Northern France

*Cliffs at Étretat, photos are so much better when you catch the light!*

After a spectacular four weeks in Iceland, we returned to continental Europe, mapping a somewhat chaotic zig zagging path from west to east and back, gradually working our way south (forever chasing the sun).

As always, our route combined a heightened awareness of time when we were in the Schengen zone, with a desire to see and take in as much as possible. All this as a caveat to say that we did not cover nearly enough of Northern France and sadly left a lot unseen. But armed with Andy’s spreadsheet with the highlights of Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley and Grand Est we set off.

Northern France was a super surprise for us, pastoral, beautiful, filled with culture, historic chateaus, soaring cathedrals, cider, wine, champagne and idyllic villages filled with half timber houses. It was an easy change after the rugged landscape and four wheeling adventures of Iceland.

*12 day route through Northern France, 1,300 miles*

Using Park4Night, one of our standard backup sites is parking at a public trailhead. On our first night in France, since we had just picked up our truck in Rotterdam and driven to France, feeling lucky to find a simple semi-private spot at the end of the day.

*Bonus art installation along the trail! Dawn was thrilled.*

Normandy

Our first real stop was Rouen. Despite some scaffolding (ever present across historic buildings worldwide, ruining the authentic charm for photos) Rouen Cathedral was one of the most extraordinarily carved cathedrals we have ever seen.

*Claude Monet appreciated its beauty too, painting it over 30 times*

*Wandering the streets of Rouen with a few other tourists (it was August).*

*Rouen Courthouse, bullet holes from WWII filled with Lego*

*And obsessed with the beauty of old half timbered houses*

Next, out to the coast to the magnificent cliffs at Étretat. Enjoyed a stunning evening walk which made up for the deplorable camping site.

*What happens when you don’t plan ahead in August on the coast of France. Parking lot camping, a last resort.*

When in France, tasting food and drink is a requirement and our first venture was the cider route, a 25 mile sign posted route that winds through Normandy’s picturesque countryside.

*Tasting at Pierre Huet - most informative and welcoming bartender ever. Tasted everything from cider to calvados.*

*Beautiful village of Beavron-en-Auge - more half-timbered houses!*

With two bottles of cider in our mini fridge, we made our way along the coast to Bayeaux and the beaches of Normandy. Not being tapestry fans, we were on the fence about going to view the famous Bayeaux tapestry. But we were right there and it seemed like the thing to do so we did. It was well worth it. An excellent audio tour guides you section by section through the 11th century masterpiece, panels detailing the story of the Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) successfully winning the battle of Hastings and conquering England in 1066. An epic tale.

*Bayeaux Tapestry, 11th century storytelling in pictures*

We combined our admission to the Bayeaux Tapestry in a package deal with admission to the excellent Battle of Normandy museum. Jumping forward almost nine centuries to another successful invasion, this museum gave an excellent overview as we prepared for our visits to the beaches of Normandy.

*Las Bravas sculpture at Omaha Beach, a tribute to the courage of the Allied soldiers.*

*Flags of the nations participating in the invasion that turned the tide against Nazi Germany’s occupation of France.*

*Almost 10,000 crosses at the American Cemetery for those who lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.*

Sobered with the enormity of the sacrifice brave people made to fight the horror of the Nazis, we left the beaches and made our way to an extraordinary historical and archeological site, Mont Saint Michel.

*First awe inspiring view on the horizon*

We could not believe that we had not repeatedly heard of this place as a destination, it was so amazing. An abbey and village built on a rock in the ocean starting in the 8th century, wow. You can walk out the bridge and visit the village below the abbey anytime. But we chose to book admission and a tour at the abbey which was absolutely worth it - a fascinating history lesson through the ages of France.

*Walking out on the tidal flats that separate the commune from the main land.*

*Walking the streets of the Mont Saint Michel village, once again, August.*

Since we travel full time, we are learning the rhythms of tourism across the globe and how to cope with crowds, which tend to make us grumpy. We knew that August in popular European destinations would be tough but decided to suck it up and stay anyway since it worked for our route. But it was rough for a couple of weeks as most of the year we have been accustomed to a lot of space and freedom to wander quiet streets. As much as we can, we avoid doing big tourist attractions on weekends. And we looked forward to a future of being once again out of sync with most holiday makers.

Brittany

Working our way along the coast, we stopped of at the beautiful walled city of St. Malo and engaged in one of our favorite medieval activities - walking the ramparts.

