# Munich Here We Come!



## wardlowk (Oct 13, 2006)

We had already booked our plane reservations and most of the hotels so I figured it was time to go order the car. I went to my local dealer this morning and after much negotiation, me leaving and driving off, getting a mile away only to get the call from the dealer he would agree to my offer, I ordered my dream car, a 335i coupe. I am getting a jet black with black leather, step, premium, sport, ipod, heated seats, alarm, floor mats and tinted windows. Out the door price $45,100. I'm pretty happy with the deal. This will be our second ED. My wife got her dream car three years ago, a 2007 525i.

Plans are to fly into Frankfurt July 19th, pick up the car and do a plant tour on the 20th then make our way to Normandy for a few days and leave out of Paris on the 27th. We are going to drop the car off in Paris as soon as we arrive there. From what everyone has said, I do not want to drive in Paris. We are staying at the Duquesne Eiffel Hotel and plan on spending one day at Versailles. Looking for suggestions on other "not to miss" things to do while we are there. 

For those that have been to Normandy, we plan on spending two nights in that area and are looking for a good place to stay. Also suggestions on what we need to try to see and was we should avoid would be appreciated. My 20 year old daughter and I are history buffs but my wife can't wait to get to Paris to shop.

I'm looking forward to the next few months planning the trip. I appreciate all the info everyone has posted to help me get a good deal and make this the only way to buy a BMW.


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## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

Congrats on your order. The drive to Normandy should be interesting. I understand it can be a moving experience, enjoy.


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

In 2006, my wife and I did the Fat Tire Bike tour of Versailles - well worth it. On a bike, you get to go places you can't on foot, since the grounds are massive.


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## GOFASTR (Apr 13, 2007)

We toured the Normandy area during our 2008 ED (the one with my parents) and we stayed at La Ferme du Pressoir (http://www.bandbnormandie.com/), a little B&B converted from a 1700's farmhouse. We were very pleased with the location (about 20 minutes to Normandy beach areas and a little over an hour to drive to Mont St. Michel), the price was great (135 Euro / night for all 5 of us, including breakfast), and the innkeeper (Madame Odile) was very pleasant, though her English was a bit sketchy (although it was better than my French). We found her via Rick Steves recommendation book and e-mailed her directly to make reservations ([email protected]).

As far as the Normandy area, be prepared to be affected by what you see there. My dad was the main reason we went and I think it impacted him more than he was anticipating. Hope you have a great trip!


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## jschulman (Oct 14, 2006)

wardlowk said:


> We had already booked our plane reservations and most of the hotels so I figured it was time to go order the car. I went to my local dealer this morning and after much negotiation, me leaving and driving off, getting a mile away only to get the call from the dealer he would agree to my offer, I ordered my dream car, a 335i coupe. I am getting a jet black with black leather, step, premium, sport, ipod, heated seats, alarm, floor mats and tinted windows. Out the door price $45,100. I'm pretty happy with the deal. This will be our second ED. My wife got her dream car three years ago, a 2007 525i.
> 
> Plans are to fly into Frankfurt July 19th, pick up the car and do a plant tour on the 20th then make our way to Normandy for a few days and leave out of Paris on the 27th. We are going to drop the car off in Paris as soon as we arrive there. From what everyone has said, I do not want to drive in Paris. We are staying at the Duquesne Eiffel Hotel and plan on spending one day at Versailles. Looking for suggestions on other "not to miss" things to do while we are there.
> 
> ...


I was in Normandy in 2004. Can't help you with where to stay, but there is a lot to see there. There are the D-Day beaches is something you really should see as well as Pointe de Hoc. The monument marking where the rangers scaled the cliffs is cordoned off because that part is eroding away into the water (at least it was in 2004, don't know if they did anything to stop it).

St. Marie Eglise is another town to visit. A replica of John Steele, the paratrooper who got caught on the church when he jumped, is on the church with a parachute.

The WWII museum in Caen is something to see. Expect to spend an entire day or more there. When I was there in 2004, the admission ticket was good for two days because that is how long it will take you to see everything.

Outside of WWII, there is Mont St. Michael. That might be in Brittany, but I drove there first before going to Normandy, and that is something to see. Rouen is the capital of Normandy, and it quite nice (Joan of Arc was burned there). It is closer to Paris, so perhaps when you drive to Paris you can stop off there.

I drove through a good portion of Brittany and Normandy before going to Paris. I much preferred the countryside of Brittany and Normandy than Paris, but I seem to be in the minority. Paris was quite nice, but I personally enjoyed Quimper, Rennes, Rouen, Caen, Emerald Coast, Granite Coast, and the other places I drove through in Brittany and Normandy.

You will have a great time there!


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## LM2010 (Sep 7, 2009)

If your wife enjoys the shopping and cities, Deauville may be a place to check out in Normandy. And there is also the famous casino. If I remember correctly, Deauville is about an hour drive from the D-Day beaches. 
If you are looking into staying in Deauville, I recommend the hotels Barriere. We went to Deauville a few years ago for Mom's 50th birthday and stayed at the Hotel du Golf Barriere (because Dad and the hubby wanted to play golf). There are two other Barriere hotels in Deauville - one overlooking the beach and the other one in the city center. All of them are very nice. Food at the Etrier restaurant is excellent. 
http://www.lucienbarriere.com/localized/en/hotel/etablissements/deauville_hotel_golf_barriere.htm
From there, we took a day trip to go see the D-Day beaches. It was a humbling and moving experience.


