Part 3 –
France
Our plan included spending 10 nights in France – more than
any other country on this trip. After
flying into Paris we would spend 4 nights in Paris, then pick up our car and
head south to the Loire Valley, west to the coast at Mont St. Michel, before
heading north through Normandy and up to Belgium. We would also spend one more night in France
at the end of the trip before departing home. Our route is shown on map below in red. The red squares show places where we stayed, and the red circles show notable additional places that we visited.
Day 2 – Tuesday, June
18. Arrived in CDG airport outside
of Paris at ~ 1 PM local time. Got our
luggage, found an ATM machine to get cash, and then took the shuttle to the
Metro station. The plan was to buy a 5
day Metro pass as we would be in Paris for 5 days including our arrival and
departure times. That was the cheapest
option I had found online for transportation, and this also looked like best
option (and the same price I had seen online) as we was waiting in line at the
Metro Station. Told the ticket person
what we wanted, and she said we could save ~€15 per person if we bought a
weekly pass. It didn’t initially make
sense, but then realized that a weekly pass was for Monday to Sunday (not any 7
consecutive days), so it only is a good deal if you arrive early in the week
and leave by Sunday. For us it was
perfect, but it seems it is mostly a local thing as it was not promoted
anywhere that I saw in travel books, on the Metro brochures, … Very appreciative of the Metro ticket person
who saved us about $80 total.
Found our way to the
hotel fairly easily. We took an express
train into Paris, and then had one transfer to a “tram” (like a streetcar),
then a 5 minute walk to the hotel. The
Paris Metro worked great the entire time we were there. I had picked up a free iPhone App (Paris
Metro Subway Guide) that was awesome. It
was a stand-alone app (did not require data connection to use) and by putting
in “from” and “to” stops it determined the best route. It showed which line to go to, which
direction to go and where to transfer, and estimated travel time. It also graphically showed all the stops
along the way. Very useful app – much
easier than standing around trying to figure out which of the ~50 Metro lines
to take to minimize the number of transfers.
We stayed in an apart-hotel in Paris about 20 minutes by
Metro from central Paris. It had three
rooms, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a main room with kitchen, table, and a sofa
that made into a double bed. It was
pretty basic, but about what I expected based on online reviews. Our goal when we travel is to see things
versus staying in 5 star hotels, so as long as a place is safe and reasonably
clean it fits the bill. After checking
in, we found a grocery store nearby and bought groceries – basically food for
breakfasts and some snacks – the other meals we would eat out while
sightseeing. Everyone was very tired
after being up for >24 hours so we went to bed early.
Day 3 – Wednesday,
June 19. Paris. Woke to heavy thunderstorms. Thunder and lightning, and lots of rain. Fortunately by the time we were ready to go
the rain had let up. This was to be a
pattern in Paris – there was lots of rain while we were there, including
several downpours, but our timing seemed to be very good and we were inside for
90% of it. Someone was looking after
us. We headed to Notre Dame Cathedral as
our starting point for the day. We were
there ~15 minutes before it opened, and as a result there were only ~20 people
in line before us to climb the tower. When
we left the line was at least a block long.
After climbing the tower and visiting the cathedral we look a
self-guided walking through the Latin Quarter and around Ile de la Cité (an island in the middle of the Seine River), picking
up some food for lunch and eating it beside the river. We then got back on the Metro and went to the
Arc de Triomphe, then walked down the Champ-Elysées. Our big purchase in this ritzy shopping
district was to buy something to drink at McDonalds. J We then continued down through the Tuileries
garden, arriving at the Louvre late afternoon.
The Louvre is open late on Wednesday, so we stayed until shortly before
closing time.
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| Entrance to the Louvre |
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| Eiffel Tower from river cruise |
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| House in Marie Antoinette's English hamlet |
An observation on Paris crowds and lines: Prior to our trip we had heard and read lots
of things about horrific lines at all the major attractions, and that it is
“mandatory” to purchase tickets in advance for the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Versailles,
etc. to avoid spending most your time waiting in lines. However, our experience was that with a
little thought and flexibility and following tips in guidebooks you could
reduce the waiting time to almost zero in most cases. For example, we arrived at Versailles
mid-morning and the line to get into the chateau was as advertised (more than
an hour). So, we went to the gardens
(never any wait) first, then the Grand and Petit Trianon, and went to the
chateau on our way out. Total waiting
time for all three places requiring tickets and security checks was less than
10 minutes combined. For the Louvre, we
read that on days they are open late (Wednesdays and Fridays) the crowds thin
out in the afternoon, so instead of battling the lines and crowds during the
day we arrived between 4 and 5 and stayed until closing time. Result was a 5 min wait to get through
security, and zero wait to buy tickets.
