France

I always knew I would go to France one day. In high school while taking French, I saw a picture in my textbook of Le Mont Saint-Michel, this incredible island in the middle of the water in northern France. I had to see it and finally I did in 2010. Wow! Rising out of the island is a giant monastery (in one of its many epochs). At night after all the tourists had left the island, we wandered up to the top by ourselves. The 360-degree view was magical. There are so many other parts of France that I loved. Paris is amazing: walking at the top of Notre Dame with the gargoyles; standing in front of the Gates of Hell by Rodin; stepping on a boat and drifting down the Seine watching all the lights flickering on the Eiffel Tower…it’s all fantastic. So is Nice on the French Riviera with its huge horseshoe beach. When you drive to Normandy, you drive through red poppy fields until you stop before a sea of white crosses. Don’t forget Provence if you want to explore markets full of spices rising out of burlap bags and where the presence and paintings of Vincent Van Gogh are everywhere.