Equipping myself for travel goes well beyond packing. The prelude to visiting France and the World War II D-Day landing beaches was a four-hour college professor’s seminar followed by 500 pages of Winston Churchill’s history.

On arrival day in Paris, attention is commanded by the city sights of the Seine, the Louvre, and Eiffel’s icon.

This long walk through a world capital transitions the body to a time zone 6 hours removed from the Eastern U.S.A.

During dinner the Avalon Tapestry II sails into the night on the serpentine Seine, leaving the tightly-packed city of 2.2 million.

Avalon Cruise Lines Tapestry II ship moored in Paris at Quai de Grenelle docks on the River Seine.

The next two days initiate immersion into the art, history, and culture of the Normandy region.