Paris to La Rochelle, March 26

 Today we left our nice little apartment on Ile St Louie and walked to Sully-Marland subway stop (No 7) and then changed to the No. 9 subway. 7 stops and then 16 stops. The subway in Paris is not as easy as the Tube in London mostly because there are so many stairs and not many escalators. And, we had all our luggage. But, it was fine and we managed to get seats within a few stops of getting on even though it was crowded.

   We rented the car in St Cloud. It is a red Peugeot 208. It was an efficient process and we were on our way quickly. And...quickly took a misturn! We do have GPS, but it the distances are not always clear. At any rate, after a little wandering, we found ourselves out on the motorway.
    It was about a 5 hour drive to La Rochelle. At the first pay toll, our credit cards were rejected. We have 10 days to log on and pay. But, at the second, the Visa was magically taken. The tolls are expensive. Today we paid 41 Euros and about 50 Euros to fill up the car. (We ate yogurt/sandwich at a rest stop.)

     We found the Spa Hotel and Chateau in Lagord outside LaRochelle with only minimal difficulty. The chateau is quite nice and we did not pay much. The room is big with big windows into the garden. (But, the weather is rainy and foggy) We went to a nearby supermarket and got some food for dinner.
      We also took a drive to the sea where we could see the bridge to Ile de Re, tomorrow's destination. Fingers crossed the weather improves.