by Angela Ren, NSC Member
Twenty-five Nisei Ski Club members headed out on Collette’s France Magnifique trip for 12 days in late October. We all had a fabulous time immersing ourselves in French culture, cuisine, and history as well as meeting and spending time with old and new friends.
Here are some of the highlights:
Versailles:
We were scheduled to have in the morning a guided tour of the private apartments of King Louis XIV in the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, the Royal Palace had a power outage so our tour ultimately had to be cancelled. Instead, our group spent the morning touring the palace’s expansive and grandiose formal gardens. The gardens cover approximately 2,000 acres and contain 55 fountains and 155 statues. Most of us only saw a very small portion of the gardens but there was the option to rent a golf cart which made it a little easier for those of us who wanted to cover a little more ground without wearing out our shoes on the very first day of the trip. The power was restored around 2pm so some of us that were still in the area rushed back to the Palace entrance and had the opportunity to walk through some areas of the Royal Palace.
Giverny:
At Giverny, we visited Claude Monet’s countryside home and the colorful living work of art which is his garden where we saw the artist’s inspiration for his works, including the setting for his iconic Waterlilies.
Caen & Normandy:
In Caen, we explored the Caen Peace Memorial Museum which is dedicated to providing a comprehensive history of the D-Day landings and Europe’s post-war transition. In Normandy, we strolled through the Normandy American Cemetery and Visitor Center. Collette was very thoughtful in providing a flower arrangement for our group to pay our respects during the Taps Ceremony, which serves as a daily moving tribute to honor the sacrifices of the WWII Allied Forces. Next, our group traveled to Omaha Beach where we all enjoyed beautiful views on a sunny day.
Arromanches:
Our stop in this town was at a local apple orchard farm where we were treated to a brief tour of how their apple cider was made and of course, we were given samples of apple cider to taste.
Saint Malo:
We traveled to Le Mont St. Michel, an UNESCO site that is otherwise known as the “Wonder of the West” where our entire group was able to ascend the 350 steps up to the Abbey which dates back to the 11th Century. We then strolled through its surrounding old village which is filled shops and restaurants.
Chinon & Loire Valley:
In the medieval village of Chinon, we visited a Farmers Market where we saw a Vietnamese food booth and a small Chinese take-out restaurant that our group quickly descended upon for lunch after not having any rice for a week! We then visited a local winery where we sampled some of their wines. In Loire Valley, we spent the next 2 nights at a 15th Century Chateau that was once a favorite retreat of Louis XIII.
Paris:
Our last stop on this trip was in Paris where we took a scenic cruise gliding under the romantic bridges along the Seine River. NSC treated our entire group for dinner and a dynamic champagne-flowing, can-can kicking, music-driven night at the cabaret. The next day, our large group split up into 2 groups – one group took in Paris’ most iconic sites on a panoramic city tour. The other group joined a local guide to the hilltop neighborhood of Montmartre and its iconic Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Our last evening together celebrating the conclusion of our French voyage with an exclusive dinner at the Eiffel Tower.
We all said “Au Revoir” (Goodbye) to each other after the Eiffel Tower dinner since some group members were taking an early flight home the next morning while the rest of the group were staying longer in Paris or traveling to another location. I would not hesitate taking another Collette trip with Nisei – we all shared some unique experiences and made some wonderful memories. How can I say no to that?
Here’s a slideshow of our trip.
