France: Normandy & the Loire

[@jmaker8145]

My exact planned trio for this coming November, if covid allows me. Been in Paris 3 times, now i want to explore France. love that country.

[@ivanozella1734]

Due regioni bellissime della Francia.

[@kursed34]

He mentions that Da Vinci's house was there but fails to mention that he is also buried at the Chapel of Saint -Hubert which is located on the Chateau grounds.

[@jimg6313]

b52?? Its inaugural flight was in 1952. I'm glad Smith is recommending guides other than himself for Normandy!

[@xpswebstar420]

Very helpful, will be there from 8/14/2017 to 8/23/2017.

[@fablb9006]

Normandy and the Loire the the most important regions to see outside Paris ?? These people really think that France is only northern France ?? American people seem to be over-fascinated by Normandy, probably because of WW2... it has its own charm and interest, but can you really assume that it the first region to see after Paris. Surely not. How can he say that it is a must see, above Provence and its thousands of years old cities and villages, magnificient landscapes, mountains, calanques, Alps, languedoc (nimes, pont du Gard), auvergne and its volcanoes, the wild pyrennees, the south west countryside and huge sand beaches and pine forest of the landes, the Basque country, corsica, etc... i am sorry but Normandy might have its own charm, but frankly, it is very very far to be the most interesting french region to visit outside Paris. Normandy is quite bland compared to most french regions, especially compared to the south.

[@pokerstation9659]

where should we visit then??

[@Magic_beans_]

I agree, “second most important” is a bad choice of words, and I think that’s a function of his audience. Rick Steves and his team aren’t travel experts so much as travel _advocates_ . Many of the people in that audience (Rick says this himself in the full-length “Travel Skills” video) are a bit intimidated by the prospect of exploring Europe independently. This is “travel for people who think they should see Europe but aren’t really sure how or why.” Send someone like that to Strasbourg by themselves and they’ll get overwhelmed. Normandy may not be the second most important place to see, but second to Paris it’s probably the best place for your average first-time visitor from the US to go. Why? Because it’s a baby step out of their comfort zone. It’s not the big city with the world-famous sights, but it’s something they’ve heard of and possibly something they have a personal connection to. Is this an appeal to middle-aged Yankee egocentrism? Absolutely, but we have to start somewhere. Along the way you work in some art, some history, some authentic cultural interaction. Then maybe next time they get more adventurous and visit Lyon or Bordeaux.

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

​@@pokerstation9659you can start with Paris for a week, take the train to Nice. From Nice, train to Monaco, train to Cannes, st Tropez 😊by public bus, cost approx 2 euro in 2017

[@ecthelion1735]

"We defeated the wrong enemy." -General Patton, 1945