Part II of Dos: Rent a Car

From Paris we decided to travel across the country and visit the cities Chamonix and Annecy. Initially, we thought we might be able to travel by train or by plane, but we ran into a few problems. One, unlike our experiences in other European countries, we were unable to find a sleeper train that traveled to the southeastern part of the country. The closest we could find was a train that took you an hour outside Annecy and then it was up to you to make the final part of the trip. The cost for this was absolutely ridiculous and would require a day plus of travel. Secondly, a plane ticket to this part of the country was equally as expensive and again you were left with finding some type of transportation to the your final destination. Therefore, we decided to rent a car. I can't express how much fun this was to have our own car and the freedom to go explore.

So, after four days in Paris we rented a car, quickly remembered how to drive stick, conquered a French roundabout of seven lanes and set off across the country. The French highways were easily marked, clean and interesting to travel on. I say interesting because unlike America, French drivers are weird. For one, it seemed like we were the only ones going the speed limit, and while we were traveling at the speed limit in the RIGHT LANE, a car would come speeding up on our bumper, ride it for a few miles and then finally we would get out of the way. Now, I should mention that there were usually no cars in the left lane. So, I'm not sure why one, a car would come up so fast on us in the right lane, not use the left lane and make us get over? Interesting right? The other interesting part of the French highway are the immediate changes in speeds. It seemed like through the whole stretch the speed limit, for no apparent reason, would shift from 70km to 40km without any real warning. And, then to compound the drastic shift in speed, there would be a traffic camera to take a picture of you being an idiot. To be honest, I'm pretty sure we got our picture snapped, but have yet received a ticket.

The last thing you should be prepared for, while traveling by car in France, are the tolls on the highway. These tolls can be slightly expensive, but when weighed against a train or plane ticket, they are still the less expensive option. The only truly expensive part of the tolls are the fact that, if you miss a turn off or decide to get off the highway, you have to pay a toll. We thought we missed one turnoff, and as we doubled back, we had to re-pay the toll. So, just make sure you are truly prepared to get off the highway, and literally, pay for any mistakes.

Check out http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/routes.htm if you want to calculate your costs for gas, tolls and get directions. We found this website to be very helpful in comparing prices against train and plane travel.

Normandy

My next recommendation for any trip to France is to take a day and travel to Normandy. There are many options in getting to Normandy and here's what I found:

1. There are many tour groups that organize train tickets, pick ups and informational tours of the various sites. Tours can be great, but also more expensive than if you did it on your own, and also strap you to a particular schedule. The experience of Normandy is not just about historical sites, but also exhibits a beautiful rural countryside. Therefore, as interesting as the historical facts might be, I think it's also worth it to have the time to just sit and enjoy the landscape.

2. There are several trains that leave Paris and travel to various cities in Normandy. The center of the D-Day attractions is a city called Bayeux. When I looked into booking a train to Bayeux I ran into a few issues. One, the earliest train I could find out of Paris left around 9:00 and took about two hours to travel to Bayeux. (Check out this website for train information.) This wouldn't be a problem, but once you arrive in Bayeux you then have to find a bus or taxi service to take you to the D-Day attractions. Again, this causes a bit of a scheduling issue, because you either have to pay the taxi to wait or wait for another infrequent bus to travel between the rural towns.

3. Eventually, we decided the best way to travel to Normandy and experience the sites was to rent our own car. We found a very cheap car rental place near our hotel and by 8 in the morning we set off for Normandy. Having the car allowed us to follow our own path through the attractions, spend as much time as we wanted and to fully enjoy the countryside. And after we priced everything out, the car was only slightly more expensive than a train, but the flexibility was invaluable.

D-Day Attractions:

Start your exploration at the seaside resort of Arromanches-les-Bains. This is a cool little fishing port that still exhibits wreckage of the man made harbor the Allies built in 1944. Next to the beach is a museum that houses maps, videos and photographs of the building of the harbor, but I wouldn't recommend paying the money to enter. Just buy or check out Rick Steves' Book on Paris and he'll give you the full historical background.

While you are at Arromanches-les-Bains walk up the hill and see a short, but very well done video, called Arromanches-les-Bains 360. As indicated in the name, the video is shown on screens around the entire room and show real footage of D-Day.

In the background you can see the port of Arromanche-les-Bains.

From Arromanche travel down the coast to Omaha Beach. Covering almost 173 acres is a fantastic and humbling museum of the events leading up to the D-Day battle, leftover lookouts and artillery from the Germans and the Normandy American Cemetery. Save yourself a considerable amount of time to fully experience this site.

At Omaha Beach.
The American Cemetery.

From Omaha Beach we traveled farther along the coast until we came to Pointe du Hoc. This was probably the most breathtaking site I had ever visited. To see the real effects of war and the destruction it can cause was incredible.

