We are just back from two weeks in France, and I am having my usual post-trip letdown as I survey all the tasks awaiting me here at home. What better excuse for a quick trip report?

Some generalities - we are a family of four, two boys, one 13 and one 8. They have very different personalities and different traveling styles, so we find we have slowed WAY down from our pre-child mode of travel - our experience may not be very helpful for people who want to see a lot in a short period of time. We also did not eat out very much, partly because that was an area where we could easily economise.

I like to cycle, recreationally (I am a "bicycle rider" rather than a "cyclist") and for a long time have wanted to put together a family vacation that involved some cycling. Our last big trip was to Skye, which is a little above my ability level on a bike. (DH rides a lot and thinks climbing mountains is "fun" - he is fortunate that his job takes him to New Mexico semi-regularly, as there is a shortage of mountains in the Florida panhandle.)

I no longer remember how - it may have been a suggestion from a friend - but I came across the website for a company called Breton Bikes several years ago and have had it bookmarked for a trip ever since. Breton Bikes is located, not surprisingly, in Brittany, and organizes bicycling trips of varying levels. A few of their trips are "led"; most are do-it-yourself where they provide maps, equipment and support, and you go at your own pace from one hotel or campground to the next. They also own two "gites" in the little town of Gouarec, and that was the option we took - a cozy cottage right in town. (Given the weather we ended up having, I am especially pleased with that choice.) A good portion of their bookings are for families and they have all the equipment necessary to cycle with children of different ages. Their website is www.bretonbikes.com and they were extremely friendly and helpful with pre-trip planning.

Since our 13-year-old loves anything having to do with military history, I decided we would start in Brittany and then head to Normany for some D-Day immersion. Our arrival date was dictated by DH's travel for work, and our departure by the fact that the boys and I were using frequent flyer tickets, so we ended up a day short of two weeks. We were there early enough so that it still felt like the off-season, or at least, not the high season. That had its advantages and disadvantages, as some things were not yet operating on summer schedules.

Day 1 was a Saturday. We arrived at Charles de Gaulle and, thanks to the kind suggestion of someone on this forum, easily met up with DH in front of the Sheraton located within the airport. Much more challenging was locating the rental car counter. I really dislike CDG and wandering around it this time did nothing to dispel that feeling. At least we had managed to carry on all our luggage, so we did not have to go through baggage claim. (I had a rolling bag and a small duffel; each boy had a backpack and a small rolling bag.) Normally I would not have attempted the 5-hour drive to Gouarec immediately after arriving (2 to 3 hours seems to be our limit), but DH had already been in that time zone for two weeks and so I gladly delegated the driving to him. I stayed awake long enough to navigate us to the right autoroute.

We arrived, got our bikes and instructions for a week's worth of rides, found a supermarket on the edge of town and settled in.

In addition to its general location, Gouarec has two great cycling resources: the canal towpath along the old Nantes-Brest canal runs right through town (it goes for over 100 miles towards the coast), and nearby there is a cyclepath converted from an old railway line. We ended up spending more time on those trails than we had planned to, but we were glad they were there. If the weather had been better we might have encouraged the kids up a few more hills and for longer distances, but we were riding in clouds and mist much of the time, and we did not want to push them so far that they became miserable.

On Sunday we did the recommended ride down the canal towpath to Bon Repos (about 5k away from Gouarec), arriving in time to shop at the little marche there. The boys were immediately entertained. Bon Repos is home to the ruins of an old abbey; we did not visit but walked around the grounds. In the summer there is apparently a son-et-lumiere show, but we were there a little bit too early for that. We continued on a few more kilometers to Les Forges de Salles, an old steel-making village that is privately owned. It was used until the late 1800s and has been well preserved; it made for an interesting little visit. For more information: http://www.lesforgesdessalles.info/.

On Monday we awoke to rain, not pouring, but steady enough to make cycling unappealing. The forecast grimly noted that "eclaircies" were not expected until Wednesday. We decided to drive down to Carnac to see the standing stones there. It was about an hour and a half from the gite and most of the drive was lovely, despite the weather. In places the landscape made me think of the Borders...not spectacular, but with beautiful rolling hills. As we approached the coast the weather improved - it never really got sunny, but at least it wasn't raining.

