2014 is a notable year for a number of reasons but perhaps one of the most poignant is that it marks the 70^th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings. It’s an important milestone for a hugely important event, as it is regarded as one of the true defining times in history. If the Normandy beach landings hadn’t been a success, the whole make-up of the world could be different now.

Azamara Club Cruises are offering a special cruise itinerary to remember the landings, entitled ‘Past to Present: Normandy 70 Years Later’. As such a monumental itinerary, the President & CEO of Azamara Club Cruises, Larry Pimentel, will be joining the voyage with his wife Sandi.

On the cruise, the ship will travel from Lisbon to Hamburg, along the way calling at Guernsey, Cherbourg, Honfleur, Bologne-sur-Mer, Dover and Amsterdam. The key port in the itinerary is Cherbourg, which you’ll visit on the 6^th June, the exact anniversary date for the landings. During the visit to the port you’ll be able to choose from a number of excursions around the landmarks of the region, including those that let you see Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

Other optional excursions on the cruise allow you to visit Caen and Bayeux from Honfleur, or you can choose to travel into the French capital of Paris. From Amsterdam you could choose to see Arnhem, the site of a famous battle in the September following the beach landings.

The cruise departs on the 3^rd June and lasts for 11 nights. It’s an interesting way to see some of the locations where pivotal battles took place, along with the villages affected by the war and the numerous memorials and cemeteries of soldiers who fell during the fighting.

By Ian Lewis
Google