A map of our route is at the bottom of the post.
The driving was pleasant. We took a mix of large 4-lane highways and scenic 2-lane roads. We stopped at a couple of rest stops that were very nice, with good sandwich and snack options. Baquettes with ham and cheese, and panini's.
Not sure if this is true everywhere in France, but at one of the rest stops I refueled. I was confused that there was no credit card slot at the pump. The pump began pumping immediately, without prepaying. I walked in after I pumped my gas and just paid.
Driving towards the Normandy beaches we went through 4 or 5 toll plazas, ranging in cost from 3 - 5 Euro's each. You have the option to enter a lane and pay by credit card, and I think there was an option for an ezpass, but am not sure. Overall, it cost about 20 Euros to make the drive. On the large highways the speed limit varied from about 110 km/hr to 130 km/hr (around 65 to 78 mph). On the drive back to Paris we did not have any tolls.
The roads are in terrific shape. In 10 hours of driving I did not hit a pothole, on backroads or highways. The signage along the roads was pristine, not a sign of rust or erosion, and all were completely upright. The nicest signs were along the main highways, pointing out attractions at the upcoming exits.
On the highways, the speed limit was easy to ascertain, with ample signage. On smaller roads that crossed through towns, speed limit signs were not frequent. This made it difficult to know when to resume normal speed, especially when I had just passed through a populated area. I am sure that this contributed to number of drivers who passed me. While they weren't exactly reckless, they did not hesitate to pass, even on two lane roads. No one passed where they shouldn't, there were dashed lines, it just happened with a frequency you don't see in the U.S. I wasn't the only person being passed, it did seem that people more familiar with the location knew where they could speed up.
We also did not see one car pulled over, or any police speed traps (and we drove almost 500 miles). I did read that they often use cameras in France, and to not be surprised if you receive a notification in the mail a week or so after you were caught speeding.
One note on driving to the Normandy Beaches. We only stopped at the German Batteries (big guns overlooking the beaches), and Omaha Beach, where the American Cemetery is. Even though we only made these stops, we drove along the length of the whole beach. It was worth it. We drove along D514, seeing some charming towns that I never knew existed. It is as if I thought this area was abandoned prior to D-Day, never thinking about the people that must of have lived here all along. Almost every house or structure was here hundreds of years prior to that day, or at least they look that way.
Driving like that also gives you a view of the vastly different terrain that exists in this area. Beaches, rocks, fields and cliffs were all part of the assault. The width of the assault is unimaginable, it took us about 40 minutes to drive the whole way.
Driving to Mt. St. Michel was probably a Bridge Too Far, but I am glad we did it. Catching a first glimpse of the abbey from 15 km away gave me a much needed jolt of energy. A hazy vision of the poster I have looked at thousands of times. We stopped for pictures, but that was all the time we had.
We took the scenic route back to Paris. I am sure Bean will cover in more detail. I will just say that every town we drove through was as picturesque as the previous one. These were not tourist destinations.
Getting back to Paris after dark is not the best way to end the day. You would think you could see the Eiffel Tower from everywhere, but it is most visible from outside the city. We made it though, and are happy with this long journey.
Afficher Paris - Normandy - Mt. St. Michel sur une carte plus grande
By Gina's demand - some pictures of our parking garage.
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