All in all the lines and crowds were much less than what we
thought they would be, and by not purchasing tickets in advance we were able to
adapt our plans to work around the weather versus being locked in to a specific
day. The one thing we did wait for approximately an
hour was for the Eiffel tower. In the
case of the Eiffel Tower, advance
purchase tickets are valid for a specific 30 minute window, so you potentially
waste more time by locking yourself into a time before you arrive in Paris as
you may have an hour before your tickets are valid and just have to hang out
since there is not enough time to see something else and be back before your
tickets expire. For us it all comes back
to flexibility – if we are enjoying the Rodin museum we don’t want to have to
leave after 40 minutes because our schedule says we have to be at the Eiffel
tower or our tickets will expire.
Unfortunately, it seems like more than 50% of the tourists in Paris are in groups that are herded like cattle from one site to another on strict timelines
and without the opportunity to truly explore this great city.
Day 6 – Saturday,
June 22. Paris to Saint-Aignan. We packed up and left our hotel at ~8:30 and
made our way back to CDG airport to pick up our car. We leased a Renault Clio4 Estate through
Renault Eurodrive. This was the smallest
car that we thought would have enough space for our luggage, and (based on
published mileage numbers) the most fuel efficient. We choose to lease a car rather than rent one
for a number of reasons. By leasing we
could pick the exact car that we wanted versus with a car rental you get a
model XYZ “or equivalent”. Many times
the car rental companies give you a choice of cars within the same
classification, but other times they give you what they want to, or have
limited cars in stock. We didn’t want to
get stuck with a car for more than 2 months that didn’t have space for our
luggage or some other issue. Also, by
picking the car in advance we were able to get a diesel which is more
economical. Not only does it get better
mileage, but in Europe diesel costs €0.10- 0.20 less than gasoline per liter
($0.50-1.00 less per gallon). UPDATE: Some places we have been in our first week
here diesel is €0.25 less per liter than gasoline, ~$1.25 less per gallon. We also
got a brand new car, which was not a big deal, but a nice bonus. Lastly, leasing is generally more economical
than a long term rental as you avoid a number of taxes and fees associated with
rental cars.
Picking up the car was very easy – arrived at the airport,
called them from a phone, and 10 minutes later the shuttle picked us up and
took us to their site next to the airport.
Once the shuttle dropped us off all I had to do was show my passport,
sign one paper, and they drove the car up, gave us a “walk through” explaining
how everything worked, we loaded our stuff up, and we were on our way. The luggage did all fit, but required a few
iterations to get the suitcases loaded in the proper order.
Driving out of Paris took longer than expected. CDG is northeast of Paris, and we wanted to
head southwest. What should normally
take 1 hour to get through Paris and suburbs took 3 hours. Our destination after leaving Paris was
Château de Chambord. This “hunting
lodge” was built by King François I in the 16th century. He had this huge place built but only spent
~70 days there over a 30 year period.
Chambord is one of the more popular chateaus to visit in France, but
when we go there in midafternoon we were shocked at how many people where there
and all the police directing traffic We
had to park in a grass field, and walk approximately one mile to get to the
chateau. When we got close we found out
that weekend was “Game Fest”. There were
thousands of people there, with hundreds of vendor tents set up on the grounds,
and lots of activities going on – dog Frisbee competition, horse exhibitions
with hunting dogs, skeet shooting, …
There were a lot of people in costumes from the 17th/18th
century, and lots of people camped out in tents and RVs. Fortunately for us, the people were there for
all the festivities, and there was no wait to get into the chateau. The only downside (other than the long walk
to the car) was that it took over an hour to get out of the improvised parking
lot. At times we only moved 1-2 car
lengths in 5-10 minutes and we were worried that we would not make it to our
hotel before the reception closed at 8:30. Once we got out of the parking lot we made
good time and had a pleasant drive through the countryside.
