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Cote
d'Azur
-
the
wonderful
road
between
St.
Tropez
and
Cannes
Driving
in
France
-
A
part
of
the
coast
road
beside
the
Mediterranean
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The
coast
road
along
the
Mediterranean
is
very
beautiful
in
many
areas,
but
perhaps
one
very
memorable
part
of
this
scenic
highway
is
between
St.
Tropez
and
Cannes.
The
15
miles
(or
so)
stretch
between
Ste.
Maxime
and
St.
Raphael
in
particular,
really
is
breathtakingly
beautiful.
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| The
road
is
very
very
busy
in
the
months
of
June,
July
and
August,
but
when
my
wife
and
I
last
drove
along
it,
it
was
a
beautiful
mid-September
Sunday
afternoon
and
the
traffic
was
light
enough
to
allow
us
to
stop
occasionally
and
enjoy
the
views.
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RVing
is
very
popular
in
France
and
you
see
many
RVs
as
you
drive
along
the
road.
Parking
places
are
adequate
to
allow
them
to
stop
and
take
in
the
view.
See
more
about
RVs
(le
Camping
Car)
here.
Read
more
about
driving
in
France
here.
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The
road
from
St.
Tropez
to
Cannes
passes
through
many
wonderful
towns
and
villages
-
Ste.
Maxime,
St.
Aygulf,
St.
Raphael
are
among
the
most
memorable.
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This
shows
St.
Raphael
-
a
beautiful
town
along
the
way.
My
wife
and
I
had
lunch
here
-
a
wonderful
meal
of
fish
soup
and
fresh
fish.
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Although
the
restaurants
are
very
good
-
and
some
are
very
very
good
-
picnicing
is
popular.
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All
along
this
stretch
of
road
are
place
you
can
stop
and
find
a
little
stretch
of
sand
or
a
little
cove
and
enjoy
some
of
the
wonderful
bread
and
foods
that
can
be
bought
in
any
French
supermarket.
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Posted 10/2006 Permalink
with readers' comments and links
|
| Driving
in
France
is
fun
-
but
it
is
very
different
from
driving
in
the
USA
...
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| This
is
a
typical
French
town
street
scene
taken
in
2006
in
Aix-en-Provence.
Cars
are
generally
smaller
-
usually
"hatch-backs".
The
cute
little
red
car
is
a
Smart
Car
-
these
are
popular
because
they're
easy
to
drive
and
more
importantly,
easy
to
park.
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These
are
some
of
the
key
points
you
should
be
aware
of:
- In
France
they
drive
on
the
right
- Seat
belts
are
compulsory
- You're
not
allowed
to
talk
on
a
cell
phone
while
driving
-
unless
you
have
a
hands-free
system
- It's
compulsory
to
carry
your
drivers
license,
your
car
registration
papers
and
your
insurance
documents
- If
you're
involved
in
an
accident
you
must
call
the
police
and
fill
out
an
accident
report
form
- Drinking
and
driving
limits
are
very
low
-
0.05
percent.
This
compares
to
0.08
in
most
US
states
- Speeding
and
other
traffic
offences
are
punished
with
on-the-spot
fines
- Many
or
most
junctions
do
not
have
traffic
lights
-
they
have
roundabouts.
The
general
rule
with
roundabouts
is
that
the
right
of
way
goes
to
the
vehicle
which
is
already
on
the
roundabout.
Many
or
most
roundabouts
have
a
sign
saying
"you
do
not
have
priority"
as
you
enter
the
roundabout
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Driving
in
Europe
is
generally
not
as
easy
as
in
America.
The
streets
of
towns
are
often
very
difficult
to
maneuver
and
the
towns
are
generally
not
built
on
a
grid.
This
picture
shows
a
motorhome
(called
a
"camping
car")
in
Aix-en-Provence
in
the
south
of
France.
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Parking
in
many
towns
in
France
is
underground
and
not
available
to
taller
vehicles.
Street
parking
is
available
but
often
mainly
full
and
not
really
suitable
for
RVs
(see
this
article
about
RVing
in
Europe.)
The
camping
car
in
the
picture
managed
to
find
a
space
but
needed
to
park
mainly
on
the
sidewalk
to
prevent
blocking
the
narrow
road
behind.
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Speed
limits
are
as
follows:
- On
a
toll
road
-
130
km/hr
(81
mph)
when
dry.
