A Roadtrip through France

I subscribe to Scott's Cheap Flights, now called Going.  I received emails everyday on flight deals that they uncover.  Last fall when I saw a round-trip fare deal from Phoenix to Paris for less than $600, I couldn't pass it up.  That's for the Basic Fare.  I normally prefer to fly at least Main Cabin, which up the round-trip ticket to about $680.  That's still a good deal.  

I've been to Paris many times but always want to travel outside of Paris.  On this trip I decided that we'll fly into Paris, rent a car, and drive to the French countryside.  There are several places I have in mind - Bordeau, Normandy, Loire Valley, etc.  I limited myself to a 2-week trip so that we don't get travel-fatigue.  I searched the internet for ideas and found 2 websites:  10 Best Places to Visit in France  and Roadtrip through Western France.  I decided that we'll limit ourselves to three or four places.  I decided to pick The Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and Normandy.  

We flew from Phoenix to Salt Lake City to Paris on October 24, 2022.  We arrived in Paris' Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport at about 8am.  The last time we were in Paris it took us a long time to get out of the airport.  It hasn't changed.  I've never seen an airport in a developed country like France having so much trouble processing incoming visitors.  The line was very long and most of the immigration officers were manually checking passports.  Granted France is a well-visited country but you'd think that the government would invest in technology and personnel to quickly process incoming visitors.  It took us more than 2 hours to get out of the airport.

Our plan after exiting the airport was to walk to the train station next door and take the RER B train to the Gard du Nord train station in town.  Even though I've been here before I still need to ask directions to confirm which direction to take to walk to the train station.  They don't allow you to take the airport luggage carts pass the escalators so you have to carry them or take the elevators.  Perhaps I was a little tired from the flight, but as we were getting into the elevator, I saw two women following Doris.  Once in the elevator, one stood very close to her while the other was watching.  In the meantime I was watching the two women, not realizing what they were trying to do.  Then it dawned on Doris and I that they were pickpockets.  They want to get close enough to Doris so that they can pick her pockets or backpack.  Luckily, nothing was taken and the two women walked away.

Right away we put ourselves on High Alert.  The last time we were in Paris in 2019 I was pickpocketed at the Gard du Nord train station.  I told myself that this is never going to happen again.  This is a nightmare not just for tourist but for Parisians as well.  Pickpockets are everywhere.  They are very very good!

I bought two tickets for the RER B train from a machine, each costing about 13 euros (about US$13 at the time.  Exchange rate €1 = 1 USD).  The train was very crowded as many people were heading to work.  After about 45 minutes the trained arrived at the Gare du Nord train station.  It's a big train station, one of six in Paris.  I've been here a few times, yet it's confusing which way is the front of the station.  Once I get to the front of the station I can use Google Map to walk about 10 minutes to the Best Western (BW) Hotel.  I had to ask a shopkeeper for directions.  I used my downloaded Google Map for Paris to look for Rue Lafayette, the main road, and then found BW Anjou Lafayette Opera.

Our plan was to rest up and acclimatized in Paris for 2 nights before heading out to the French countryside.  Here is the trip plan:

1. Paris to the Loire Valley.  3 nights in Tours
2. Tours to Bordeaux.  4 nights in Bordeaux
3. Bordeaux to Normandy.  First night in Pontorson, near Mont St. Michel.  Second to Fourth night - somewhere in Normandy.

These will be discussed in the following posts.

The BW Anjou Lafayette Opera is in the 10th Arrondissement.  It's not close to any of the major tourist spots but they are easily reachable on the Paris Metro.  It's a popular local area and there are many restaurants nearby.  Surprisingly, there are many Asian restaurants in the area, more than I can remember in past visits.  About a 5-minute walk from the hotel is Rue Cadet, a street with several restaurants, popular with locals.  On our first evening we ate at a a Chinese restaurant called Au Bonheur.  We enjoyed it very much.  The food and service were very good.  We were able to converse with the waitress in Mandarin.

Au Bonheur, which means To Happiness

A free public toilet

Notre Dame Cathedral under repair after big fire in April 2019

Tempting dessert near Les Halles metro station

A Chinese restaurant in the 3rd Arrondissement

A Recyling Container

A French Bistro

Marché des Enfants Rouges in the 3rd Arrondissement

Moroccan Food, with couscous on the right

Boulangerie and Pâtisserie are popular in Paris

On our rest day we took a train to the Les Halles metro station and walked on Rue de Rivoli through the Marais district.  This is a very popular area with tourists with beautiful shops.  We headed towards the Marché des Enfants Rouges, a very old covered market where there are many food stands.  We decided to try Moroccan food.  It includes Couscous, a staple food in the Islamic countries in north Africa.  

