**Thoughts**: Thanks to the advice I read here, I pre-booked as many things as I could, including the lodging, train tickets, Oyster Card, and Eiffel Tower (which had long lines.)
Chip & Pin credits cards worked fine. Never used my Chip & signature card. Used Euro coins on the French autoroute to Normandy. No problem using ‘regular’ ATM card anywhere.
Except for our arrival day & our last days in Brussels, weather was beautiful. Sunny and in the 70s. Nice weather always adds to the experience.
As previously mentioned, our only difficulty throughout the trip was not finding a taxi to take us to Gare du Nord. Carrying our luggage in the Metro wasn’t a problem; finding signs directing us where to go was. It was alot of trial & error, but some locals helped guide us. We had three hours between trains, so it didn’t adversely affect our travels.
We overpacked. I brought two extra pair of shirts & slacks that I never wore. My wife wished she had brought her sneakers, with all the walking that we did. She said it wasn’t worth looking stylish at the expense of being comfortable. But she also says that bringing a scarf along was a good idea.
We both have Verizon smartphones, and I arranged in advance for Verizon Global Services before we departed. No problems whatsoever with our phones functioning during our trip. I should mention that in all the places we stayed, we had WiFi included. And in our flats in London & Paris, free & mostly unlimited international calls. So we were less dependent on our smartphones than we might have been.
My lasting impression. I’d return to Paris and Calvados in a heartbeat. Paris is a living museum. We just scratched the surface exploring them. London, less so. Although my wife (tennis nut that she is) would love to go to Wimbledon. And two days was sufficient for Brussels … unless I need more beer.
Posted by
Dover, Arkansas, USA
46 posts
Love reading trip reports. Curious as to why you would choose Calvados. We are planning our next European trip for May 2016. As of now we weren't looking to revisit France, although Paris has been a place we default to regularly. Any insight in to Calvados would be appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
OP
New Jersey, USA
40 posts
Hi Judi:
Since I am a history nut, there was no doubt that I'd spend time at the DDay invasions sites when we visited Paris. Calvados is the 'department' of France that encompasses Caen and Bayeux.
I guess I could have just said Normandy, but that covers much more territory than Calvados.
The coastline in Calvados is very scenic, and the some of the inland sections are pastoral. NIce area to drive through.
JM