Our strategic Normandy landing via Calais was a complete success, but for some strange reason, driving on the “proper” side of the road now seemed surprisingly wrong. As we drove along the countryside we were reminded of how beautiful this part of France is with its rolling green hills, beautiful cliffs and sandy beaches. We manoeuvred our way through Rouen heading towards Paris and stopped long enough to get a good impression of just how fantastic this old city is with its vast and well-preserved tudor style buildings. After watching some impressive boat racing on the river, we left thinking Rouen does not get the full traveler attention it deserves. Paris is amazing! We didn’t do a single touristy venue kind of activity this time, we just leisurely strolled through the beautiful parks, magnificent boulevards and along the Seine river for days. The sidewalk cafe’s, interesting people, unique shops and fantastic architecture are seemingly endless and we again walked for miles and miles just soaking it all in. After spending a total of over five short weeks (both trips combined) exploring Paris, we’ve decided that this is our most desirable big city of all. Heading south we stopped in Lyon which also turned out to be a very pleasant surprise with its old Roman ruins overlooking the Rhone river and beautiful ancient city below.
Moving south through the lush green wine district of Burgundy there was no shortage of vineyards, little towns and old castles sprinkled throughout the hills to admire. We stopped overnight in Avignon, a favourite spot from our last trip, and once again paid homage to the famous little bridge that leads into the equally famous walled city. From Avignon we made our way to the French Riviera and arrived in Cannes just in time for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately we just missed meeting George Clooney and Julia Roberts and we’re convinced it had everything to do with the policemen who refused to allow us to drive our motorhome along the waterfront and past the grand “red carpet” festivities. Oh well, possibly we’ll have another chance some day to meet them at the Victoria Film Festival. Onward from Nice through a high altitude breathtaking coastal drive to Monaco where we took a wrong turn and almost found ourselves trapped forever on a tiny hillside street between two rows of old and very tall buildings. Thank you to all those patient Monacon drivers for avoiding excessive use of their Vespa and “little-car” horns. Margot is still recovering. Venice is our next big destination and then northward towards Amsterdam we go as the last days of this trip are quickly ticking by. Signing off with a Happy belated Mothers Day to all our favourite Mum’s out there (especially our new ones) and an early Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads as well.