Paris, Troyes, Nancy, Metz, Reims, Lilles, Calais, Dieppe, Rouen, Caen

dcsang

dcsang

Canadian & Not A Dentist
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Looking at doing this sometime in late May into very early June. Other than the "usual" sites and attractions (the intent is to visit various WWII sites along with the corresponding towns) are there any other places of interest?

Any tips on travel? Car/train? Lodging - B&B? Motel? Hotel?

Suggestions and input are, obviously, welcomed 🙂

Cheers,
Dave
 
Dave

Do not miss a stop at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on your way to Lilles. We approached it from Lens and it blew us away sitting on top of Vimy Ridge. It can be seen from miles away. I know it is not WWII era but no Canadian should miss seeing it while in France.

Bob
 
Nikon Bob said:
Dave

Do not miss a stop at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on your way to Lilles. We approached it from Lens and it blew us away sitting on top of Vimy Ridge. It can be seen from miles away. I know it is not WWII era but no Canadian should miss seeing it while in France.

Bob
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That's one of the points of interest for us Bob 🙂 I too know it's not WWII but still an important site for us Canucks. 🙂

George, thanks for your advice 🙂 - I'll look into the schedule. I've been told that, based on our route, we are probably looking more at car travel but we can always weigh that out and see which form of transport suits us best.

Cheers,
Dave
 
FrankS said:
Traveling with your dad, Dave?
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Not this time Frank - this is me, a good friend of mine that I've known for some 25 years, his wife and my girlfriend. Both he and myself are big WWII and military buffs.

I've never been to France although I have been to Europe. So this is a 2 week trip that should be rather nice and interesting and exciting. 🙂

Cheers,
Dave
 
In Nancy, great street shooting in Place Stanislas, lunch with a beer and charcouterie Alsacienne is just about perfect. Fine museum of Art Nouveau.
For traveling around as much as that, I'd look into a rail pass: http://www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/
Or rent a car. in 2010 we paid $6.00/US gallon for gazole (diesel) stay off the autoroute, as the tolls will eat you up. All the cool stuff is on the departmental roads, anyway.
I like home exchange. You might try that at www.homeforexchange.com.
If you opt for hotels, get thew front desk person to reserve a room for you at your next stop. They saved me some money last time I was over.
I hope some of this helps.
 
Dave

That's good as you only mentioned WWII sites. Have a great trip.

Bob
 
I haven't even considered gear just yet 🙂 Thanks a ton for the input guys - it's going to be helpful 🙂

For gear I would probably opt for one digital and a couple film cameras 🙂

Cheers,
Dave
 
As well, if you can get yourself a 'Logis de France' book while you're there, it will be a big help in terms of finding lodging.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother making a bunch of reservations months in advance...maybe just your first night, then wing it from there. My wife and I have done it for the past four years while traveling to France, and never had any troubles... has actually led us to some very interesting places to stay!
 
I've only spent time around the latter part of your itinerary, but I've been there several times. If it were me, I'd replace Caen with Bayeux; Caen was obliterated and rebuilt, whereas Bayeux was the first city liberated and was thus left intact. It's smaller but more interesting, IMHO. The Hotel Mogador is a nice, family-run traditional French hotel, and centrally located.

If you want to get to the landing sites and other outlying areas, you'll want a car; the train is only good enough to get you to the cities, and you'll miss a lot. I would recommend venturing a little further west to get to the D-Day landing sites.

If you're particularly interested in the Canadian-related sites, drive the D220 from Villons-les-Buissons through Buron and Authie, then turn left on the D220C to the Abbaye d'Ardennes; this was the path of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders on 7 June 1944, and 11 Canadian POWs were executed at the abbey, which served as a German headquarters during the battle.
 
I have driven in France but know love catching the TGV. You can combine both. Travel by TGV to a large city of your choice and pick up your car there.
 
Well, hasn't this snuck up on me. I still have to pack and get in touch with Roger and a few folks but I'll be leaving on Wednesday for two and a half weeks . The plan is to pack the M7 and the X-pro1 along with the adapter and lenses. As much as I want to take the rollei, I think it's going to remain at home.

Cheers,
Dave
 
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