On Tuesday, Tim, Tony, Shelley, Suz and I all made our way to the airport to rent a car and drive to Bayeux in north France. The Plan was to drive to Mont St. Michele, tour the abby, then drive to Bayeux for the night. The following morning, we'd have a tour of the D-Day beaches and explore the town after the tour. Note the word, "was."
Que the dramatic music.
Bright and early Tuesday morning we got on the train for the airport to pick up the rental car. The email confirmation for the rental car looked like we were to go to Terminal 3. So, to Terminal 3 we went.
Please keep in mind it's freezing here. I know you're freezing at home. I just want you to know that it's no luau here, either.
We get to Terminal 3 only to find out that the rental car is in Terminal 1 and we need to hop the airport tram to get there. We are now Plan Execution Time Plus one hour. The entire trip, if you Google Map it, should take about three hours thirty minutes.
In Terminal 1, we find the rental car place and a pastry (score!)and head out to the car. A manual transmission. Now's the point in the story where I backtrack a little and let you in on a joke. Tim's been telling everyone that he's been learning to drive stick by watching YouTube and Gone in 60 Seconds as well as playing MarioKart. He was very convincing. In reality, he asked a friend (Thanks, Matt!) to teach him to drive a stick, which he claims was a piece of cake.
We pile into the car, snug as bugs in a rug. Tim starts the engine. Takes a few seconds to familiarize himself with the car. Puts it in gear. Lets off the clutch. And stalls.
No biggie. We were all expecting an adjustment period (Tim wasn't, so confident was he in his skills). He starts the car again, noticing the rental car guy standing right next to us pretending not to watch. He puts it in gear, lets off the clutch. And stalls. This vicious cycle repeats itself no fewer than eight times. Meanwhile, we've managed to go about seven feet, including the couple of times we rolled backward a little.
After a few more efforts, we actually drive forward about 50 feet when we come to a corner and we miss it. Now, the car has to go in reverse to angle around the tight corner. Please pause with me a moment to reflect back on the rental car guy who is watching this entire episode unfold and what he must be thinking.
This is the point in the adventure that we all decide it will be better to check again to see if an automatic is available, or else we might miss our reservations in Bayeux. It would take an awful long time to get there, inch by inch.
While Tony and Tim figure out how to bring the car around, Suz and I go in to check on the possibility of getting a different car. The woman behind the counter took pity on us and found a "huge" vehicle that would suit us perfectly. Roughly, it was a Vibe, maybe a smidge bigger.
We pile into the new car, start the engine, put it in gear and--WOO-HOO!--start barreling along at 15 km/hr. A record for us in this parking garage. It was the best 50 euro upgrade ever.
Now that we have a car that is equal to our skill level, navigation becomes the ticky part. Paris roads are a tangled up mess of spaghetti, which I imagine are difficult under the best circumstances. Add to that unfamiliarity with the different signage, language barriers and the art of French hand gestures and you have quite a show. But once Tony got the Garmin working, things got considerably easier. Shelley and I still had maps and printed directions and were calling out the next move from the back seat. Suzie, perhaps the smartest of us all, stayed quiet and barely flinched. Bravo, Suz!
Plan Execution Time Plus two to three hours. We now all feel several years older.
At this point, we change plans, scrap going to the abby that day and go straight to Bayeux for some exploring and small-town French life.
The rest of the ride went without a hitch. We got there six hours after we started. But, it was worth the wait.
Bayeux is a beautiful little town on the north side of France. By some great blessing, it was unscathed by the German bombing and did not get mowed down on D-Day. The town boasts two features: a fantastic cathedral (called Notre Dame, of course) and the Bayeux tapestry. We set out to explore both. Photos aren't allowed of the tapestry, but here's a bit of the cathedral and the town for you:
Stay tuned for Part II....
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