On the road again

Well the day of departure is getting near, so we are starting to move North toward Paris and the airport. Next stop should be the Loire river valley. Will see what we find there, no fixed plans.

A word about getting around in France. Gasoline, it can be hard to find a place that takes cash or has a live attendant! They do like to take credit cards but most of them need a special European style credit card. Looks just like any Visa or Master card but there is a little circle on the front with some gold plated contacts in it. I think there is a computer chip in the card! USA cards are rejected! On rare occations you will find a place that takes normal cards. Good luck.

Money; the dollar is OUT. Even most banks won't change them. The places that do exchange them are slow & don't give a very good rate. What works well is a Visa or Master card with a PIN number. You must have a PIN number! Most cards have daily limits on the amount you can withdraw, so it's good to have more than 1 card.

Also the banks are closed a LOT. But you can use credit cards at ATM type machines most anytime.

Friends have been asking if it is cold. Here are some pictures of the ice from last night. -10 C!

Also a pic of our cheerful innkeeper.

--ucharlie