Themes

I don't particularly enjoy wandering aimlessly through a foreign country, lost in the "If it's Monday, it must be Marseilles" syndrome. It's a better use of time and money to have one or more themes for a vacation, to help decide what sights to visit and what to ignore.

Three themes will guide our vacation: art, World War II and food.

Art

One of Anthony's favorite painting styles is Impressionism. However, because this was considered too radical at the time, the Louvre in Paris, arguable the world's greatest art museum, has no Impressionist works. Fortunately, the Orsay, Orangerie and the Marmottan in Paris are chock full of Monets and Manets. (The picture above is Monet's at the Orsay.) The National Gallery and the Tate in London also have good examples. The Grand Palais in Paris is having the "first major exhibition in France of Claude Monet's work in over 30 years" and we have tickets.

As for me, I like Venetian 17th-Century views as in the above example by my favorite artist, Canaletto. The National Gallery in London is having the best assemblage of this painting type since 1967, which is primarily why we're going to London.

World War II

For a UK view of World War II, we're visiting the Churchill War Rooms in London, where the British government hunkered down during that period. But our main journey through the war comes from Bayeux in Normandy, France, where the Battlebus is going to take us on a two-day tour of the era, complete with visits to French, American and German cemeteries; St. Mere Eglise, whose church tower figured prominently in the film "The Longest Day;"  and the invasion beaches, where all those poor souls lost their lives loosening the country from the grip of the Nazis.

We're also spending a day at the Caen Memorial Museum, also in Normandy, one of the best museums anywhere. It concentrates on World War II, of course, but has exhibits on all types of conflict including The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the 9/11 attacks of 2001.

Food

 I'm nearly at my weight-loss goal of an extra ten pounds, just so I have enough room with all those rich French foods. But my gluttony may be fighting a losing battle against typically small portions and high prices. Consider that a lunch burger costs about $15 and a can of Diet Coke that's two-thirds the American size costs about $5, and you'll see what I mean. Because or the high prices, nearly half of our budget is set aside strictly for food.

London will prove to be a surprising change from my last trip there decades ago. The food was so bad that I actually lost weight after two weeks there. Fortunately, the city has since become a food capital of Europe, with cuisines from around the world. I'm especially looking forward to all the Arabic edibles, one of my favorites, imported by immigrants from across the Mediterranean.

Others

The entire trip is not going to be thematically based. Like every other tourist, we'll be gawking at the Eiffel Tower, observing the meat-eating crows at the Tower of London, and marveling at the intricate sculptures at Notre Dame. As for Segrie, France, the only reason we're stopping at that farming community in the middle of nowhere is to visit Anthony's old French teacher, who's celebrating his 78th birthday. The last time they saw each other was in Penang, Malaysia, nearly ten years ago. Even then I didn't think the old professor was going to live another ten years. There must be something in French food that makes you last forever.