Collin hosts a wine education dinner focused on Right Bank Bordeaux — specifically Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. A deliberate pre-trip primer so the Bordeaux leg has more meaning.
Confirmed
Mostly Confirmed
TBD / Needs Decision
Travel Day
Free / Flexible
🗺️ Full Route Overview
Open in Google Maps →
Pre-Trip
Sat9May
Pre-Trip Event
Wine Education Dinner — Adults Only
Hosted by Collin · Right Bank Bordeaux tasting
Adults OnlyConfirmed
›
What's Happening
Guests
- Chris, JC, Frank, Jennifer (core group)
- Kim and her husband (strategic — family will lean on Kim while away)
- Two additional friends (TBD)
- Venue / logistics not confirmed
Wine Context
The Right Bank (centered on Libourne): Saint-Émilion (UNESCO medieval town) and Pomerol (home to Pétrus and Le Pin). The hub house is ~30 mi north of Libourne — smack in this territory.
🇮🇹 Italy — Florence & Rome (All 11 Travelers)
Sat27June
USA → Rome
Departure — Overnight Flight
Fly out evening · Arrive Rome morning of June 28
TravelConfirmed
›
Travel Notes
Evening departure, overnight transatlantic. Arrive Rome ~10am June 28.
Sun28June
Rome → Florence
Arrive Rome · Train to Florence · Check into Villa
~10am arrival · Frecciarossa to Florence (~1.5 hrs) · Settle in
TravelConfirmed
›
Travel Sequence
- Land Rome Fiumicino (FCO) ~10am
- Transfer to Roma Termini (~30–45 min)
- High-speed Frecciarossa to Florence: 1.5 hrs
- Arrive Florence Santa Maria Novella → Transfer to villa
Watch For
- Train must be pre-booked — Frecciarossa seats are reserved
- 11 seats on same departure with luggage needs advance coordination
- Jet lag day — keep dinner local and easy
Sun–Thu28 Jun–2 Jul
Florence Area Villa
Florence Leg — 4 Nights
Michelangelo's David · Uffizi · Duomo · Pending Mummerts' proposed plan
Partial
›
Confirmed Highlights
- Michelangelo's David — Galleria dell'Accademia. Book timed entry. 17 feet tall; nothing prepares you.
- Florence — Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale Michelangelo for the view
- Uffizi Gallery — Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo. Book tickets
Unknowns — Pending Group Review
- Italy daily agenda is being developed by the Mummerts. Once proposed, it needs to be reviewed with the full group and signed off by Collin before finalizing.
- Day trips not assigned: Siena, San Gimignano, Cinque Terre, Pisa
- Tuscany food: market meals, trattorias, Chianti wine country
Context
Florence — birthplace of the Renaissance. Compact and walkable. Villa is outside the city. Tuscany in late June: ~85°F, dry, busy — advance tickets needed.
Thu–Mon2–6 Jul
Rome Apartment
Rome Leg — 4 Nights
Colosseum · Vatican · Pantheon · Pompeii day trip
Partial
›
Confirmed Highlights
- Colosseum — Timed entry + gladiator floor. Book tickets
- Vatican + Sistine Chapel — Book first-entry 8am
- Pantheon — Tickets required. Built 125 AD.
- Pompeii — ~2.5 hrs south by train. Book in advance
Unknowns — Pending Group Review
- Day-by-day assignments not yet made — part of the Mummerts' Italy proposal. Full group alignment + Collin sign-off needed before locking.
- Pompeii day: likely July 3, 4 or 5
- Trastevere: excellent for dinners
- Vatican requires its own full day
Colosseum Context
50,000–80,000 spectators. ~400 years of combat. Christians among those killed. Understanding this before walking in transforms the experience — especially for the kids.
🍷 France — Bordeaux / Dordogne Hub (All 11 Travelers)
Hub: Montlieu-la-Garde ("Mount Louie") — Right Bank wine country, ~1 hr NE of Bordeaux airport, ~30 mi north of Libourne. Chosen to be equidistant between Oradour, Sarlat, Le Pin, and Bordeaux city. Three rental cars.
🍷 Bordeaux Hub — Day Trip Distances
Open in Google Maps →
Mon6July
Rome → Bordeaux → Hub
Fly to Bordeaux · Pick Up Cars · Drive to Hub
~1 hr airport to hub · Settle in · No agenda
TravelConfirmed
›
Travel Sequence
- Morning flight: Rome → Bordeaux-Mérignac (BOD)
- Pick up 3 rental cars at BOD
- Drive ~1 hr to Montlieu-la-Garde
- Settle in — no agenda beyond arrival
Logistics
- Confirm car classes handle 11 people + luggage
- Reserve automatics explicitly — harder to find in Europe
- Download offline Google Maps for Bordeaux region before landing
Tue7July
Hub + Day Trip
Oradour-sur-Glane
Nazi massacre village · Permanently preserved since 1944 · ~1h35 from hub
Confirmed
›
What Happened Here
June 10, 1944 — four days after D-Day — the SS Das Reich killed 642 inhabitants. Men shot in barns. Women and children locked in the church and burned alive. Six survivors.