It had been a while since we had visited mysterious stone formations (Ireland, England) so we visited Carnac - the largest collection of megalithic standing stones in the world. Spread among the village, in fields and woods, we wished we could understand the story they were trying to tell.

Growing up in the US, the charm of the villages and the ancient half timbered architecture never got old for us. The chaotic leaning of the houses, the decaying wood, the colorful colors, we loved it all. Each village had its own character.

*Feeling very French as we walked from our campsite into the village bakery, baguette in backpack*

*The morning haul, just a few carbohydrates for the day. Appetite, a universal wolf.*

Loire Valley

No visit to the Loire Valley is complete without taking in some of the extravagant chateaus with their fabulous design and long histories. We picked a couple to explore completely, paying for the admission to the building and grounds.

*Château d'Azay-le-Rideau Built between 1518 and 1527, this château is considered one of the foremost examples of early French renaissance architecture.*

*Dawn feeling the dance moves. No idea why.*

*Our first night in the Loire Valley, a fantastic wild spot on the Loire River*

*Breakfast view, no pastries today just potatoes and eggs.*

*Exploring Tours, another extraordinarily appealing village*

*Then back to a second night wild camping on the Loire River, Andy even broke out the fishing rod. Somehow when a camping spot includes private access to water it makes it 100 times better.*

*And even private enough for outdoor showers*

*The sun goes down on the Loire River, again*

*Fascinated by people living in houses built into the cliff in Amboise*

*Stopped by The House of Magic, former home of conjurer Houdin (whom Harry Houdini named himself after), complete with dragons.*

*Royal Chateau of Blois in Amboise- just enjoyed this one from the outside*

*Chateau de Chambord- the second chateau we actually paid to go in*

As we were driving Northern France our Audible book was a historical novel describing the French revolution and the rise of Napolean. The parallels of the story and what we were visiting were fascinating, also the experience of visiting chateaus that highlighted the extravagances of the royal class while people where starving.

Our next stop really pulled a lot of the history together for us - the Palace of Versailles. Built by Louis the XIV as his personal palace it is over the top on lavish and indulgent spending.

It was not our best historical site visit with a cascade of circumstances mostly due to our own fault. Despite having booked a tour, we arrived late due to traffic, were confused about where to find our tour guide, so started off feeling hot and frustrated. And it was still August at a major European tourist attraction. The crowds were off the charts.

*Courtyard entrance to palace - Dawn in red dress trying to figure out where to go - tour and timed entrance starting in 2 mins*

*Entrance to the famous hall of mirrors, just a few folks*

*Desk where the Treaty of Versailles was signed*

We survived the tour, agreeing that the palace was splendid but the experience just too chaotic for us.

As an aside, we did also spend two days wandering around Paris. We had been before but couldn’t just drive by. We parked the truck at a budget Ibis hotel and took the metro in for a couple of days to see the sights. We have no photos because Andy left his phone on a train and Dawn’s was pickpocketed. A few days without media until we figured out a plan B (cheap broken phone we kept as an emergency back up with French sim card), before we could access new phones. We remembered how back in the 80’s we travelled without cell phones, using tools like paper maps, but now phones feel like part of the essential took kit.

Grand Est

Our highlights for this region were the gorgeous medieval city of Troyes and the Champagne valley.

*Having built and remodeled several houses, Andy always fascinated by construction through the ages*

We made our way to Epernay, the heart of champagne country. We looked forward to tasting the real thing at its source.

Unfortunately (August) we didn’t plan ahead so many of the larger champagne houses were booked out. But fortunately, this allowed us to explore a couple of smaller more intimate operations. The champagne houses line the streets of the town, surrounded by a backdrop of hills covered in grape vines. You can choose your own adventure from cellar tours to winery tours to tastings.

*Felt like the opposite of life in a truck*

*Posing the truck in the grape fields in Champagne - tractor road*

*Andy waited for the kids to leave before he jumped in to play. It was hot.*

*Reims Cathedral - famous for over 2300 statues*

*Glorious wild camping spot on the Rhine River - this is why we travel in a camper!*

*Andy updating the hood map as we cross the Rhine on a small ferry*

Next stop, Germany to visit some family and friends and then on to the Czech Republic. The journey continues and life on the road never gets old for us - luckily! Always something new to learn.

Czech Republic

Iceland - Part 2 - Vatnajökull National Park, North and West Coasts