When
wet
110
km/hr
(62
mph)
- On
a
main
road
outside
town
with
a
center
partition
-
110
km/hr
when
dry
-
100
when
wet
(68/62
mph)
- On
other
open
roads
outside
town
-
90
km/hr
when
dry
-
80
when
wet
(55/49
mph)
- In
towns
or
villages
(starts
at
the
town
name
sign)
-
50
km/hr,
dry
or
wet
(31
mph)
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Posted 10/2006 Permalink
with readers' comments and links
|
|
Camping
in
Europe
Le
Camping
Car
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| Camping
in
much
of
Europe
in
general,
and
in
France
in
particular,
is
much
more
popular
than
it
is
in
America.
It
is
seen
as
a
low-cost
alternative
to
hotels
for
many
people,
but
also
as
a
wonderful
way
to
travel
in
it's
own
right.
In
France,
the
government
gives
hotels
-
and
campgrounds
-
a
star
rating.
It
isn't
foolproof,
but
it's
generally
a
good
guide.
This
is
similar
to
the
directory
rating
we
have
in
the
USA,
but
in
the
USA
the
people
who
are
rating
the
campgrounds
-
Good
Sam,
Woodalls
etc
-
while
certainly
doing
a
great
job
in
the
absence
of
a
government
system
-
are
often
criticized
by
Roaming
Times'
readers
for
their
dual
role.
They
not
only
rate
the
campgrounds
-
they
also
advertise
them.
Our
readers
(and
many
campgrounds)
have
often
said
that
they
believe
the
rating
can
be
influenced
by
the
size
of
the
advertising
space
the
campground
takes
in
the
directory,
and
the
money
it
spends
on
the
advertising.
Another
wonderful
feature
of
European
camping
is
the
autoroute
rest
stops.
These
are
free
and
many
of
them
allow
overnight
stops
for
RVs
with
facilities,
restaurants
and
frequent
police
patrols.
In
a
way,
the
only
real
comparison
we
have
in
America
is
truckstops,
or
Wal-Mart's
generosity
in
allowing
RVers
to
park
overnight
without
charge.
|
| Driving
an
RV
in
Europe
is
generally
not
as
easy
as
in
America.
The
streets
of
towns
are
often
very
difficult
to
maneuver
and
the
towns
are
generally
not
built
on
a
grid.
This
picture
shows
a
motorhome
(called
a
"camping
car")
in
Aix-en-Provence
in
the
south
of
France.
|
|
|
Parking
in
many
towns
in
France
is
underground
and
not
available
to
taller
vehicles.
Street
parking
is
available
but
often
mainly
full
and
not
really
suitable
for
RVs.
The
camping
car
in
the
above
picture
managed
to
find
a
space
but
needed
to
park
mainly
on
the
sidewalk
to
prevent
blocking
the
narrow
road
behind.
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|
The
couple
owning
the
camping
car
(he
was
Polish
and
she
French)
were
traveling
around
Europe
and
used
to
the
parking
difficulties.
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Despite
the
problems
they
were
having
a
great
time!
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Posted
10/2006
Permalink
with readers' comments and links
|
|
Some
other
travel
articles
on
Roaming
Times:
Paducah
Flood
Wall
Murals
-
Paducah
KY
Boston
Cheers
-
Boston
MA
Saint
Louis
Gateway
Arch
-
MO
Atlantic
City
Boardwalk
-
NJ
Grand
Ole
Opry
-
Nashville
TN
Maine
Lobster
Festival
Newport,
Rhode
Island
Providence
Rhode
Island
US
Botanic
Garden
-
Washington
DC
George
Washington's
house
Baltimore
Inner
Harbor
Memphis
-
Beale
Street
Branson
MO
-
entertainment
capital
Bricktown,
Oklahoma
City,
OK
Stephen
King's
house
-
Bangor
Maine
Wal-Mart
-
a
port
in
a
storm
The
best
thing
about
RVing
Traveling
with
pets
Traveling
to
Alaska
by
RV
Vacations
at
Wal-Mart?
Taking
the
Tour
at
Graceland,
Memphis
Arizona
-
the
wild
and
wooly
west
Fossils
in
Arizona
The
Appalachian Trail
Savannah
-
laid
out
around
a
series
of
squares
Cape
Cod,
Massachusetts
Fun
in
New
Jersey
The
Arizona
White
Mountains
The
Petrified
Forest
National
Park
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