The stones at Carnac were impressive; one aspect ot the visit that was slightly disappointing was that all the bathroom facilities at the main visitors' center were en panne (I was informed that there was no water). It did not appear to be a temporary thing, because we realized that the area all around the parking lot had been turned into a gigantic outdoor lavatory and was full of toilet paper, diapers, and the like. I understand the urgent call of nature, but not the failure to clean up after one's self...I was relieved that it was not warmer and sunnier, and I hope they sort that out before the big crowds start arriving.

We also drove down to one of the beaches so that the boys could get out and run around in the sand. Then we headed back to the cottage, where it was still drizzling.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were all about equally gray; the promised eclaircies never really materialized, although there were just enough breaks in the drizzle to keep us optimistic. We made little excursions up and down the canal. We were able to do one of the recommended routes away from the cyclepath and tow path, a 22km circle through several charming little towns to the east and north of Gouarec. Tuesday was market day in Rostrenen, probably the largest town in the immediate area, and we frittered away a morning there. We also headed back down the canal path one day, through Bon Repos, and then (after a steep but smooth "walk" up a hill) on to the megalithic tombs at Liscuis, highly recommended by our hosts. Here is a site (in French) with some information: http://www.centre-ouest-bretagne.org...is_laniscat_22,

It appears that just recently the tombs have been roped off; you can still get within a few feet of them, but you are asked not to enter or climb on them, which is fine with me. Most of the references I've found on to the tombs show them completely accessible, but that brings problems of its own. They are on a hilltop with nice views of the surrounding area - I wonder what it looked like 5000 years ago? Was the view as nice? I hope so.

One of the recommended rides was a 25-km route taking us through Sainte-Brigitte, which our directions said is the site of the best creperie in Brittany. We ended up going there by car to verify the claim. Although I can't claim to have tested a statistically significant sample, the galettes and crepes there were indeed excellent. It was the only creperie we found where both boys enjoyed the buckwheat galettes as much as the dessert crepes...it may have something to do with the liberal use of butter (enough to clog several arteries).

On Friday the weather was finally promising enough for DH to tackle one of the longer and more challenging routes that had been calling to him all week. He particularly wanted to ride a hill near Mur de Bretagne (about 20 km away, I think) that was on last year's Tour de France route. He accomplished that goal, riding through both sun and gale before getting back to the cottage. After he returned we set out en famille to ride back towards Mur de Bretagne on the rail-to-trail cyclepath. We made it as far as Beau Rivage, a little tourist station on the man-made Lac de Guerledan. The creperie there was closed, so we had hot chocolate by the lake and headed home, waving to the local cows along the way. A few scattered bursts of sunshine reminded me "yes, this is what I came for."

Most nights we ate at the gite. Friday night was DH's birthday, so we went out for dinner at the local pizzeria. The pizzas were quite good but enormous; we should have gone a night earlier and had leftovers. (We ate them for breakfast the next morning instead.) The owners were just back from vacation, though, so now that I think about it, Friday was the first day we could have gone. The restaurant across the street was closed for most of the week as well, with a sign that they would open "towards noon on Thursday," so we never got to try it.

Saturday we cleaned up, returned our bikes, and regretfully said goodbye to the gite. The weather had the decency to be gray and depressing; it would really have been adding insult to injury for Saturday morning to be sunny and clear.

Our original plan had been to drive up to the northern coast for an excursion on a steam train (our 8-year-old is passionate about trains). We had no luck; an unspecified technical problem had delayed the train's opening day until a date to be announced later in June. Normally it would have been running at least a few days a week by May. It was highly recommended to us, so I will include the website: http://www.vapeurdutrieux.com/. I just took a quick look and don't see the "notice" about the technical problem, so perhaps the train is finally running.

We decided to head up that way anyway, just for a change of scenery, so we drove up to Paimpol, a tourist town on the water, before heading over towards Normandy. In retrospect I think I would have saved that for another trip, but it was again very scenic and we passed a number of charming churches and abbeys along the way. As we rounded the coast towards Normandy we also made a slight detour to see the cathedral at Dol-de-Bretagne. The boys did not complain about the detour, probably because the cathedral so closely resembles a fortress. We entered only to realize that a wedding was going on, so we did not linger inside; we stayed just long enough to applaud the nouveaux maries as they came out, and then got back on the road.

All in all I thought the parts of Brittany we were able to see were absolutely beautiful - not in take-your-breath-away kind of way, but a more subtle kind of way. I would happily return.

I'll add Normandy a little later.

