France 2007

United Airlines 942
Oct 21 10:00 am depart LAX
Oct 22 9:20 am arrive CDG stops: Plane change

Da Vinci Code:

Begin at the famous Hotel Ritz where the novel opens with Robert Langdon fast asleep. Walk through the Jardin des Tuileries and enjoy the beautiful gardens as we enlighten you to a few of the author's liberties taken in the writing of this book.

Enter the Carrousel du Louvre, where Silas murdered the museum curator Jacques Saunier, to see the inverted pyramid believed to house the Holy Grail itself before crossing the Pont des Arts on the way to the gallery district of the Left Bank.

Walk to the Church of St-Germain-des-Pres before closing the tour at the final destination, St. Sulpice (may be closed on Sunday for Mass). View the infamous Rose Line and take a look inside this dramatic church as you follow the Rose Line to the towering obelisk where Silas mistakenly believed the Holy Grail rested.

"If you stand on the meridian line in Saint-Sulpice and look to the north and south you see the rose windows of the north and south transepts with the letters P and S incorporated into their designs. Priory of Sion?

10 - 1030p

The largest triumphal arch in the world (about 163 feet high and 147 feet wide) was erected by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate his army's victories. Over the years it became the focal point for state funerals, and during WW II, both the invading Germans and theliberation of Paris parade passed beneath it.

It's the site of France's tomb of the unknown soldier and it has an observation deck and exhibition hall at the top, with photos and lithographs depicting the arch's history.

The decadent mont blanc dessert takes a backseat only to the richest hot chocolate imaginalble, at Paris's most popular salon de the. Its marble, gilt and red-carpeted setting attracts everyone from grandmothers to the Agha Khan.

The quintessential French tea salon, the ornate Laduree was established in 1862 and looks liek someting out of Versailles. The pineapple carpacicio with lime sorbet is a signature dessert, but order just about anything on the menu to experience a confectionay epiphany.

For an unforgettable visual and gustatory experience, have a once-in-a-lifetime meal in the over-the-top 18th century setting of Le Grand Vefour. You'll walk away understanind why the French insist they can cook (and decorate) better than anyone else in the world.

Set on the second platform of the Eiffel tower, with a view so breathtaking it makes eating close to impossible. The skybound menu gives new meaning to the term haute cuisine.

The walls of this small chapel, one of the supreme achievements of the Middle Ages, consist of more stained glass than stone - all told it forms the largest expanse of stained glass in the world. There are cndlelit classical concerts in this Gothic jewel box when the sun goes down.

The small rose-brick Place des Vosges is the city's oldest and most beautiful square, planned by Henri IV in the early 17th century and entirely surrounded by arcades. Victor Hugo lived here at no. 6.

Bateaux-mouches are to Paris what gondolas are to Venice - a wonderfully touristy way to see the city from a different perspective. These glass-enclosed boats ply the waters of the Seine and slip underneath its famous bridges to give you a glimpse of the life along the quais of the refined Right Bank and the storied Left.

The bistro food is as tantalizing as the unmatched wine selection at this hugely popular bar where the mingling of fashion types and foreigners in-the-know make for a buzzy atmosphere that is both refined and relaxed.