France

Provence is the stuff that dreams are made of. We fell in love with all the sights, flavors, and history of this divine place, and these photos will show you why.

It’s not apparent at first what’s taking place in the lush, green orchard. As far as you can see, glass bottles hang from the trees. But once you see the sign for Manguin Distillery, it all makes a bit more sense.

Provence takes its food seriously. It’s rustic and flavorful, featuring olives, garlic, and dozens of other delicious ingredients. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Here are a few of the things that I learned in my attempt to cook in Provence.

Behind the Hotel de l’Image, it is green as far as you can see, or at least until the limestone peaks of the Alpilles mountains rise from the Rhone valley. Here, there are sprawling gardens, fountains, the pool, and plenty of room to relax.

Brightly-colored vegetables spill forth from the stands. The aroma of roasted chicken drifts through the air while locals arrive for their daily baguettes. The ambiance at weekly markets – particularly at a Provence market – is addicting.

I can still remember the TV cart being rolled into my seventh grade classroom. It was the early ’90s when the rickety metal things bumped …

The island of Mont Saint-Michel has attracted pilgrims for over a thousand years. As we planned our trip to France, there would be no doubt that we’d also make our pilgrimage to Mont Saint-Michael. What we found completely surprised and delighted us.

The D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy was a concerted effort to save what was left of Europe. Now, nearly 70 years later, the beaches have an eerie quiet as travelers come to pay their respects.

An hour from Paris, but world’s apart, Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France are the most tangible location to experience French Impressionism in real life. Monet’s Home and Gardens still exist today, largely as they did when he passed away in 1926. Giverny is just as beautiful as the paintings would make it seem.

I’m a sucker for gardens. I find there is just something magical about Europe’s grand palace gardens. From the Schonbrunn in Vienna to Powerscourt in Ireland, Europeans know how to set a spectacle. But there are perhaps none grander the Versailles gardens in France.