Leaving Paris

When I arranged the car rental that would take us to Normandy and then on to Germany, the person who made the reservation was so happy that he could set up a pick up in Paris rather than at the airport. It didn't dawn on me until later that this meant that we would have to drive through Paris to get out of town.Our route took us along the Champs Elyssees and around the harrowing traffic circle at the Arc de Triomphe. I didn't get any pictures of the traffic circle because Dave was muttering and I was trying to help him avoid being hit. But the ride up the Champs Elysees was interesting, with motorcycles weaving back and forth across the lanes. At one traffic light, a motorcyclist rode right in front of us, as you'll see below. As we continued west after the Arc de Triomphe, the motorcyclists continued their weaving maneuvers. It was fun to see the modern sky scrapers a couple of miles west of the Arc de Triomphe.

It takes about two hours to drive to Normandy on the smooth, well kept and expensive freeway (motorway). We paid tolls four times, totalling 17 euros, more than US$20. We were impressed with the quality of the roads, so I guess you get what you pay for. The speed limit is 130 kilometers per hour, 80 miles per hour, and Dave had a great time keeping up with everyone else.