Donna

I've posted this request twice before and it continually gets bumped to the bottom unanswered. Let's try this again. During my ten day stay in Paris, my husband and I will be making a side trip to Normandy. We are staying two nights in a manor house near Bayeux and plan on touring the D-Day beaches, Pointe du Hoc, the American Cemetary, etc. At some point, we would like to see some of the countryside, other than the shore area. What is a good starting point? I know that this is a beautiful region with a varied landscape. What are some of the more picturesque spots. Thanks!

sherry

Donna. If you are driving from Paris, the Auto route will take you quite close to Rouen. There are several scenic drives around this area. They are very historical and special. I read about them in the Michelin Green Guide/Normandy. I borrowed the guide so can no longer give you the specific routes. But you can find the information in the Guide. The problem was for us at least that they are very time consuming. But do yourself a favor and research this information. <BR>

Kris

Donna, I'll try to give you a hand although I'm sure there are more knowledgable folks on the board. We really enjoyed visiting both Mont St. Michel and Honfleur which was an unscheduled stop for lunch. <BR> <BR>The drive from Honfleur to the d-day sites was very nice, although it is coastline. The driving is slow because it passes through several towns, Deauxville being one of them. I think the Fodor's France guide was where I saw the recommendation for which road to take. <BR> <BR>Personally, I think a full day at the d-day sites is enough so you might want to use your other day for Mont St. Michel or Honfleur. I honestly don't recall whether the drive from Caen to Mont St. Michel was particularly scenic although I believe it was hilly as our gerbil powered vehicle was having a bit of trouble with the hills. And seeing Mont St Michel from a distance was kind of cool. <BR> <BR>Sorry if this isn't quite what you're looking for but I'm more of a destination traveler than a scenic route traveler.

Kris

Now that I've seen Sherry's response, I recall the scenic routes being listed in the Michelin green guide. It's a very good resource if you're doing a lot of driving.

karen

We drove from Bayeux to Mont St. Michel - partly on autoroute, partly back roads. We got off the highway in particular to visit Villedieu-les-Poeles. This is a little town famous for the copper industry, providing pots and pans for chefs. If you do a little research beforehand, so as to recognize the best quality stuff and good prices, you can bring home a piece of beautiful, quality copper if cooking (or decorating your kitchen!) interests you. Plan to carry it yourself, though - mailing any weighty pan home would wipeout the savings, advised the shopkeeper.