American economic dominance

[Jeff Lebowski]

Lol. You have zero sense of humor.

[bluegoose]

We will spend only a few days in Paris and most of our time in Normandy, the only place in France we haven't spent much time in, and then lastly in the Loire valley. Should be lovely.

Might I suggest an afternoon trip to Les Grottes Petrifiantes near the Chateau de Villandry while you're in the Loire. I think Villandry has the best gardens in the area. We were there in a heat wave (100 degrees), and the Caverns were an amazing break from the heat and a really cool place to check out.

[Omaha 680]

Lol. You have zero sense of humor.

You wouldn't either if you were Canadapoor.

[Bo Diddley]

As a missionary in London in the 80's, it felt like there was a prosperity gap between the UK and the US. Not that they were poor, just that we had more.

It seemed like they caught up some in the next 20 years, but then with Brexit, they are losing ground. They are not a poor country.

[tooblue]

Might I suggest an afternoon trip to Les Grottes Petrifiantes near the Chateau de Villandry while you're in the Loire. I think Villandry has the best gardens in the area. We were there in a heat wave (100 degrees), and the Caverns were an amazing break from the heat and a really cool place to check out.

That sounds like an amazing suggestion. My wife served part of her mission in the Loire and that itinerary is all hers.

[tooblue]

So poor we built a 6.5 billion dollar bridge Trump won't open because Canada owes the US ... what exactly is unclear, because you all are so wealthy, but hey

Fact check: Canada paid for Gordie Howe Bridge, but doesn’t own it alone

https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/fact-check-canada-paid-for-gordie-howe-bridge-but-doesnt-own-it-alone/

[tooblue]

You wouldn't either if you were Canadapoor.

It's a black (Friday) sense of humour

[Moliere]

We will spend only a few days in Paris and most of our time in Normandy, the only place in France we haven't spent much time in, and then lastly in the Loire valley. Should be lovely.

Let me know if you want any tips on Normandy. I consider it a second home and hope to do tours there when I retire.

[tooblue]

Let me know if you want any tips on Normandy. I consider it a second home and hope to do tours there when I retire.

I will send a private message when I see where they booked the AirBnB!

[BigFatMeanie]

Let me know if you want any tips on Normandy. I consider it a second home and hope to do tours there when I retire.

I want some tips on Normandy. The Mrs. and I are making our first trip to France in early October. We'll be in country 10 full days, not including flight days in and out. I'm just starting to figure out how many days to spend in Paris, how many days for Normandy, and then probably one other area of the country.

I'm not really much of an AirBnB guy and there don't appear to be any Marriott hotels around Normandy so I need to figure out where to stay.

[tooblue]

I want some tips on Normandy. The Mrs. and I are making our first trip to France in early October. We'll be in country 10 full days, not including flight days in and out. I'm just starting to figure out how many days to spend in Paris, how many days for Normandy, and then probably one other area of the country.

I'm not really much of an AirBnB guy and there don't appear to be any Marriott hotels around Normandy so I need to figure out where to stay.

I messaged him, but Moli can post his tips here for all if he wants. Both my wife and I served our missions in south western France and we have been back multiple times, we just haven't spent a lot of time in Normandy. We are staying in an AirBnB between the D-day Normandy beaches and Mt. Saint Michel:

In Moli's opinion:

1. What is the best D-day beach(s) and memorial cemetery(s) to visit?
2. What is the best time to get to Mt. Saint Michel, and what else is there to do in that region that you recommend?

... anyone else can chime is also!

to answer BFM: I am a three days maximum in Paris kinda person. I suggest taking a day to visit the Louvre and know that it is closed on Tuesdays. If you don't want to visit the Louvre, you really should visit a museum and the best for the dollar is the Musee D'Orsay. Musee D'Orsay is an impressionists heaven, but also head up to the cafe and out onto the balcony for a great view of the Seine and the city.

[Pelado]

I messaged him, but Moli can post his tips here for all if he wants. Both my wife and I served our missions in south western France and we have been back multiple times, we just haven't spent a lot of time in Normandy. We are staying in an AirBnB between the D-day Normandy beaches and Mt. Saint Michel:

In Moli's opinion:

1. What is the best D-day beach(s) and memorial cemetery(s) to visit?
2. What is the best time to get to Mt. Saint Michel, and what else is there to do in that region that you recommend?

... anyone else can chime is also!

to answer BFM: I am a three days maximum in Paris kinda person. I suggest taking a day to visit the Louvre and know that it is closed on Tuesdays. If you don't want to visit the Louvre, you really should visit a museum and the best for the dollar is the Musee D'Orsay. Musee D'Orsay is an impressionists heaven, but also head up to the cafe and out onto the balcony for a great view of the Seine and the city.

I booked several different European itineraries including nearly a week in Northern France for when my wife and I traveled there in 2023. Unfortunately, we cancelled most all of our France plans when the country started protesting the change to their public retirement system. Garbage was piling up in the streets, there were large protest gatherings, etc. and my wife did not want to trust that it would all be fine by the time of our trip (though it was).

We had planned to stay a couple of nights in Rouen, a couple of nights in Bayeux, and then one night at one of the hotels in Mont Saint-Michel before spending several days in the Loire Valley and then finishing up in Paris.

What I read about Mont Saint-Michel was that staying overnight there got you a much more relaxing experience. After they close the property for the night and until they open it back up in the morning, you kind of have the whole place to yourselves instead of having to fight the crowds. My wife is not a big fan of crowds of people, so it made sense for us. The rates there are pricier than in Rouen or Bayeux but much less expensive than Paris.

[Bo Diddley]

I booked several different European itineraries including nearly a week in Northern France for when my wife and I traveled there in 2023. Unfortunately, we cancelled most all of our France plans when the country started protesting the change to their public retirement system. Garbage was piling up in the streets, there were large protest gatherings, etc. and my wife did not want to trust that it would all be fine by the time of our trip (though it was).

We had planned to stay a couple of nights in Rouen, a couple of nights in Bayeux, and then one night at one of the hotels in Mont Saint-Michel before spending several days in the Loire Valley and then finishing up in Paris.

What I read about Mont Saint-Michel was that staying overnight there got you a much more relaxing experience. After they close the property for the night and until they open it back up in the morning, you kind of have the whole place to yourselves instead of having to fight the crowds. My wife is not a big fan of crowds of people, so it made sense for us. The rates there are pricier than in Rouen or Bayeux but much less expensive than Paris.

But is there a/c there?

[Pelado]

But is there a/c there?

There better be!

[tooblue]

Getting this thread back on track, Jeremy Grantham is not betting on the US ... "The man who predicted the dot-com crash and the 2007 housing collapse warns that the AI bubble is the biggest in American history."

Full disclosure, the video was shared with me by a friend who is one of those friends that shares these kind of things, but Grantham does say: "Don't own US stocks ... get out of the market."