Well, that's what I get for typing while jet-lagged. Of course the title should be Normandy. Sorry about that!

nice start, Barbara, shame about the weather.

2 years ago we were in Brittany at about this time of year and it was scorching.

looking forward to more when jetlag permits!

Sorry about the weather but it sounds like you all enjoyed it. More, please!

Now for the Normandy part of the trip. Again thanks to this forum, I had found a B&B that looked perfect - a bit of a splurge by our usual standards - but it turned out to be well worth it. It is La Beauconniere, a B&B in the middle of the Norman countryside, not immediately next to anything but well situated for visiting sites from Bayeux to Mont St. Michel, as well as the D-Day beaches, if you don't mind driving a little. Here is their website:

www.beauconniere.come

I can't say enough good things about our three days there - the B&B is beautiful, the beds incredibly comfortable, the rooms lovely, the breakfast tasty (and accompanied by warm conversation with Dean, one of the owners). Susan introduced us to some of the horses they keep, and the boys enjoyed that a lot (we didn't do any riding, though).

The website mentions numerous walking and cycling possibilities; unfortunately for us, the damp weather continued for most of our stay, and so we spent our time mostly in the car driving from one site to another. If it had been sunnier I could gladly have forgone some history for a pleasant walk in the country. Another time.

La Beauconniere is close to the town of Torigni-sur-Vire, which has some good places to eat, a nice little town center for walking around, and some conveniences like a supermarket and laundromat.

On our first full day we started by driving back to Mont St. Michel - DH and I have been there before, but we wanted the boys to see it. They had a good time despite the weather, or maybe in part because of the weather, if it helped discourage some other people from coming that day! Then we drove up to Ste. Mere Eglise to visit the town and the Airborne Museum, which combines numerous artifacts from the D-Day landings with touching pictures and anecdotes about men who returned to the area years later (including paratrooper John Steele, famous for hanging from the tower of the church for several hours after his parachute got snagged there). On the way we stopped at the Paratroopers Historical Center at St. Come-du-Mont, also known as "dead man's corner." The center is small, located in a house that was used as a German command center and hospital before being liberated, but also includes numerous interesting artifacts and displays.

We made it to Utah Beach in the rain just after the museum there closed for the day, so we simply walked over to the beach to let the boys get a feel for the area, pointed out the remnants of coastal defenses placed by the Germans that can still be seen out in the water, and headed back to the car and the warmth of our cozy family room at the B&B.

On our second full day we worked our way down the coast from Pointe du Hoc to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. There's certainly nothing I can say about that stretch of shore that hasn't already been said; DH and I had already seen it years ago, but wanted the boys to see it as well. Fortunately, that day brought the nicest weather we had in Normandy, so we did not have to rush in and out of buildings.

We were all sad to leave the next morning, after three nights of some of the best sleep we had had in a long time. A last sniff of the roses growing over the window to our room, and we were back in the car. Our original plan was to go to Caen, perhaps spending the morning at the D-Day museum there (which would have been new to us as well - we haven't been there for years), or taking the boys to William the Conqueror's chateau-fort. Circumstances intervened; our train-obsessed 8-year-old had seen a flyer for a "miniature train museum" in Clecy, a little town to our east (about 40 km south of Caen), so we went there first. The museum is an extensive model train display, begun 45 years ago and now lovingly maintained and expanded upon by the son of the original owner. The visit was shorter than the drive, but it kept a little boy very happy.

Again the weather intervened and, by the time we got to Caen, it was raining so hard that no one had the courage to get out and walk around. So we stopped for a late lunch and then headed to Paris. I was disappointed but, at the same time, we had seen so much D-Day memorabilia over the previous two days that I was not sure I would retain anything else. I did manage to drag one child to a church near where we had lunch, but I can't remember which church it was. There were great pictures inside of the destruction of 1944 (the damaged church building surrounded by rubble) and the rebuilding. I know Caen gets dismissed sometimes as being a nondescript modern city, but if you like old churches and cathedrals I think it is worth a stop (even apart from the D-Day museum).

I won't tell you how long it took us to get to Paris...the autoroute was closed at one point, sending us off on our own with a Michelin map I had hastily shoved in the suitcase when we packed, and later realized was from our first trip together in 1984. Note to self: when DH is navigating, an up-to-date map is a must (he is not comfortable with my style of navigating, which is more along the lines of 'the English channel was that way, so we want to be going this way, oh look! there's a road, let's try it').