De Gaulle ordered it preserved exactly as left — rusting cars, collapsed buildings, personal belongings. Decomposing in place as a permanent memorial.
Visit Details
- ~1h35 from hub · ~1.5–2 hrs on site
- No timed entry — walk freely through the ruins
- Modern museum on site
- Standard French school field trip
- Angoulême en route — possible lunch stop
Why It Matters
Bucket list for years. You must understand the history or it's just rubble. For the kids: a history lesson no classroom replicates — real artifacts, real names, real lives interrupted.
Wed8July
Sarlat-la-Canéda
Sarlat Market Day + Overnight
Wednesday market · Truffle & foie gras capital · Stay overnight
Confirmed
›
The Plan
Drive ~2 hrs. Wednesday market is the whole point — one of France's great food markets. Morning exploring + eating + buying provisions. Lunch at one of many excellent restaurants. Stay overnight — Sarlat is dramatically better at night.
What to Buy
- Black Périgord truffles — world's finest
- Foie gras — duck and goose, fresh and jarred
- Duck confit — buy to cook at the hub
- Walnut products — oils, cakes, spirits
- Local cheeses — Cabécou goat rounds
- Bergerac wine — excellent value
About Sarlat
Best-preserved medieval town in France. UNESCO zone — honey limestone, narrow alleys, Renaissance architecture. Castle visible on the drive in.
Logistics
- Book Sarlat hotel in advance — fills up
- Leave hub early (market is morning/midday)
- Provisions for hub dinner July 9
- Next morning: Lascaux ~20 mi away
Thu9July
Lascaux → Hub
Lascaux IV Cave · Return to Hub · Cook Dinner
World's most famous prehistoric art · ~20 min from Sarlat
Confirmed
›
What You're Seeing
Original discovered 1940 by four teenagers following their dog. 600+ paintings — horses, bison, mammoths — ~17,000 years old. Permanently closed 1963.
Lascaux IV (2016) — official full-scale replica with millimeter precision. Stunning modern building in the hillside.
The Woolly Mammoth Detail
The woolly mammoth survived until ~2,500 years ago — these paintings were made by people who actually saw these animals alive. Not mythological. Real neighbors. Not primitive — documentation.
Logistics
- BOOK TIMED ENTRY — sells out in summer
- Montignac-Lascaux, ~20 min from Sarlat
- Allow 2–3 hours · Afternoon: drive to hub (~2 hrs)
Evening
Cook at the hub with Sarlat market provisions — duck, foie gras, truffles. One of the trip's signature meals.
Fri10July
Le Pin + Bordeaux City
Château Le Pin (Adults) · Tour de France Stage 7
Morning: world's rarest wine · Afternoon: Tour sprints into Bordeaux
Split DayConfirmed
›
Morning — Le Pin (Adults Only)
Château Le Pin — ~5 acres, ~700 cases/year, $3,000–$6,000+/bottle. Not a tourist winery. Expect $500+ for a glass.
Afternoon — Tour de France (All 11)
Stage 7 finishes in Bordeaux July 10 — 175km flat sprint from Hagetmau. Finish at Place des Quinconces. Final 3km along the Garonne quays. Free to attend. letour.fr
Publicity caravan first (~20 min), then 170+ riders at 40+ mph.
Action Items
- Le Pin: Contact estate directly — not bookable online. Do this now.
- Arrive Bordeaux mid-afternoon for waterfront + city before the finish
- Kids need a plan while adults are at Le Pin — hub or Saint-Émilion morning
- Cognac (45 min from hub) still under discussion
🗼 France — Paris (All 11 Travelers)
Sat11July
Bordeaux → Paris
TGV to Paris · Check into Apartment
2h04 train · Arrive ~4–5pm · Luxury apartment · Settle + dinner
TravelConfirmed
›
Travel
The Apartment
Large luxury downtown apartment. Marble floors, king beds. Central. Home base for 5 nights. Evening: settle in, neighborhood walk, easy dinner.
Sun–Wed12–15July
Paris
Paris — 4 Full Days · Schedule TBD
~10 attractions to assign across 4 days
Unassigned
›
Day Assignments Still Needed
Paris daily schedule NOT yet built. Attractions are confirmed as priorities but need assigned to specific days.
