Normandy

We recently rented a car and headed to Normandy. It was our first driving experience in France (and Paris) and it went surprisingly well. Our path took us straight up the Champs-Élysées and into the massive traffic circle that goes around the Arc de Triomphe. Fortunately we took a little side route that by-passes the traffic circle and went on stress free to Normandy. The only hiccup was when DJB drove down a street that was meant for a tram, luckily there were no injuries, just a bunch of confused French people.

Our first stop in Normandy was Rouen, which is the capital of Normandy. We spent our time wandering around the old city, most of which was destroyed in WW2 and later rebuilt. As you can see, the architecture is much different than Paris'.

The streets were very lively during the day, but after 9:30 it was a ghost town. We did manage to have one of the best meals we've had in France to date. I know I'm repeating my self, but it was so much cheaper than Paris!

Rouen is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. You can visit the exact spot and marvel at the ugly church that they built in the 1970's to commemorate this place. I didn't even take a picture of it, it was that bad!

After a night in Rouen, we headed to Juno Beach (I'll be posting pics later this week about Juno) and spent the night in Bayeux. Normandy, like Brittany, is big on cider, crepes, and seafood. So we strolled around Bayeux, randomly watched a concert in the cathedral, and had cider, crepes, and seafood.

Fresh oysters!
I'll be posting more of Normandy and England this week!