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| Chateau at Chambord |
We arrived at our hotel shortly after 8. It is in an old timber framed building, but
very well maintained, and in a great location facing the Cher River, adjacent
to the core part of town. Saint-Aignan
is a small town, with narrow cobblestone streets, and has a large chateau of
its own, situated on a hill overlooking the river. It was only a short distance from our hotel. We had a corner room and had a view of the river in one direction and a great view of the chateau and the town cathedral in the other direction.
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| View of Saint-Aignan chateau from our hotel room |
Day 7 – Sunday, June 23.
Saint-Aignan. We slept in today
and didn’t leave our hotel until after 10.
Everyone needed an extra recharge after the past several days of
go-go-go. After leaving the hotel we
found a grocery store and bought some food for “brunch” and then headed off to
visit the Château de Chenonceau. The
chateau was ~ a 3o minute drive through the countryside from our hotel. Château
de Chenonceau is distinct in that it is built on the Cher River. Not next to the Cher River, but on the river. It straddles the river, with the river
flowing under it through 6 arches. The
chateau in its current state dates from the 1500s. In addition to the chateau, there are formal
gardens, a restored 16th century farm, and a maze. The Cher River formed the demarcation line in
WW II between occupied France and the “free Zone” and the chateau was used as a
means for the French resistance to move between zones.
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| Château de Chenonceau |
.After visiting Chenonceau, we returned to Saint-Aignan. We spent some time walking around town before
dinner. We went to the cathedral for a
few minutes, but then left as Sunday afternoon mass was beginning. Our home church (Bethany Presbyterian) is
celebrating its 140th anniversary today. That is very old for a church in Oregon, but
the cathedral in Saint-Aignan dates from ~1100, so it is a thousand years
old. This helps put things in
perspective – “old” is a relative term.
We also walked up to the chateau and around the grounds and the outside
of the buildings. It does not appear
that they are open to the public. After
dinner (pizza), we walked down along the river and crossed the bridge to the
other side. There is a several foot drop
in water level on the downstream side of the bridge and a lock on the far side
of the river. However, it does not
appear the lock has been used in recent years.
Day 8 – Monday, June
24. Saint-Aignan to St Marcan. Today was mostly a travel day to go from the
Loire Valley west to the coast at Mont St. Michel, on the border between
Normandy and Brittany. We decided to stay
off the expressways, pass through all the small towns, and enjoy the country
roads. We enjoyed the architecture of
the buildings, the small compact towns, beautiful flowers, and impressive
churches. Several hundred roundabouts
later (at least it seemed like that many) we arrived at our B&B in St.
Marcan. This small village is located
~10 minutes southeast of Mont St. Michel.
Our hosts greeted us and invited us in for tea. They are a British couple with a young
daughter who decided ~18 months ago to move to France and start this B&D, Au
Bon Accueil. Our hostess, Jane, sat down
with us as we had tea and shared tips on visiting Mont St. Michel as well as
providing other suggestions for our visit based on our interests. We decided to have a quick dinner in a pub
that was a 5 minute walk up the hill from the B&B, and then drive out to
Mont St. Michel to watch the tide come in.
The pub was also British, and the proprietor Kevin was quite a
character. The food was inexpensive and
good, and Kevin kept us entertained and also provided directions to a great
viewpoint that we stopped at on our way to Mont St. Michel. He stumped Elizabeth (and the rest of us)
with a card trick that he did.
We got to Mont St. Michel at ~7:30, with high tide being at
~ 9 PM. The tidal variation in the bay
is the highest in Europe and the speed in which the water level changes is very
fast. At low tide you can walk on the
mud flats for a long distance around Mont St. Michel, but people need to be
aware of the tide times and levels or bad things can happen. We witnessed firsthand what happens when you
don’t pay attention to details. There was a car parked next to the elevated
walkway that leads to the entrance. It
was ~50 feet from the water when we got there.
