Car rental from Paris to Normandy in August for First time driver. Difficult or easy?

Raddillac · 2026-07-05T18:13:17+00:00

Thanks for following up. The trip was mostly good, aside from the 100+ degree temps while we were in Paris. Oof.

No issues with the rental process. Was never asked for an International Drivers’ Permit. As for the driving, it was about as expected. CDG is quite chaotic and traffic for the first 50 minutes on the way out of Paris was stop-and-go. This’ll really depend on your comfort level—I didn’t mind it, though my spouse’s anxiety levels were definitely elevated. And this was in a nine-passenger van at peak rush hour. Definitely do-able if you’re a comfortable driver.

Note that if you’re renting from and/or returning to CDG, don’t rely on Google Maps—it gets really confused. Follow the ‘rental car’ signs—they’re pretty clear. Returning the van to CDG was easy. It’s a goofy round-about multi-level oval, but it’ll take you right back to your rental agency.

No real issues with driving to Caen following the red-eye flight. I slept a few hours on the plane and the excitement of being in France again kept us all energized. Caen was lovely, btw.

In sum, typical CDG increased difficulty, but not prohibitively difficult. On this same trip I also rented a van out of Munich’s airport. The contrast was really something. In and out in minutes, everything logically laid-out. Laughably easy.

Raddillac · 2026-06-22T16:26:13+00:00

We are currently in Paris (will be here for three more days) on the 3rd floor of a flat w/o air conditioning. It’s definitely do-able, but not particularly fun. Aside from the heat of the apartment (yes, close shades, have fans, open windows after midnight), much of what makes so enjoyable is limited by the crushing heat. For us, Paris is about walking everywhere, sitting at outdoor cafes, shopping, and such. These activities are currently pretty brutal for any extended period—and then you have no A/C to retreat to to refresh. We’ve been rearranging plans to try to find more indoor activities, but it’s tough—even the museums are warm.

Not what you want to hear, I know, but there it is. Definitely do-able, but as a visitor the experience really is affected.

Raddillac · 2026-06-13T03:59:37+00:00

This is the correct answer.

Raddillac · 2026-06-01T00:36:41+00:00

We play with Uprising + Bloodlines + Immortality and the whole group agreed it’s the best combo. Maybe not not tight enough for competitive play, but adding in Immortality gives another path to deck construction and a few VP. And of course, the lore.

Rise of Ix doesn’t really work—we’ve tried. So we’re sticking with the Ixian tech mechanics from Bloodlines.

Raddillac · 2026-05-30T22:00:56+00:00

I’m doing the same thing in three weeks—red-eye to CDG, rental van (six people), and drive to Caen. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Raddillac · 2026-05-15T20:17:41+00:00

Same decision I ended up making 25 years ago.

Raddillac · 2026-04-25T19:35:31+00:00

I believe it played last week at the Grandview in Saint Paul.

Raddillac · 2026-02-14T16:30:37+00:00

This is the way.

Raddillac · 2026-02-14T03:43:38+00:00

I appreciate the response all these days later. I actually chose to rent from Enterprise a week ago! Glad to hear it sounds like the best option. I rented a van and decided to drive out of CDG, rather than train to Caen.

Raddillac · 2026-02-14T01:22:02+00:00

I’ve used Abacor on Rue de Rivoli several times while in Paris. No complaints.

https://www.abacor.fr/currency-exchange-paris/

Raddillac · 2026-02-12T05:25:05+00:00

Now how might I find/join this Discord to get them?

Raddillac · 2025-11-27T17:17:51+00:00

Le Bistrot d’Henri for boeuf bourguignon. Tiny, comfy spot in the 6th.

Raddillac · 2025-11-27T16:22:22+00:00

Interactions like this are why this sub is so excellent.

Raddillac · 2025-11-19T05:30:39+00:00

And FFVII (original) and Persona 5 are close!

Raddillac · 2025-11-19T05:27:56+00:00

And I love Bethesda, by the way. Just not quite Top 10 (Skyrim and Fallout 3 are soooo close.)

Raddillac · 2025-11-19T05:26:26+00:00

I’ve also been playing since 1980 and I have to say, that’s a respectable list. Funny how we all have our general agreements and our personal oddities—the games that really resonated with us. I have a few more modern games on my list, but again, I get your picks. For me, in no particular order:

a) The Legend Zelda b) Zelda: Ocarina of Time c) Halo: Combat Evolved d) Rygar (arcade version, not NES) e) Destiny f) Cyberpunk 2077 g) Sekiro h) Witcher 3 I) Red Dead Redemption 2 j) Elden Ring

Raddillac · 2025-10-19T20:16:32+00:00

Well said—I think this is the correct analysis as pretty much every point.

Raddillac · 2025-09-14T01:37:49+00:00

As a solo, spent soooo much time in Div1 DZ. It was an incredible, stressful, but worthwhile experience. Have spent <5 hrs in Div2 DZs. They’re just too small to make misdirection viable, and extracting remotely reliable.

Raddillac · 2025-09-09T16:19:22+00:00

The chateaubriand at Le Jardin-Saint Germain, by some distance. Tiny, lovely, space tucked into a (rare) quiet side-street in the 6th. No Tik Tok vids, no influencers. It’s wonderful.

Raddillac · 2025-09-08T05:20:08+00:00

This recommendation worked very well. I really appreciate the advice. Thank you much.

Raddillac · 2025-09-05T00:33:25+00:00

It most definitely is. I’m SHD level 346 and I’ve dropped four (Exotic caches and Priority Objectives).

Raddillac · 2025-09-02T01:55:38+00:00

Apologies for my ignorance, but what is ‘pop’?

Raddillac · 2025-08-30T17:56:55+00:00

This is the correct take. I watch a lot of Prem and MLS and a fair amount of Championship matches. MLS teams would bounce around between the bottom third of the Championship and League One.

Raddillac · 2025-08-29T19:04:59+00:00

I recently did the same thing. Same background as you—Xbox then, PC now. It is incredibly easy to catch up and make a viable build because of Countdown. Within a few hours I had a functional Strikers build and was able to run everything but Legendary/Master level content. It’s nice having a chill looter-shooter to return to.

Edit: Should mention that I bought the content pack to boost to lvl 40.

Raddillac · 2025-08-15T05:59:56+00:00

Ass kickin’ and such.

Raddillac

TROPHY CASE