10 Jul WORLD WAR TWO TRIP
This month we have organised the “London” part of the 6 days trip “Victory in Europe” for the members of the organisation “Friends of the National WWII Memorial” based in Washington, D.C, with the French agency A La Carte Events based in Normandie. This group of Americans enjoyed a trip focused on WWII from London to Normandie and ending in Paris.
They had the chance to be led by Alex Kershaw, the famous English journalist, public speaker and the author of several best-selling books, including The Liberator, The First Wave, The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter.
DAY 1: WELCOME TO “LITTLE AMERICA”
The group stayed in a hotel in the heart of Mayfair, the guests arrived in the afternoon and began a walking tour of Grosvenor Square led by the expert historian Alex Kershaw. With Alex leading the way, they explored America’s relationship with Britain visiting monuments to Eisenhower, Roosevelt, and the Eagle Squadron, the former SHAEF headquarters, as well as a statue of Reagan and a tribute to 9/11 victims. The tour concluded at a traditional English pub located at a walking distance from the hotel.
DAY 2: LONDON AT WAR
They discovered London during World War II the secrets hidden beneath the streets of Westminster in the underground nerve center where Winston Churchill and his inner circle directed the Second World War.
After breakfast the group left south of the River Thames to Britain’s finest military museum, the Imperial War Museum. Following lunch at the museum, they visited Churchill’s underground war rooms at Whitehall. Alex Kershaw guided them through the labyrinth of rooms and corridors that stretch below Westminster that sheltered Winston Churchill and his war cabinet from the German bombing raids. They explored the Churchill Museum to learn the story of his life and legacy. From there, they returned to the hotel and the afternoon was free to explore on your their own.
The gala dinner of the evening took place at the Goring, one of the Royal Family’s favorite hotels. The Goring’s private Garden Room features sliding wall of glass, leading out to the famous Goring Gardens.
DAY 3: IN THE WAKE OF THE ALLIES
They followed the Allied invasion route, from Portsmouth across the Channel to Ouistreham. After breakfast the group left for the two-hour bus trip south to the storied city of Portsmouth.
After arriving in Portsmouth, they headed directly to“The D- Day Story”, formerly the D-Day Museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of the June 1944 Allied Invasion through unique personal stories. Following lunch in a private room at the museum, they Followed in the wake of the invasion of the troops, they board a ferry to cross the Channel to Ouistreham, the port city of Caen. Unlike those brave soldiers in 1944, they travelled aboard Brittany Ferries and enjoy a three-course dinner of French cuisine during the nearly seven-hour crossing.
Upon arrival in Ouistreham, the team at the exquisite 18th-century Château d’Audrieu hotel located between Caen and Bayeux was waiting for them.The trip continued I France under the organisation of the French Agency A La Carte Events
DAY 4: From the Sea and Air: We relive the story of the American airborne operation on D-Day and the extraordinary success of the Utah landings.
DAY 5: Courage and Sacrifice: We relive the highlights of D-Day combat at Pointe du Hoc and on Omaha Beach before paying our respects at the graves of those buried in the Normandy American Cemetery.
DAY 6:The Happiest Day in History: We liberate Paris, following in the footsteps of American troops who fought to the heart of the City of Light on August 25, 1944 after more than 1,500 days and nights of Nazi occupation
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