A few minutes later the water was lapping at the wheels of the car, and
several minutes later the car was partially floating, and the water moved it a car length across
the parking lot before it filled with water and sank. When we left the left the car was mostly
submerged. Hope their insurance covers
acts of stupidity. J
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| Someone's car at Mont St. Michel |
Day 9 – Tuesday, June
25. St Marcan to Caen. After breakfast we packed up and headed to
Mont St. Michel. They are in the process
of removing the causeway that was built in 1879, returning it to an
Island. Parking is now located on the
mainland, and you have to catch a shuttle bus out to Mont St. Michel. The new bridge is about half built and they
have removed part of the causeway, but the buses can still drive out close to
the entrance. When we got up to the Abby entrance, we saw a
sign that said due to a strike it was opening 30 minutes late, but it was
already after the delayed opening time, so no issue. We kept expecting to get to a ticket booth,
but there was not one. Turns out that
due to the strike they were letting everyone in for free, so we saved ~10
Euros. We had a very interesting guided
tour in English by a local man who gave us lots of the history as well as
keeping everyone amused with jokes. After leaving the Abby we ate our lunch
that we had brought with us and then we split up. Karen and Elizabeth went shopping on the way
down while Matthew and I walked through the back alleys and around to some of
the fortifications on the opposite side than we had come in on.
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| Mont St. Michel |
After leaving Mont St. Michel we drove to Caen. We arrived there late afternoon and checked
into our aparthotel. We first got some
groceries, and then walked into the center of town (~15 minute walk) to get
some dinner. While in the core part of
town we climbed up on the old castle walls before walking back to our apartment.
Day 10 – Wednesday,
June 26. Caen. Today was dedicated to visiting site
associated with D-Day. We choose to
start at Utah Beach and work our way back to Caen. Utah Beach was the most western of the
beaches that the Allies landed at on D-Day, and one of two (along with Omaha
Beach) that the Americans landed at. We
started at Sainte-Mère-Église, the first village liberated by the Allies when
American paratroopers landed behind German lines early in the morning on
June. The stain glass windows in the church
were really one of kind - one shows the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus while paratroopers are going by. Not something you normally see in a church.
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| Paratroopers & the Virgin Mary with Child |
We
then headed to Utah Beach and went to the museum located there.
The museum was extremely well done.
There are many D-Day museums with an hour’s drive of Caen, but this one
had consistently better reviews than others and it did not disappoint. In addition to text describing the events and
planning leading up to D-Day as well as what transpired on and after D-Day
there were a large amount of artifacts displayed, ranging from uniforms and
small arms to tanks, landing craft, and even a bomber. We learned that Utah Beach had originally
been code named Oregon Beach in initial planning before an unknown army officer
changed it to Utah Beach. After Utah
Beach we went to Pointe du Hoc. Unlike
Utah Beach which had a very small dune (~20 feet high) rising behind the beach,
Pointe du Hoc had high cliffs and was the most heavily guarded position along the
coast. It was stormed by US Army Rangers
who climbed the cliffs to take out the German positions. Today is it much like how it was when the war
ended – there are large bomb craters, and you can go in the remaining German
bunkers or see the remnants of bombed out bunkers. Our last stop was Omaha Beach and the
Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial.
At the cemetery there are almost ten thousand American soldiers buried. The cemetery is at a beautiful location above
the bluffs at Omaha Beach, but it provides a grim reminder of the horrible cost
of war.
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| American Cemetery at Omaha Beach |
Day 11 – Thursday,
June 27. Caen to Belgium. Today
would be mostly a travel day, but we decided to go see Claude Monet’s gardens
where he painted his famous water lily paintings on our way to Belgium. We left Caen slightly before 9 and headed up
to Giverny. We arrived in Giverny at ~11
and went to Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet (Claude Monet house and gardens). The flowers were gorgeous - lots of
colors. I think our favorites were the
poppies. One of the gardeners said that they
had a very cold and wet spring, and all the flowers were about a month behind
where they would normally be for the end of June. They water lily ponds were also nice – makes
me wish that we had more spare at home to be able to create something on a
grander scale than the small pond that we have in our back yard.
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| Monet's water Lily pond at Giverny |
We crossed the border into Belgium at ~ 5 PM. Less than an hour to go to our first
destination in Belgium. Total distance
driven in France, 950 miles (1530 km).
We enjoyed France very much.
Favorite things from France: Karen
– the bread, wine, & art. Matthew – Eiffel
tower and not the Mona Lisa. Elizabeth –
Musée de l’Orangerie and Monet’s water lily paintings. Mike – the “Hamlet” at Versailles.
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