We finally arrived, though, and after battling the tiny streets around Montmartre, found our hotel so that we could depose our valises and head for the rental car return at the Gare du Nord. Our hotel was the Hotel des Arts Montmartre, and it was perfect for our needs. The rooms are teeny tiny, so we got two, one fo the boys and one for us. We ended up on the 6th floor (elevator to the 5th and then a small spiral staircase to the top) with wonderful views out over the city rooftops. The night clerk immediately endeared himself to me by complimenting me on my French (fluent 25 years ago, marginal now).

Returning the rental car was an experience. Down into the bowels of the Gare du Nord...at least we did not have to deal with dropping it off at the airport and getting back into town with our suitcases.

After dealing with all those logistics there was only time to find a late supper in our quartier and fall into bed.

With only one full day in Paris we deliberately did not plan anything specific. My older son was there with me for three days four years ago, but my younger son has never been there and was determined to see the Eiffel Tower. Coincidentally a friend from home was there was her two daughters, both of whom also wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. So off we went. Knowing the lines would be horrendous (only one elevator is currently running) I hoped to get there early, but none of us could get moving quickly enough, so we arrived at about 10:30. An hour later we had tickets...I think within another hour we were at the top.

By the time we came down we were well into the lunch hour and set off to find a place where we could eat as a group. We found a restaurant with pasta options somewhere in the 7th arrondissement. I don't remember the name, but that is OK; the food was delicious, but the service hostile. (Don't start on me; I know we arrived towards the end of the permissible time for eating lunch, but they were still serving, and we ordered as quickly as we could. However, two of us committed the unpardonable sin of ordering a lunch menu, forcing our server to bring out plats and entrees at the same time. And everyone said their 'pleases' and 'thank yous' - it just happened that only one of us, being moi, spoke French. I think if it had not been for that, our haughty blonde server would have snatched the menus from our hands and closed the door.)

With the afternoon dwindling away, we said goodbye to our Florida friends and set off again. It was sunnier than we had expected, and we made the spur-of-the-moment decision to take the boys on a bateau-mouche. It was a good choice although nowhere on the list of 20 different things I would have done if I were alone.

The clouds returned as we docked, and we were being poured on before we could walk to the Metro at Place de la Concorde. Back to the hotel to organize for our trip home, and then dinner at a little restaurant on Rue des Abesses, and that was that.

On our last morning we took a bus to the Gare du Nord - it couldn't have been easier or quicker - just walked down the hill from our hotel to the stop at Blanche and got on bus with no changes. We had packed and consolidated everything carefully so that no one had more than two bags to transport. Our flight wasn't until 1:30, so we did not have to leave so early that we were interfering with peoples' morning commutes. We got to the Gare, bought RER tickets, and made it to the airport with plenty of time.

Now I will have to content myself with organizing my pictures and thinking about our next destination. The former will not take as long as it usually does, because the weather discouraged a lot of picture-taking. We can't complain too much, though; we did most of what we wanted to, albeit in a slightly scaled-down way, and the boys had a good time.

Here is the hotel website, by the way:
http://www.arts-hotel-paris.com/

DH really likes the quartier around Montmartre (which is surprising to me, because he normally avoids cities as "too noisy" and "too busy," but there is something about the little neighborhoods there that appeals to him). Our 13-year-old was amused by the sleazy "strip" but it is really not hard to avoid that. I think the 8-year-old was oblivious.

what a nice report. I love vacations with some activity like cycling or boating. Sounds like you have forged some beautiful memories.

looks like a good trip, I think I must have visited that train museum years ago.

An engaging trip report, Barbara. Sorry to hear about the weather.

I have a question regarding the Sheraton at the airport. Why did you decide to meet there? Me and my two kids are going to meet with my husband (who is already in Paris) at CDG, rent a car at the airport and drive. Very similar to your circumstances. We have been thinking about how to coordinate our meeting at the airport. We decided that my hysband will go to the rental agency (you said it was not easy to locate; we are renting from Hertz), do all the paperwork, then come and meet us at the arrival gate, then we'll go back to the rental agency and pick up the car. Although I have arrived at CDG many times, I am still confused about what is the best way to coordinate our meeting. Perhaps, it's better to meet at the Sheraton as you did. Since you have been through this already, maybe you can comment on our plan or give us some tips? Thanks so much.