That night we had dinner at the Chez Casimir restaurant near the hotel.  It is a traditional French restaurant recommended by the receptionist at the hotel.

Menu at Chez Casimir

A Duck Dish

Whatever it was, it was GOOD!

The Owner joking with us

We also stopped at the Alamo car rental agency at the Gare du Nord station that day to make sure they have the right car for us.  We need one with automatic transmission and with CarPlay, because we'd be using Google Map on our iPhone to navigate around France.  The staff was friendly and easy to deal with.  We'll be coming at about 10am the next morning to pick up the car.

North Dakota to Arizona Road Trip

 After a fun and memory-laden trip to Grand Forks it's time to take the long-drive home.  It's a daunting thought - driving for another 3-4 days.  But, what is a road-trip without some sightseeing? We decided to make a slight detour through Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).  

We left Grand Forks on a beautiful fall afternoon.  Our first stop for the night is Bismarck.  We decided to stay at the same Best Western hotel where we stayed a few days ago.  I've been to Bismarck a long time ago but I don't remember anything about the city.  I had a dorm friend, Paul Peterson, whose family owned a bar there.  I visited him once.  We had dinner at the nearby Wiang Thai Restaurant.  A nice conversation with the owner following dinner.  She was obviously understaffed and looked tired.  All we can offer is some emotional support.

The next morning we drove and stopped in Medora.  This time we went into Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  It's a smaller version of the Badlands National Park.  We spent less than an hour there and then we are headed to Billings, Montana.  Crossing into Montana the landscape changed slightly to more rolling hills.  We arrived in Billings and checked-in to the Best Western Hotel downtown.  It was a Sunday and many of the restaurants were already closed.  We decided to take a short walk to a Perkins restaurant.  It is a diner, similar to a Denny's, and just as mediocre.   In the morning we had breakfast at the Stella restaurant and bakery next to and owned by the hotel.  

Because of recent floods in YNP some of the entrances were closed.  The eastern entrance is opened, which means we have to enter through the town of Cody, Wyoming.  It's only about a 2-hour drive from Billings.  We gassed up the car before we entering YNP.  Our reservation for the night is at the Canyon Lodge, at the north-central part of the park.  We tried to cover the northern part of the park, driving as far as Mammoth Hot Springs.  The next morning we drove towards Old Faithful Inn, where we'll be spending the night.  I was surprised to get a reservation at this historic inn with such short notice.  There must have been a cancellation and I was just lucky.  Staying at this Inn is a special experience.  The only downside is we have to share a bathroom down the hallway.  

This is my second trip to YNP.  Most people don't realize how big the park is.  The maximum speed limit on the main access roads is 45 mph.  As such, it takes a long time to go from one part of the park to another.  There is a reason for a slower speed limit.  Animals are crossing the roads.  You have to watch out especially for bisons.  They own the park.  The love to walk along the road.  When they do that all traffic stop. They can do a lot of damage to cars.

Bisons walking along the road

Beautiful Stream in the park

Deer Crossing Road

Grand Canyon of YNP

Lobby of Old Faithful Inn

Another unique attraction at YNP are the hot springs.  They are everywhere and you can always smell them - the sulphuric or rotten-egg smell.  They vary widely in activity, color, size, and amount of steam.  Some of the well-known attract a lot of visitors. Old Faithful, the most famous of them, puts on a show every couple of hours or so. Below are pictures of some of them.

Old Faithful

South of YNP is another beautiful National Park - The Grand Teton.  Driving south on the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway you see the mountain range to the right.  It's a beautiful sight.  We stopped at the town of Jackson, Wyoming, strolling around for a couple of hours and stopped to take a picture at the main square.

The Grand Tetons

Jackson Town Square

We continued west through Idaho, then south towards Utah, spending the night at another Best Western Hotel in Provo.  This is home of Brigham Young University, one of the elite universities in Utah.  

The last leg of our journey took us through the redrock country of southwest Utah.  Passing through Kanab we remember a very good Mexican restaurant that we enjoyed - Escobar Mexican Restaurant.  We stopped to have lunch.  Finally, we drove Page, AZ, then all the way to Flagstaff, ending our trip there.

Escobar Mexican Restaurant in Kanab, UT