Of our trip to France, I was most excited about Mont Saint Michel - I scheduled a whole detour for us from Normandy so I could make it there. I had seen pictures, the idyllic island (in high tide) off the French coast. It was gorgeous, picturesque and something for a bucket list of places to see.

Then we visited and I realised I wasn't the only one with Mont Saint Michel on my bucket list.

There were thousands and thousands of other people trying to crowd themselves into this tiny island. We parked in the car park at the end of the road, squeezed ourselves into the stuffy shuttle with other passengers (wistfully watching those who made the wise decision to walk the mile there), then shuffled off to join the rest of the herd.

Once within the walls, we followed the road up to the cathedral. Luckily, we found some steep steps up that had deterred many other tourists, so we dashed our way up, hoping to find no one had decided to make the climb up. Our hopes were dashed and nearly as many people were waiting at the top for us as at the bottom. The medieval abbey was imposing - lots of large stones, none of the delicate decorations you may find today. It was interesting to see how it was built upon itself over time as the population grew. We filtered through chapel after chapel, with vaulted ceilings, then queued up to leave the place down a narrow staircase.

Low tide out behind the abbey

Once deposited back on the street, we followed the main road down. We passed street signs for butchers and cobblers that hinted back to the villages old history, but also reminded me a lot of Beauty & the Beast. I could certainly imagine Gaston rolling out of one of the locals belching.  A very short walk later and we were out, back on the road to wait for the buses to pick us up and return us to our cars. I could finally breathe.


Don't get me the wrong - the island is still picturesque, even in low tide when we went. I can only imagine being there when the place is truly an island in high tide. But. So. Many. People. I know that France gets a lot of tourists, but being 3 hours south of Paris and outside of the summer, I thought we could escape some of the crowds. You couldn't pay me enough to get me there in the middle of July. I know that sounds negative because, hey, I was one of those tourists. For me though, there wasn't anything to make this place special after all when you weren't able to explore nooks and crannies because you were being trampled by crowds. Part of the fun of visiting a place is finding hidden secrets and learning the history. The place probably had lots more for me to discover, it just wasn't possible with the number of people there. Plus, there are so many other places nearby with great histories and culture that probably have more to offer. Normandy is very nearby, or we stopped about 1 hour away at the Villedieu des Poeles for lunch and found it completely charming.

So with all that ranting, what's my verdict? If you want to go to see the island, snap your picture and check it off your bucket list? Go for it - it is beautiful, and perhaps even more beautiful from the balcony of your little B&B while you have breakfast (like we did) or at 7 am when they open before the tour buses arrive. If you still want to go, but want a truer experience, trying staying an evening on the island. However, there are only a few hotels on the island meaning they are expensive so make sure to book yourself in early.

I was looking for something to fill our schedule with between Paris and Normandy, since we checked out of our hotel at noon and needed to drive down shortly after. Versaille wasn't quite on the way, but as I looked at the map I realised that Giverny & Monet's house were.

I remembered Giverny from my first trip to Europe. My teenage brain remembered the famed bridge (and a particular photo where I was what is now know as photobombed by a Japanese tourist) and the story of the eclectic painting in his house.

What I either didn't remember, or was different 15 years ago, was all the people. We showed up around 3 pm, thinking we'll spend an hour roaming before continuing further down the coast. We were greeted by a full car park and a nice long line waiting in front of Monet's House.

Ariel and I roamed the streets while the boys waited, at first thinking we'd take in some gorgeous sites and find cute gifts, then realising the number of people prohibited that and instead focusing on finding a toilet.  We waited in line for 30-40 minutes before finally getting tickets, meaning our time was more restricted as they shut down at 5:30.  Since we were on a tight schedule, we bypassed the gift shop you're first led into and darted straight out to the gardens.

It was the perfect time of year to go, at the beginning of May. All the flowers were in full bloom and I've never before seen a garden so full of color. All types of tulips (taking me back to the days of the Lale festivals in Istanbul), lillies and thousands of others I couldn't even begin to name. And despite the lines out front, it seem as if most were interested in the water lillies, because very few were taking time to wander the gardens.

After taking time to stop and smell the roses, we decided it was time to join the rest at the bridge. If you've seen Monet's paintings, you'll recognise the difference now.  While perhaps even more beautiful, the wisteria covered bridge isn't quite what you remember from Monet's famous paintings. Nonetheless, people were lining up for pictures to post under it's archs.

The water lilies weren't yet out, or had already died for the year, so we simply wandered around the ponds before making it back to Monet's house.

This was our final stop - and truth be told it isn't too exciting. There's lots of artwork, but none of Monet's as his is all on exhibit elsewhere. The rooms are crowded and colourful, perhaps my favourite being his kitchen. But after 10 minutes, you realise you've seen it all and are dumped back out by the gift shop.

