The Ile de France region is where our trip started and ended. This is a wide basin with Paris in the center. Even though there is some lovely countryside, you never are far from the hustle and bustle of the capital. Most towns are bedroom communities, and there is a lot of rush-hour traffic.

Charles de Gaulle airport is to the northeast of the city. We drove west from there into Normandy, with a couple of stops at Auvers sur Oise and Giverny.