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## Trinitony (Feb 10, 2010)

wardlowk said:


> Also suggestions on what we need to try to see and was we should avoid would be appreciated. My 20 year old daughter and I are history buffs but my wife can't wait to get to Paris to shop.
> 
> We spent a few days in Normandy several years back and here are some of the sites we would recommend. Also, we do not recall any disappointments or places to avoid. But our tastes may differ!
> 
> ...


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## wardlowk (Oct 13, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. 

GOFASTR, we are going to check on the La Ferme du Pressior B&B. We checked out the web site and it looks great. And the rate is good, too. My wife is concerned about not having AC but it is my understanding even in July it is not needed in that part of France.

JSCHULMAN - you sould like me, enjoying the small towns and country side better than the big city. Paris to me is like going to NYC, everyone needs to experience it once. We will only have about a day and a half in the Normandy area and want to make the most of it. 

TRINITONY - thanks for the links. Those will be some great resources to figure out what will be the most important to see.

The next few months are going to be fun planning our trip. Thanks for the help.


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## GOFASTR (Apr 13, 2007)

wardlowk said:


> Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
> 
> GOFASTR, we are going to check on the La Ferme du Pressior B&B. We checked out the web site and it looks great. And the rate is good, too. My wife is concerned about not having AC but it is my understanding even in July it is not needed in that part of France.


We were there at the end of June and were very comfortable. Most of the building is made of stone and it stayed relatively cool. We were not there during the middle of the day, as we were out sightseeing, but we slept just fine. Happy hunting!:thumbup:


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

Congrats on your order! Sounds like you'll have a great break in period on the way over to Normandy! We thought about doing that drive but instead did a Stephen Ambrose tour later last year (can't recommend his tours enough if you're into WWII history!!:thumbup::thumbup

Here are a few pics I took in around Normandy to wet your appetite.

You'll really appreciate some of them if you're a Band of Brothers fan (again, really recommend the tour!)

Omaha Beach, low tide early in the morning as it was on D-Day. You would not believe just how far of a distance that is if you go stand out at the water!









A German nest on overlooking the beach (the small square) that was noted to have killed a log of American's that morning. 









View from the nest









The tree line where the guns at Brecourt were. Easy Co attacked from the far end of the picture and Carwood Lipton was up in a tree back there.









arial picture of the fields around Brecort. Arrot points to where the 4 guns were and firing on Omaha Beach. Easy Company attacked from the left side of that tree line.









Picture from the episode of Band of Brothers episode where they are attacking Carentan. There is a machine gun in the windows of the tall house ahead.









That road today with the original building at the end of the road. It was several hundred yards down the road.









You can't help being moved at the cemetery there









A few more pics, not exactly Normandy, but I was just so amazed to be in these places that I'm going to post them

From the "Crossroads" episode of Band of Brothers. The German machine gun was up on the middle of the road on the right there. The extra company of Germans came up over this dike/embankment (right to left) after Easy Company surprised them. 









The forrest in the Ardennes where Easy Company was heading towards Foy.









The tree line where they were hunkered down in fox holes facing Foy and then made the charge across the field.









Ok, I could go on, but I won't bore you with more pics. Needless to say, you could spend a lot of time in and around Normandy! During my ED we also drove to Berchtesgaden (I know in the opposite direction of where you're heading) to go see the Eagle's Nest (which was sadly still closed) and also the Berghof, or at least, what remains of it.


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## wardlowk (Oct 13, 2006)

Snareman - thanks for these pictures. They are great. This is the part of the trip I am most looking forward to. I just wish I had more time to spend in the area. A day and a half no way will do it justice. Maybe on our next ED in another three or four years I will be able to spend more time there. 

Feel free to post more pictures. I'm sure everyone will enjoy them.


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

Well, if you insist...  I could go on about WWII for hours...

Just a few more interesting BoB locations

In the Crossroads episode this is the field they all charged across and looking through this star looks right onto the spot where Dukeman was killed









William Dukeman


















All of the graves in the cemetery in Belgium are adopted my local people and families. Robert adopted Dukeman's









Van Klinken, another member of Easy Co.


















The German cemetery has a much different feel t it









From the cemetery in Normandy. Richard Miller on the right. This is the grave that they used in Saving Private Ryan. Speilberg wanted the battle monuments commission to let them replace the whole grave marker for the movie, but they told him he was crazy. So they just put a veneer over it with Sgt. Miller's name on it for the movie.









And finally, a fewthen and nows from St. mere Eglise




























































La Fiere Bridge: D-Day June 6, 1944. Around 1:00 a.m. on June 6, 1944, Marcus Heim jumped out of a C-47 transport plane over Normandy, France. Heim was part of A Company, 505, their specific objective was to seize and hold the La Fiere Bridge over the Merderet River until reinforcements from the amphibious portion of the Allied invasion arrived later that day. Instead it was 3 days until allied troops arrived and he had to hold off German advances from crossing the bridge until that time.


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