Online Program

Adventures Online: The Best of Normandy From Giverny to D-Day

Program No. 24182RJ
Immerse yourself in the history of WWII and experience the beauty of Normandy during an online learning adventure that leads from Omaha Beach to the gardens of Giverny.

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4 days
1
Orientation, History of Normandy
From the comfort of your own home.
2
D-Day Beaches
From the comfort of your own home.
3
Normandy and the Impressionist Painters
From the comfort of your own home.
4
The Lifestyle and Cuisine of Normandy
From the comfort of your own home.
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At a Glance

Join us for a cutting-edge learning adventure that brings the best of Normandy and stories of WWII directly to your home! With our Road Scholar expert, get an immersive look into this fascinating region of France, known for its critical role in WWII as well as its font of cultural heritage. Delve into the events of D-Day during online field trips to Arromanches, Omaha Beach, Point du Hoc and the American Cemetery, and discuss the importance of these locations in the American narrative. Join your expert for online explorations of Mont Saint Michel and the Musée Eugene Boudin in Honfleur, and delight in the beauty of Giverny, the home and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Throughout your exploration online, you’ll enjoy lectures by local experts and sessions where you will connect with your fellow Road Scholars through discussion.

What You'll Learn

  • Trace the history of D-Day during online field trips to Arromanches, Omaha Beach, Point du Hoc and the American Cemetery with a WWII expert.
  • Delight in the beauty of Giverny during an online exploration that offers insight into the life and works of Impressionist artist Claude Monet.
  • Join your Road Scholar expert for online field trips to Mont Saint Michel — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and the Musée Eugene Boudin in Honfleur.

General Notes

You’ll enjoy 2-3 hours of daily instruction, discussion and/or field trips, which includes sufficient breaks throughout the program. This online program is through Zoom, an easy-to-use web video service that includes closed captioning. All you need is an Internet connection and your computer. We’ll provide a how-to guide to make sure you’ll have a hassle-free experience. This session is offered live only and will not be available on demand. Please review the daily itinerary for start and end times to ensure you won’t miss a minute of this live experience. All times are listed in the EASTERN time zone. If you live in a different time zone, please adjust your schedule accordingly.
Featured Expert
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Nettah Yoeli-Rimmer
Nettah Yoeli-Rimmer studied French and Spanish literature before going on to get a master’s in European culture at the University of Cambridge. He has traveled extensively and has many years of experience leading educational adventures in France, Spain and Italy. He has recently completed a PhD in 19th-century Spanish literature. In addition to his principal research, he regularly writes for a number of publications on urban history and architecture.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Nettah Yoeli-Rimmer
Nettah Yoeli-Rimmer View biography
Nettah Yoeli-Rimmer studied French and Spanish literature before going on to get a master’s in European culture at the University of Cambridge. He has traveled extensively and has many years of experience leading educational adventures in France, Spain and Italy. He has recently completed a PhD in 19th-century Spanish literature. In addition to his principal research, he regularly writes for a number of publications on urban history and architecture.
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4 days
3 nights
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DAY
1
Orientation, History of Normandy
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: All times noted are Eastern Time (ET). Today's session will start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:20 p.m. as it includes Orientation. The day before each session, the instructor will send you a handout by email that will accompany the lecture. He will also recommend any extra reading or background research that could complement the day's themes.

Afternoon: Orientation. At 2:00 p.m. (ET), our resident expert and Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date schedule and any changes, discuss Zoom meeting protocol and technical instructions, and answer any questions you may have. This Orientation session will last approximately 30 minutes. We’ll then have a lecture (30 minutes) on the history of the Normandy region, from its Viking founders, to the influence of the Norman conquests of England and Sicily. We will look at the influence of the Hundred Years War and learn the fascinating story of Joan of Arc, a symbol of French nationhood and freedom to this day. Our virtual field trip (60 minutes) will begin with a “visit” to the Viking tombs in Rouen’s Cathedral. Next, we’ll visit the Bayeux Cathedral, which was the first home of the Bayeaux Tapestry. The tapestry depicts more than seventy scenes preceeding the Norman conquest of England and is thought to have been embroidered in the 11th century. This magnificent piece of history is now housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Bayeux. Afterwards, we’ll journey to Mont Saint Michel to learn about the history of pilgrimages, followed by a visit to the market square of Rouen and the city of Caen, William the Conqueror’s capital. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the history of Normandy.

DAY
2
D-Day Beaches
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today's session will start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. ET. The day before each session, the instructor will send you a handout by email that will accompany the lecture. He will also recommend any extra reading or background research that could complement the day's themes.

Afternoon: This afternoon we’ll enjoy a lecture (30 minutes) that will focus on WWII, Operation Overlord and D-Day. We will explore the historical context for the Allied landings and learn about the strategies used to overcome German defences. Our virtual field trip (60 minutes) will take us to the landing beach of Omaha, where we’ll learn about how the beachhead was taken, with great sacrifices from American troops. We’ll also explore Utah Beach, the artificial harbor at Arromanches, Pegasus Bridge, as well as the American Cemetery, which is located in Colleville-sur-Mer and honors the soldiers who gave their lives during World War II. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the importance of all the locations we visited.

DAY
3
Normandy and the Impressionist Painters
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today's session will start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. ET. The day before each session, the instructor will send you a handout by email that will accompany the lecture. He will also recommend any extra reading or background research that could complement the day's themes.

Afternoon: Our lecture (30 minutes) today will focus on Normandy’s importance as a center for painting in the nineteenth century, particularly for the Impressionists. We will learn about Eugène Boudin and his influence on Claude Monet and explore the lifestyle and gastronomy of this unique region. On our virtual field trip (60 minutes), we will visit the beautiful fishing port of Honfleur, a center of Impressionist painting and explore the collections of the museums of Le Havre and Rouen. We will also visit Rouen Cathedral, famously painted in series by Claude Monet. We will also see the cliffs at Etretat, which appear in many Impressionist paintings. Finally, we will visit the house and gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, in which he lived from 1883 to his death in 1926. Monet’s beautiful gardens often served as inspirations for his renowned works of art. Following our field trip, we’ll end the day with an open discussion (30 minutes) with questions and answers about the importance of Normandy as a center for painting in the nineteenth century.

DAY
4
The Lifestyle and Cuisine of Normandy
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today's session will start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. ET. The day before each session, the instructor will send you a handout by email that will accompany the lecture. He will also recommend any extra reading or background research that could complement the day's themes.

Afternoon: This afternoon we will explore the particular gastronomic and cultural traditions of the Normandy region, which still maintains a unique local identity. We will examine the proud monastic tradition in the region and its influence on Normandy’s unique cuisine, while looking at some of the foods that have put Normandy on the gastronomic map, such as cheeses and cider. Our virtual field trip will take us to the traditional fishing port of Honfleur, the cheese making town of Pont l’Évêque and explore local delicacies in specialty shops around the region. Pont l’Évêque cheese is named for the location in which it is made, and is one of the oldest cheeses still produced in Normandy. We’ll end the day with an open discussion with questions and answers about the lifestyle and cuisine of Normandy. This concludes our program.






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