April 10th, 2025
by Prudence O'Haire
by Prudence O'Haire
Our stay in France part 1 - This trip took place in October of 2017
Chris and I were finished with our tour that was done with a College class. We had done Italy and Germany and now Chris and I were headed for Paris, France to celebrate our twenty year marriage.
It took awhile to get the keys to our tiny rental car. I stood and guarded the bags and people watched in the airport while Chris figured all that out at the rental car booth. There seemed to be some men walking around trying to get people to do something, but each time they came my way I just stuck my nose in the air and pretended I didn't see them.
Chris is really good at traveling in foreign places, even ones he's never been in. I mostly sit in the passenger seat and with a dumb look on my face. I might also look for specific signage to if asked.
Driving in France is tricky in traffic, and they also have these tunnels you have to pay to go into. They're so long it feels like you might end up in China by the time you come out the other end! Our first destination was about four hours away from Paris. We were heading for the region of Normandy and the town of Avranches. I would not recommend driving yourself in France if you are not the adventurous type. They are nutty drivers.
Alone in the car just the two of us, on a bright sunny day in a France, we almost forgot we had four kids and that we had problems back home for the next week. This entire trip was our second honeymoon. Better than any other anniversary trips we have done. We were enjoying the charming, picturesque countryside, stone cottages and rich historical culture. We also enjoyed the French crepes and pastries.
Chris had rented us a three story stone cottage in the country. It sat next to a tiny airport and in the distance we could see the next days adventure, the Mont Michel. There it sat in all its glory and mystery. A huge 1.000 year old Abby and castle on the coastline. We had a palm tree in the yard, which seemed a little out of place and a friendly big headed braying donkey in a field next to the yard. The donkey had trimmed all the bushes next to the fence free of charge for our landlords. The Stone cottage was perfect. The bed was on the third floor and the bathroom was all the way at the bottom.
The landlords forgot to leave us towels. Or maybe we had to pay extra for them? We headed into the fantastic town of Avranches and had crepes for dinner. Then, we went in search of a market or a store that might sell towels or even just paper towels. And try as we may, we found no markets open at eight pm and they do not have places in plenty such as Target, Walmart, Freddy's.. Nothing! Yes, when these little shops close down, they all do including whatever markets they have. Luckily, I had purchased two dish towels in Italy for use on our feet after we dipped them in the Mediterranean Ocean. So, we just used those.
The next day was foggy with a coast like drizzle. Chris had bought me an adorable medieval type coat in Venice. I wore that to the Mont Michel. Despite the weather, we loved our tour of the place. Monks and Nuns still live here and work in the Abby. Everything we saw seemed picture worthy. The old Graveyard, the towers, the key holes, the cobblestone streets, the seagulls and pigeons. Yes, everything was fair game for our cameras. We stayed till dinnertime and then left and ate in a nearby town.
The next morning it was sunny again. We left Avranches and took the extra long country road way back to Paris to continue the rest of our week in France. We skipped out on most all of the toll roads on the freeway. Those tolls coming out of Paris the first day must have costed us thirty dollars or more. We took the country roads on purpose, so we could see the countryside and drive through tiny towns. Every tiny town has their own big stone church that sticks out like a sore thumb. These houses and building were built to last. Everything is stone. They differentiate their churches and houses by adding colorful shutters and doors.
Coming into Paris, we accidentally landed in rush hour. The downtown driving was mess and confusing. Chris, the driver, had to pee real bad the entire time we are sitting and waiting our turn through a stop lights and other drivers crowding in. I felt bad, I've been in his position so many times. Turns out, he should just stepped out of the car while we stopped and peed on the road. We saw quite a few people not waiting for a toilet while we were there. ( I know, that doesn't mean we should be doing it too)
Our next Airbnb was downtown Paris and was rented from a mechanic who worked in a shop right across from the apartment. The apartment was very tiny. Very tiny. We had to step over our suitcases to get out the door and the bed was in a loft with a ladder. We didn't spend much time there so it wasn't a big deal that it was so small.
We were grateful for the translator app. The mechanic landlord didn't speak a word of english. Chris managed to convey to him that we needed a plastic wheel cover to replace the one Chris accidentally scraped up on a rock. That was huge, the mechanic ordered us one and didn't charge us anything extra. It was forty euros.
We were also within short distance of a laundromat which Chris needed as he didn't pack an enormous amount of clothing like I did. And we also found a grocery market to buy breakfast stuff. Chris made us breakfast each morning while in Paris. We decided to not go anywhere with the car the next day as our experience driving was not real pleasant. But we did walk, and ride the bus, and get an Uber..