That's me standing in the middle of a crater from a bomb.
More craters.

I should also state that there are many other attractions in addition to the ones we saw. However, we felt like these three major sites told the story and allowed us to take our time and fully absorb the historical event that took place. So, don't feel overwhelmed when you start planning your trip. Touch on the highlights or spend a few days. Either way you'll still walk away with an appreciation for this monumental battle.

To finish our trip to Normandy we drove into Bayeux, which is an adorable town, and had our first real French meal at a Michelin starred restaurant called Le Pommier. My husband chose the set menu with Foie gras and an amazing apple pie, and I had a deliciously prepared cod. After dinner we walked the streets and enjoyed this charming little city.

Me after being very well fed.

The Do's Of Paris

A few months ago I traveled to France and spent ten wonderful days exploring the country. The following is what I deem "What You Must Do, If You Are An American and Have 10 Days In France, And Don't Want To Spend An Outrageous Amount of Money": (It's a work in progress title.)

Paris

Museum Pass

Of course, this should be your number one stop. I mean, it's Paris. However, here's what I recommend if you go. First, think long and hard about the Museum Pass that all guidebooks and museum entrances will advertise. I purchased the pass and then spent the next two days running from museum to museum in order to make it count. In retrospect, I wish I had just chosen a few museums I wanted to see, paid the admission price and enjoyed a more calm museum experience. I think because Paris offers so many museums you think you have to see them all, but in actuality walking around Paris is a wonderful experience in itself. So, again, think about what kind of tourist you want to be: walking all day in a museum looking at French art and statues, or laying on the grass by the Eiffel Tower with a baguette? If given the choice again I think I would have saved my money and eaten more crepes.

Hotel

For four nights I stayed at the Le Meridien Etoile, which is located just a few minutes from Champs Elysees. I was really impressed with the service of this hotel and the modern decor. However, I found the location to be perfect for our sightseeing excursions. Located just around the corner was a metro stop, and if you wanted to walk, you were close to all the major sites.

Food

To be honest, our best meals were getting fresh croissants and pastries in the morning and warm baguettes for lunch. I was constantly amazed how, no matter what pastry shop you walked into, the croissants and baguettes tasted the exact same - which was good because we tried a lot of them. The French definitely know how to bake so make sure you forget about calories and fat content and go to town - you won't taste anything like it. As for crepes, there was not the same quality control. Sometimes they were amazing and sometimes they tasted a little old. Make sure you only buy crepes that are made right in front of you. We made the mistake of buying a crepe from a shop that already had a stack of crepes made that they just warm up before serving. Don't waste your money on these! And lastly, for dinner, it's a little hard because there are so many tourist traps with really crappy food. Try to stay away from restaurants near Champs Elysees or museums. And if all else fails, but a baguette, get some cheese, find a nice park and have a quiet dinner for two.

Tomorrow we leave Paris.

Bandera

A few months ago, the husband and I had the opportunity to dine at Bandera in Brentwood, California. I had high expectations for Bandera because I had already eaten, and blissfully enjoyed a meal, at Houston's, which is another restaurant owned by the Hillstone company. And, I'm glad to report that both establishments sort of make me want to be a better person.

First of all, let's discuss the atomsphere of Bandera. Surrounding a wrap around bar are intimate leather booths that allow for quiet conversations and gluttonous moans of pure enjoyment. My other favorite part of the vibe of Bandera is the live music. A slow and steady bass and snare drum seem like the perfect background music for this place.

Next, let's discuss the food. We started with the dip duo with tortilla chips, which consisted of a rather large ball of cheese impeded with all sorts of goodness. It was spicy, but not too heavy and perfect for dipping a chip into. My only wish was that we had had more chips because the cheese ball was delicious, but without a chip it sort of felt wrong to put a spoon full of cheese in your mouth. Our other starter was the "nice little house salad." As far as house salads go, this was amazing for one reason: the croutons. The croutons are made with the corn bread they serve with your meal and it's amazing. I think I could have eaten just a plate of those.

For our main course my husband and I both chose the rotisserie chicken and beef ribs combo. The chicken was absolutely amazing, but I wasn't blown away by the ribs. Maybe it was the fact that the ribs were beef and not pork, but I found them sort of dry and not as flavorful. As for the cornbread and coleslaw, I don't think I've ever had anything better. The coleslaw, as all coleslaws should be, was not a mayo based slaw, but more of vinegar based with roasted peanuts. I found the portions to be just right, and unlike many top restaurants, I was actually full after eating my main course.

For dessert we shared a mixed berry cobbler with ice cream. I had heard rave reviews about the banana cream pie, and I'm sort of wishing I had listened to my friends. The cobbler was good and warm, but it wasn't anything spectacular.

Overall, this has definitely become one of our favorite restaurants and if you are ever in LA or in Newport Beach, California please, please be good to yourself and try this place.