Join The National WWII Museum for a cruise of the picturesque Mediterranean region to learn more about its importance in World War II. Throughout history, many empires sought control of the Mediterranean as a trade route and power center. World War II was no different. As the first major battleground for the Allies in their efforts to liberate Europe, the Mediterranean proved to be a hotbed of espionage, a trial by fire for American forces, and a center of political discussion.
We will embark in Lisbon, a city that we could call the “sequel to Casablanca.” In the closing act of the film, Rick’s former lover Ilsa boards that plane to Lisbon with her husband Victor Laszlo. Lisbon, as the capital of neutral Portugal, was a hotbed of wartime espionage and intrigue. On the pre-tour program, historian Dr. Neill Lochery will open up the city to us in a way that most tourists never experience. From the Portuguese World Exhibition of 1940, taking place just as France fell to the Nazis, to the stories of infamous double agent Juan Pujol Garcia, better known as “Garbo,” you will encounter something new on every corner.