Chris and I were finished with our tour that was done with a College class. We had done Italy and Germany and now Chris and I were headed for Paris, France to celebrate our twenty year marriage.
It took awhile to get the keys to our tiny rental car. I stood and guarded the bags and people watched in the airport while Chris figured all that out at the rental car booth. There seemed to be some men walking around trying to get people to do something, but each time they came my way I just stuck my nose in the air and pretended I didn't see them.
Chris is really good at traveling in foreign places, even ones he's never been in. I mostly sit in the passenger seat and with a dumb look on my face. I might also look for specific signage to if asked.
Driving in France is tricky in traffic, and they also have these tunnels you have to pay to go into. They're so long it feels like you might end up in China by the time you come out the other end! Our first destination was about four hours away from Paris. We were heading for the region of Normandy and the town of Avranches. I would not recommend driving yourself in France if you are not the adventurous type. They are nutty drivers.
Alone in the car just the two of us, on a bright sunny day in a France, we almost forgot we had four kids and that we had problems back home for the next week. This entire trip was our second honeymoon. Better than any other anniversary trips we have done. We were enjoying the charming, picturesque countryside, stone cottages and rich historical culture. We also enjoyed the French crepes and pastries.
Chris had rented us a three story stone cottage in the country. It sat next to a tiny airport and in the distance we could see the next days adventure, the Mont Michel. There it sat in all its glory and mystery. A huge 1.000 year old Abby and castle on the coastline. We had a palm tree in the yard, which seemed a little out of place and a friendly big headed braying donkey in a field next to the yard. The donkey had trimmed all the bushes next to the fence free of charge for our landlords. The Stone cottage was perfect. The bed was on the third floor and the bathroom was all the way at the bottom.
The landlords forgot to leave us towels. Or maybe we had to pay extra for them? We headed into the fantastic town of Avranches and had crepes for dinner. Then, we went in search of a market or a store that might sell towels or even just paper towels. And try as we may, we found no markets open at eight pm and they do not have places in plenty such as Target, Walmart, Freddy's.. Nothing! Yes, when these little shops close down, they all do including whatever markets they have. Luckily, I had purchased two dish towels in Italy for use on our feet after we dipped them in the Mediterranean Ocean. So, we just used those.
The next day was foggy with a coast like drizzle. Chris had bought me an adorable medieval type coat in Venice. I wore that to the Mont Michel. Despite the weather, we loved our tour of the place. Monks and Nuns still live here and work in the Abby. Everything we saw seemed picture worthy. The old Graveyard, the towers, the key holes, the cobblestone streets, the seagulls and pigeons. Yes, everything was fair game for our cameras. We stayed till dinnertime and then left and ate in a nearby town.
The next morning it was sunny again. We left Avranches and took the extra long country road way back to Paris to continue the rest of our week in France. We skipped out on most all of the toll roads on the freeway. Those tolls coming out of Paris the first day must have costed us thirty dollars or more. We took the country roads on purpose, so we could see the countryside and drive through tiny towns. Every tiny town has their own big stone church that sticks out like a sore thumb. These houses and building were built to last. Everything is stone. They differentiate their churches and houses by adding colorful shutters and doors.
Coming into Paris, we accidentally landed in rush hour. The downtown driving was mess and confusing. Chris, the driver, had to pee real bad the entire time we are sitting and waiting our turn through a stop lights and other drivers crowding in. I felt bad, I've been in his position so many times. Turns out, he should just stepped out of the car while we stopped and peed on the road. We saw quite a few people not waiting for a toilet while we were there. ( I know, that doesn't mean we should be doing it too)
Our next Airbnb was downtown Paris and was rented from a mechanic who worked in a shop right across from the apartment. The apartment was very tiny. Very tiny. We had to step over our suitcases to get out the door and the bed was in a loft with a ladder. We didn't spend much time there so it wasn't a big deal that it was so small.
We were grateful for the translator app. The mechanic landlord didn't speak a word of english. Chris managed to convey to him that we needed a plastic wheel cover to replace the one Chris accidentally scraped up on a rock. That was huge, the mechanic ordered us one and didn't charge us anything extra. It was forty euros.
We were also within short distance of a laundromat which Chris needed as he didn't pack an enormous amount of clothing like I did. And we also found a grocery market to buy breakfast stuff. Chris made us breakfast each morning while in Paris. We decided to not go anywhere with the car the next day as our experience driving was not real pleasant. But we did walk, and ride the bus, and get an Uber..
Prudence O'Haire
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