Trip report with photos - Paris, Normandy
 

Hi gang,<BR><BR>First, thanks for all the help that helped make my trip smooth and a great pleasure!<BR><BR>Two days in Paris, the rest of the trip was spent in Normandy with a few hours in Brittany. Stayed overnight in Arromanches and Mont Saint Michel. I came back March 31<BR><BR>The best parts were the night bicycle tour of Paris, the mus�e d'Orsay and the times spent communicatng with people who knew as little English as I know French.<BR><BR>My 5 day trip report, with about 80 photos is posted at http://mightymac.org/fr01.htm<BR><BR> Keith

Keith, I loved your pictures. Thanks for sharing. And I also convert euros to chocolate at the airport.

You've got some good photos there. Especially impressive were the night shot of the Mont and the shot of Notre Dame interior.

Very nice report!! and the pictures were GREAT!! How do you get your &quot;night&quot; shots to come out that well?? I always end up with blurring at best....<BR>OTOH: I don't use a tripod....did you have to use one to get these nice shots? <BR>Thanks in advance and Best Wishes.

I really enjoyed your trip report and your photos. Thanks so much!

Keith:<BR><BR>I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trip. Your photos were absolutely amazing. I loved the ones of Paris at night. <BR>Thanks for sharing!<BR>

Keith<BR><BR>We went to Normandy in December, I have some of the same pictures. Your report was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoyed reading it very much. <BR><BR>I think you have inspired me to keep a journal on our next trip.<BR><BR>See ya later

Hi Keith: <BR>Great, clear photos! They are wonderful photos of a magical place, you did a nice job! I noticed you stayed at the Hotel Kensington. I walked past that hotel the last time I was there and got a brochure and was thinking of staying there the next time I go back. How was it? Can you give me some details re: rates, any continental breakfast? etc.<BR><BR>Thanks!

Thank you for the nice comments. <BR><BR>I had no tripod on this trip, would simply set the camera down and set the timer to wait 2 seconds after I tripped the shutter. Other times when there is almost enough light, I will set the shutter for 1/30 or 1/20 of a second and hold as still as I can.<BR><BR>Regarding the Hotel Kensington, the rooms were extremely tiny, which I expected, but clean and well maintained. I stayed there for the price (50 euros for a single with shower) and to be close to where the bicycle tour would end at close to midnight. Breakfast was available for an additional fee, but I didn't try it. The desk staff was quiet helpful, also I booked smoothly by email. I have no problem recommending it, but probably will stay in a livelier neighborhood the next time.<BR><BR> Keith<BR>

Your pictures are fantastic! Thanks for sharing Keith. And the bike ride in Paris sounds so fun, maybe that will be on my list for next time.

Keith, your trip report with pictures was just what I needed today. The pictures were just wonderful. Unless Air Canada has other plans, I leave for Paris on the 4th of May. I am planning on a trip to Normandy, so this was very timely. Thanks for sharing. You did a great job. Kay

Fabulous photos! You brought back some wonderful memories of my trip to Paris, Bayeux, the D-day beaches and Arromanches. Some of your photos looked exactly like ones in my album. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

Keith:<BR><BR>I have just wasted an hour of valuable work time looking at your wonderful travel pictures/commentary. <BR><BR>Great site! <BR><BR>Jennie

Keith,<BR><BR>Thanks for posting your excellent trip report. Those are GREAT photos - especially the interiors!!<BR><BR>Just a small note: the train you took from Paris to Caen was most definitely not a TGV, just a normal train (and a pretty old one at that). The one from Rennes to Paris was a TGV however - I'm not surprised you found it more comfortable - didn't you also notice it was traveling MUCH faster?<BR><BR>Andre

Keith - As with everyone else, thank you for sharing your photos with us. They are great. What kind of a camera did you use? Your pictures turned out a lot better than mine. Also my night shots tend to just be a big blur. Any hints for the amateur photographer?

I am impressed! Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your trip. Makes me eager for our trip in June!!

Great photo keith..Cant wait to go back in Paris again!!! Nice report also....Just the way I like it..simple, short and concise..:):):)

<BR><BR>great photos, keith.