Hi Gina,

My first thought was to do something along the lines of what you describe. However, DH does not speak French and is not quite as at ease with uncertainty as I am, so he was not wild about that plan, especially since it would have required him to find the car rental counter on his own. I posted a question on this forum and got the suggestion of the Sheraton. It worked very well; it is the only hotel actually WITHIN the airport (between terminals 2D and 2E) and is easy to find if you are walking from either terminal.

As it turned out, he flew into Paris from Berlin that morning and arrived about a half an hour later than we did on our flight from Atlanta. That gave me time to go through immigration with the kids, and we actually walked up to the Sheraton at about the same time.

How early in the day will you be getting there? If it's quite early it might be better to meet first, then collect the car, so that you aren't standing around the arrivals area. But if your husband can get there in advance, and doesn't mind having to find the rental counter on his own, I think your plan is workable.

Another question - will you be able to call or text each other? If not, you might want to have a "Plan B." We knew we would not have that ability (we are still using non-smart phones) and so meeting as soon as possible after arriving seemed like the right thing to do.

Very nice report, Barbara, but of course insanely short trip when there are so many things to see. I know that most people do not have the option of spending more time -- sorry!

Gina, I beg to differ with Barbara, but I don't think the car rental desks are difficult to find at all. There are pictograms everywhere to show people where to go for various things (but perhaps Americans are less familiar with pictograms living in a huge country with only one language). I always consider the arrival gate to be the best place to meet someone. Nothing is easier to find than an arrival gate.

nice report, Barbara, but your link to the B&B in normandy doesn't work.

you could try this one:

http://www.beauconniere.com/

looks like a nice spot! I think that B&Bs are becoming more popular in France, even with the french. we stayed in a very nice B&B in Paimpol last year which had a large breakfast table around which all the guests sat. none of the other guests nor indeed our hosts spoke any english so this was very good for our french, which at times was tested to its limits - and beyond!

Kerouac..when you say "the arrival gate".. how can they get there? I don't understand how anyone can get into the arrival gate area of another terminal if you are not a passenger leaving from that area when they are checking tickets at security. The exit from Baggage claim.. yes.. if you know where that is.. but arrival gate?

I'm sure when you answer this I will see how obtuse my vision is, but I just don't get it right now.

Thanks for the clarification.

Barbara, we arrive at about 10 am, there is enough time, but I will leave it to my husband whether he wants to do the rental first or after. I have my iPhone.In the worst case, my husband can call me from a public phone. I was just on Skype with him and we discussed Sheraton. He said that he passed by it upon arrival at CDG. I like the idea of a specific destination for a meeting.

Kerouac, I became suspicious, too, that one may not be able to access the arrival gate with all the security measures taken these days. In good old times it would be possible. Have you done that recently?

Thanks, annhig. I must have "stuttered" and put an extra "e" at the end of the original link. I wish there were more flexibility in editing here!

As for finding the car rental places - I bow to kerouac's superior navigational ability, of course. I could trot out all the airports I've been in, in an effort to convince you that I am quite capable of understanding signs (when they are there). Oh, we did see one sign for the car rental offices - which was in words, not pictures - but it was only visible from one direction. So we saw it as we walked towards the Sheraton, but then could not find it again. I'm sure there's some flawless logic in there (why WOULD anyone be walking back in the direction they came from?) but, if you are doing something like we were, rather than proceeding directly from arrivals to luggage to the exit, there were no helpful signs. A friendly airport employee asked us what we were looking for, said "right here," and then proceeded to take us on a 10-minute walk to a set of doors that only gave access to the Avis office if you climbed over a bunch of concrete barriers. All's well that ends well.

As far as the two weeks goes...don't cry for me, Argentina! Most people in the world don't get to go to France for two weeks - and there will be other trips. Even if it means flying back to CDG.

For anyone else traveling with an 8-year-old (or train enthusiast of any age):
http://www.chemin-fer-miniature-clecy.com/

It's a scenic area and an easy detour. We were there on a rainy day and so the outdoor garden was not in use, but it could be a fun stop with smaller children, with a bouncy house and a little "train ride" around the garden. There is also a small exhibit on limestone mining.

Actually, I meant "the arrival exit" -- there is a screen that tells you who is coming through next.

lol, Barbara, you're not the only one who has difficulty navigating and finding signs - when we rented a car at Malaga airport we found the car hire desks ok, we just couldn't find the road out of the airport!

kerouac.. ahhh. funny what difference one word can make!