Monday, June 19

Monday morning, after a little last-minute shopping, we took an UberXL from Disneyland Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport to pick up our rental car (time: ~30 minutes; cost: €90.00). Renting cars in Europe is different than renting cars in the USA – mostly they offer less variety, smaller vehicles, and different makes and models. It was also a much slower process than what we are used to at home, even though we had booked the car well in advance.

Because we needed room for four people, luggage, and food, and we were traveling to areas with narrow roads and limited parking, we opted for a mid-size SUV, which ended up being the Peugeot 3008. It’s similar in size to the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV. Overall, we were happy with this car; it was comfortable, handled well, and (most importantly) had plenty of trunk space!

Our end destination for the day was the Airbnb in Commes, a town near the beaches of Normandy. Without stops the drive would take about four hours, but what’s the point of road tripping if you don’t stop? After a week of relying on our feet and public transportation, it felt good to be on the road again.

Continue reading “France | Day 8: to Commes, Normandy via Rouen, and the Cliffs of Étretat” →