjeman.
After taking in the sites, stop for a traditional Cornish tea.
We will spend some time with Janet Stanland. She is the seller of
five-ply Guernsey wool, now spun and dyed in Yorkshire, and used to knit
the traditional gansey and Guernsey sweaters and Cornish knit frocks.
Janet will give a history of this distinctive knitwear style and how she
came to be so committed to keeping it alive. You can choose from one of
the many colours in her range and get started on your own project. Janet
also carries books and this would be an opportunity to purchase the
following: Cornish Guernseys and Knit-Frocks by Mary Wright, Patterns
for Guernseys, Jerseys & Arans by Gladys Thompson or Knitting Ganseys by
Beth Brown-Reinsel. These titles are hard to locate in North America.
Polperro Heritage Museum of Smuggling and Fishing: This charming museum
has a number of references to and photos of sweaters which show the
traditional patterns of the Polperro area.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan: The beauty and history of these gardens
makes them a must to see. (The word ‘heligan’ means willow in
Cornish.)They were originally created in the 1800’s on the estate of a
wealthy family, the Tremaynes. During the First World War, most of the
male staff died in the trenches of the Western Front and very few
returned to work on the farm. After the war, the family was unable to
support such a large estate, and gradually the gardens became overgrown
and forgotten.
The gardens and surrounding grounds have been restored to an amazing
degree, and now receives the highest number of visitors to a private
garden in Britain, winning the Country Life Garden of the Year award in
1995 and voted ‘The Nation’s Favourite Garden’ by BBC Gardener’s World.
Cornish Organic Wool in Penzance.
15 May – Afternoon:
Our coach will transfer us to the port of Portsmouth where we board a
Brittany Ferries vessel for the short trip across the English Channel,
docking at the French port of Caen.
On arrival we’ll be taken to our hotel in Normandy at Bayeux.
 Wednesday, 16 May:
Today we are privileged to view the Bayeux Tapestry. This masterpiece,
hand-embroidered on linen, is 230 feet long and tells the story of the
Norman conquest of England in 1066 by vivid scenes and Latin commentary.
You will enjoy walking around this small town for the rest of the day.
Be sure to take in the school of lacemaking, Conservatoire de la
Dentelle de Bayeux, and the Cathedrale
Notre-Dame & Vieux Bayeux. The building was consecrated in 1077 in the
presence of William, Duke of Normandy. Fortunately it was not damaged
during World War II.
Thursday, 17 May:
We meet our guide today for a full-day tour of the Normandy Beaches
(Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword) sites of the D-Day battle, which
began on June 6th, 1944. The battles took a
 great number of lives
and the touching cemeteries are proof of that toll.
We’ll end our day with a visit to the Museum for Peace in Caen.
Friday, 18 May:
We spend today in Rouen which has seen more than its share of
history—from the burning at the stake of Joan of Arc in 1431 to
suffering major bombing damage during World War II when
10,000 people
took refuge in the Cathedral. This Gothic building has been completely
restored.
While in Rouen, you may like to look for a piece of the traditional
earthenware to take home as a memento.
This evening we’ll try some Calvados, brandy made from apples and a
specialty of the area.
Saturday, 19 May to Friday, 25 May:
 In the morning, we’ll board the Anacoluthe, our floating home for the
next six days while we travel on the Seine River and its tributaries,
following the Route of the Impressionists.
We’ll stop along the way with guided visits to:
Chateau of Vaux le Comte, the model for Versailles, built by
Fouquet, finance minister of the Sun King;
Giverny to see the house and gardens of Claude Monet, the most famous of
the Impressionist painters. Here you can see the view which inspired his
masterpiece, ‘The Water Lillies;
Château Chantilly with its large collection of paintings and its setting
within a large parkland;
Château of Malmaison, home to Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon 1st;
There will be lots of time to relax and knit, either in the public rooms
or on the top deck where you’ll have a perfect view of the towns and
countryside. The meals are delicious and include local cheeses and wine.
The cabins have twin beds, with ensuite facilities.
Friday, 25 May:
 After the
Anacoluthe docks and we say goodbye to the friendly crew, our
luggage will be transferred to a coach and we’ll go to Paris where we
check into our small hotel on the Left Bank. There will be an
abundance of things to do and see in the fabulous city. You’ll be
supplied with a map and a list of the many attractions within easy
walking distance of our hotel. Be sure to visit La Droguerie, an
excellent knitting shop, with a wide range of yarn, buttons and designs.
 Saturday, 26 May:
After a free day in Paris, we’ll meet this evening for a special dinner.
Sunday, 27 May:
Our luggage will be collected for transfer to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle
Airport and our non-stop Air Canada flight to Toronto, with connections
to our home cities.
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1. International airfare from Toronto to London/Heathrow, returning
Paris to Toronto. Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.