We made a few gift purchases, before heading back to our car.  While the gardens were beautiful, I'm not sure if the real deal lived up to my memory.  If you're considering a day trip from Paris, a morning visit may be better (or in the off season versus the shoulder season), but my expectation of a quiet country retreat was overshadowed by the tour buses and thousands of tourists milling on the street.

I love Paris. I visited Paris and London on my first Europe trip almost 15 years ago. I've been back a few times since (including backpacking with Paul) and still manage to keep the love affair strong.

Of course there's awful things about Paris - the overpriced and touristy food, the reek of the underground system and the fear of pickpockets more so than any other place I've been.

But then, you stand under the Eiffel Tower for the hundreth time and still wonder how a big hunk of metal could be so delicate and lovely.
Or you sit at a classical music concert in the beautiful stained glass chapel of Saint Chappelle and feel like it must be a dream, the setting is so unreal.

Or you find yourself simply wandering the streets and stumble upon the hidden beauty of Jardins des Luxbembourgs, the perfect spot on a sunny day to pop up a bottle of champagne and people watch.

Or even just talking a stroll by the Louvre (whether or not you go in to glance around it's treasures) and catching the sunlight or moonlight at the perfect moment to mask everything in a glow.


Then, as you wander back to your hotel in the ecclectic Montmarte neighborhood, you'll smile as you discover the Love Wall or even Amelie's favourite diner, and know that your Paris love affair will continue despite the people, smells and your poor French skills. So, you celebrate with a glass of wine, perhaps a crepe and bask in the glow of l'amore.

As I planned out our trip in Jordan, I originally slotted for us to be in Aquaba. With diving & snorkeling, I thought it would be a perfect quick stop on our way to Petra.

Then, as I read more and asked around, I heard more and more about Wadi Rum.  Since we already swam the Red Sea in Egypt, I decided that it was a special opportunity and so we booked up a tent in a bedouin camp.

What made it the area so appealing? It's most famed for it's ties to T.E. Lawrence (of Lawrence of Arabia), as he travelled through the area during the Arab Revolt. But while many may visit for that reason, all will come away remembering by its nick name of Valley of the Moon Rock; the name is certainly earned by it's unique rock landscape among the dunes. It was made a protected area in 1998, meaning that there are no large hotels nearby, so if you want to stay, you'll want to arrange to stay at one of the bedouin campsites in advance.

Since we were arriving from the Dead Sea, we had a half day on either side of one evening in Wadi Rum. You drive up through the gates, purchase your ticket while trying to avoid being heckled by the people selling goods & services, then drive on into the village to meet your guide. We found our man, left our car and hopped into the 4x4 to ride off into the desert.

The guide was a fantastic idea; even if you had the proper car to drive in the sand, likely you'd get lost among the endless sand, dunes, mountains and more sand. With a map in hand, I could only figure out landmarks after we'd passed them, there's no way I could have found my way through the desert without roads or any sign posts. Our guide was a local bedouin who knew the area by heart, making it seem easy and we spent our first afternoon driving through the white desert part of the park.

While the sites you see are similar throughout the park, there's still a lot to admire in the unusual rock formations. The rocks themselves look almost like a melting birthday cake, flat on the tops and sides, with colours dripping down the sides, like icing that has sat too long into the sun.

Teeny Paul puts those giant rocks into perspective

The landscape is covered with rock bridges, formed by the sand and winds forces on the rock over thousands of years. It's a hugely popular place for rock climbers, but dangerous as well as some of the rocks can be soft and give way if you don't know what you're doing.

We spent the afternoon driving, exploring and hiking, finally ending up to hope to catch the sun set, only to see sand sweeping across the plain instead. Unfortunately the wind made our plan of camping under the stars a lot less enjoyable. We ended up trying it anyways, but it made for a noisy night without too many stars for us to view.

Despite a restless night, we woke up the next day ready to go. We were visiting the Rock Bridge of Um Fruth, one of the more famous rock bridges. We didn't have time to climb the Rock Bridge of Burdah, so we had to be content with just one. It's not really a hike but not really a climb, rather a scramble. We were told to take off our shoes, scurry up and wait our turn to cross over the bridge.  To finish off our morning, we drove past the Seven Pillars, the thousand year old paintings of camels and finished up at Lawrence's Spring.

If you aren't a hiker, this may not be the place for you - the landscape is stunning, but you may not find it enjoyable to sit in a very very bumpy car all day. If you do hike, I thought one full day was enough time for us, but others we met at the camp had stayed longer and still seemed to be enjoying it. The camps are rudimentary, with stuffed mattresses and local traditional blankets, or if you went our route, blankets to sleep on the rocks. Some camps may have toilets & showers, others you may find yourself roughing it, so decide what you feel comfortable with!

I spent a lot of time planning out our Jordan itinerary, trying to figure out the best driving routes since we were being our own tour guides, finding the best timing and making sure we were in the right place at the right time. Usually, I'm more laid back, go with the flow, but with so much to see in Jordan in such a short period of time I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.