Road trip to France
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My friend Shelley was coming to France for a conference so we decided to meet and do a bit of travelling through France. I rented a car and drove down from Holland, and she took the Chunnel from Britain and we met in Calais.

We first headed toward the coast of Normandy to the town of Bayeaux. We thought it would be fun to take some of the smaller D roads to get there. This would have been a great idea if we actually had a map that showed the D roads! After criss-crossing the French countryside we eventually got to Bayeaux and checked into the Maison Famille (Family Home) which is youth hostel/hotel located in a wonderful old French building. We especially liked the Dr. Who Tardis like shower, and the in-the-suite bathroom!

 
The next day we went to visit the D-Day beaches at Arromanches. This is where the Allies landed in 1944 during the D-Day invasion. You can still see part of the huge floating harbour that was built.
 

Shelley in the Turret
Château des Ormeaux 		After that we headed to the Loire valley, a region famous for its wines and huge chateaus. We were a bit confused at first because we couldn't see any vineyards. Turns out they are on the tops of the hills on either side of the valley. We thought it would be a grand idea to stay in a chateau. So on the way we got a guide to châteaux book, and intrigued by the phrase "decorated in pastel coloured wooden panels" we choose the Château des Ormeaux
 
Turned out to be a great place. Our room (complete with the pastel coloured wooden panels) even had a turret in the corner. The owners were really nice, and the dog was nice enough to give us a tour of the vineyards in the morning. In the evening we went to French restaurant overlooking the Loire. Wine was nice, but the food was a bit strange.
Bridge over Loire
Just smile and pretend we like it
 
From there we drove down to the south of France to the medieval city of Carcassone. There are only a couple of places to stay inside La Cité; the youth hostel and a 4 star hotel. Well the hostel was full so we splurged on the hotel, as a bonus I got to drive the car into old city down the really narrow streets.

After exploring the city walls, and making a valiant effort to find a nightclub in the evening, the next day we continued on to our ultimate destination of Cannes. After the wonderful small French towns, Cannes seemed ugly and touristy. We were, however able to find a nightclub.

 
The next day I bid Shelley Au Revoir and began the drive back to the Netherlands. In the end we put 4000km on the car in five days, a record even for me.
Our hotel