Keith: Thanks for the information re: the Hotel Kensington. I am surprised you found the neighborhood to be quiet. As I recall it is very close to, if not nearly opposite, Les Invalides and a short walk down to the Tour Eiffel. I found the location to be very central to nearly all the monuments in Paris. Compared to where I had stayed in the 8th Arr (financial district/Metro Miromesnil) which felt out of the way and certainly not in walking distance to the Champs-Elysees. Anyway, I will definitely look into it on my next trip in July. Thanks again for the input.

Keith: Wow! Thanks for the great pix and report! It was so nice of you to share; great blend of info and general commentary.<BR><BR>I can hardly wait to get over there (Sept). This makes it a little easier.<BR><BR>Thanks for the &quot;fix&quot;.

Keith-<BR><BR>Your pictures were absolutely great! You could write travel books, your narration was wonderful!<BR>The bike trip sounded interesting - where can I find more info about it?

&gt;The bike trip sounded interesting - where can I find more info about it? <BR><BR><BR>http://www.mikesbiketoursparis.com/ In addition to their downtown Pairs tours they have tours to Versailles and Claude Monet's Gardens. Also they offer tours in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Munich.<BR><BR>I ride quite a bit, but these bicycles are comfortable and the pace isn't too bad, I think anyone in average health can do it. No one in our party seemed to have trouble keeping up.<BR><BR> Keith<BR>

Hi Keith,<BR> Thanks for your excellent trip report. <BR>When you wrote <BR>&quot;The Livarot ... has a brown rind, a full and assertive flavor, a supple texture and a pungent aroma&quot; I could taste it.

Keith your pictures are great. My exposed film was stolen so I have no pictures of Paris. We were there at the same time.

judya, you must have been crushed. So sorry you lost your photos!<BR><BR>Madison, sorry, I forgot to answer your questions. The camera I am using is a 3 year old digital Casio QV8000SX. It only has 1.2 megapixels but has an 8X optical zoom and a pivot mount on the lens. I took most of my low light photos by finding a flat surface where I could set the camera down and not add blurr from my holding it.<BR><BR>Also since it is digital and I can see the results right away, I might take 3 or 4 shots of the same scene and delete the poor ones right away. I kept maybe 10 different shots of Mont-Saint-Michel by night. A different one from the one with the report, is now the wallpaper on my computer.<BR><BR> Keith<BR><BR>PS: Now that the miles are credited from this trip, I have enough miles for a ticket for the next trip to Europe. I am debating returning to the UK or trying Spain or Italy.

Is the camera the same one you used on your U.K. trip (I clicked on that link when I saw how good your France pictures were). The color is not as dramatic on the U.K. trip--is that just because of the location or did you do something different on the France trip? I was thinking different brand film, slides versus prints, different developer, etc.--but I guess none of that pertains since it is digital. Pardon all the rambling, but some of the France pictures are that eye-popping color that always seems elusive to me.

Keith~~thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures and trip report.

I loved your trip report and pix, Keith, and they certainly brought back memories to me! My husband and I love Avranches, which we found 25 years ago searching for a cheap place to stay near Mont San Michel.<BR><BR>I'm surprised they kept your corkscrew because I just looked at the St Dept travel site and it said you could carry on corkscrews, nail clippers, etc. Guess not. I wasn't going to tempt fate anyway.

Great report and pictures. I am definitely going to check out the bike tours thing for our trip in May. Thanks

Thank you so much for sharing your trip - it was just what I needed on a very cold, dreary, muddy and wet April day!

qtr,<BR><BR>Yes it is the same camera. Always a chance I had a better hand at adjusting contrast and brightness of the shots when preparing the jpgs this time.<BR><BR> Keith

Keith, our family will have roughly 10 days to visit Paris and Normandy - what would you have done with the extra time?

Keith,<BR>Awesome trip, great commentary and pictures. Thanks so much for sharing with the rest of us!<BR>Katie

Keith, Thanks for bringing back our memories of the same trip the past summer! We had almost forgotten how nice it was!

&gt;Keith, our family will have roughly 10 days to visit Paris and Normandy - what would you have done with the extra time?<BR><BR><BR>I had only 4 1/2 days, so that is a _lot_ more time<BR><BR>Paris: the Louvre Museum; Sacr� Coeur &amp; neighborhood; a half day trip out to Giverny; more time walking the neighborhoods.<BR><BR>Normandy: Cherbourg Peninsula; eastern Calvados.<BR><BR>Brittany: I had previously visited St. Malo or would have gone there this time. I would also have liked to have visited some of the megalithic sites near Carnac<BR><BR> Keith