Confirmed Attractions
- Louvre — Pre-studied. 5–6 hrs. Book timed entry
- Musée d'Orsay — Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Whistler's Mother. Book tickets
- Centre Pompidou — Modern art priority. ⚠️ Verify open vs renovation
- Eiffel Tower — Lunch planned. Book summit tickets well in advance
- Versailles — Half/full day. 45 min RER. Book entry
- Notre Dame + Sainte-Chapelle — Notre Dame restored. Sainte-Chapelle — greatest stained glass, same island
- Champs-Élysées + Arc de Triomphe — Morning walk. Arc rooftop panoramic
- Père Lachaise — Morrison, Chopin, Wilde, Piaf. 1–2 hrs. Free.
- Seine Cruise — Bateaux Mouches evening. City lit up.
- Hermès / Perfume — Shopping stop
Suggested Groupings
Day 1 (Jul 12, Sun): Louvre (full morning) + Tuileries + Eiffel Tower lunch
Day 2 (Jul 13, Mon): Versailles day trip
Day 3 (Jul 14, Tue — Bastille Day): d'Orsay + Pompidou + Notre Dame + Sainte-Chapelle · Fireworks at night
Day 4 (Jul 15, Wed): Champs-Élysées + Arc + shopping + Père Lachaise + Seine cruise
Day 2 (Jul 13, Mon): Versailles day trip
Day 3 (Jul 14, Tue — Bastille Day): d'Orsay + Pompidou + Notre Dame + Sainte-Chapelle · Fireworks at night
Day 4 (Jul 15, Wed): Champs-Élysées + Arc + shopping + Père Lachaise + Seine cruise
⚠️ July 14 = Bastille Day. Eiffel Tower fireworks are extraordinary. Some museums free.
⚓ France — Normandy & Chartres (11 → Mummerts + Nana depart)
Thu16July
Paris → Normandy
Depart Paris · Drive to Normandy House
Morning departure · ~3 hrs drive · Settle in
TravelPartial
›
Logistics
- Pick up rental cars in Paris
- Drive ~3 hrs → Normandy (Caen / Saint-Lô area)
- Rental house confirmed
- Mummerts + Nana depart during this leg — exact date TBD
Family Note
Mummerts and Nana leave before the Riviera. Frankie has camp. Frank is firm on this. Exact departure not yet pinned down.
Fri–Sun17–19July
Normandy
D-Day Sites · American Cemetery · Omaha Beach
WWII Normandy · Day-by-day agenda still TBD
Partial
›
Key Sites (Not Yet Assigned)
- American Cemetery — 9,388 crosses over Omaha Beach. ABMC. Free. 2 hrs.
- Omaha Beach — Walk it. The cliffs, the scale — it becomes real.
- Pointe du Hoc — Rangers scaled 100-ft cliffs. Bomb craters still there.
- Utah Beach Museum — WWII artifacts, Sherman tank.
- Mont Saint-Michel — ~1.5 hrs from Caen. Tidal island abbey. Plan visit
- Bayeux — 900-year-old tapestry. First city liberated on D-Day.
Context
June 6, 1944 — largest seaborne invasion in history. 10,000+ Allied casualties on D-Day alone. After Oradour, this completes the throughline: occupied France → Nazi atrocity → Allied liberation.
Sun19July
Chartres
Chartres — Light Show · Boutique Hotel Overnight
Permanent projections · Cathedral · Stunning at night
Confirmed
›
What to Expect
Permanent nighttime projections on historic buildings. Chartres en Lumières covers 26 monuments nightly from dusk.
Chartres Cathedral (12th c.) — finest French Gothic, best-preserved medieval stained glass in the world. Famous floor labyrinth.
Logistics
- Boutique hotel booked
- Arrive afternoon — cathedral in daylight first
- Evening: light show route (~10pm dusk in July)
- Confirm hotel booking
- Next morning: drive toward Riviera
☀️ French Riviera — Konecny Family Only (7 Nights)
Intentionally unstructured. Decompression after 3 intensive weeks. No major agenda. Base: Saint-Raphaël.
Mon–Mon20–27July
Saint-Raphaël · French Riviera
Riviera — Decompression Week
Cannes · Saint-Tropez · Celebrity beaches · No agenda by design
FlexibleConfirmed
›
Base: Saint-Raphaël
Relaxed Côte d'Azur town. Cannes 45 min west, Saint-Tropez 1 hr east. Great beaches, marina, restaurants. Less crowded than the famous neighbors.
Day-Trip Options
- Cannes — The Croisette, film festival palais, Île Sainte-Honorat
- Saint-Tropez — Port, old town, Pampelonne Beach
- Antibes — Picasso Museum, ramparts, market
- Nice — 1 hr. Promenade des Anglais, Vieux-Nice, Matisse Museum
- Monaco — 1.5 hrs. Casino, palace, F1 circuit
- Gorges du Verdon — 1.5 hrs north. Europe's Grand Canyon.
- Île de Porquerolles — Ferry from Hyères. Car-free island.
Post-July 27
TBD. Nothing planned after July 27. Return flights and any extension need to be resolved.