Mont Saint-Michel | Normandy, France

Mont Saint-Michel is a well-known island commune of the coast of Normandy in France. Originally, the commune was founded by an Irish hermit who had gained a following on the mainland. In the past it was used as a stronghold in the sixth and seventh centuries. Local legend says that the archangel Michael appeared in a vision to the bishop and told him to build a church. Currently, it was one of the most visited sites in France and loved for the trek from the mainland to the island during low tide. 

I remember seeing a photo of Mont Saint-Michel in a book when I was a kid and promised myself I would visit one day. There is definitely a sense of awestruck wonder when you approach the island, but unfortunately that disappears when you make it onto the island. Droves of people and are bussed onto the island, overloading the small space with tourists. It was a little unbearable and hard to enjoy. Even though, the experience on Mont Saint-Michel wasn't my favorite, I'm still glad we went because it's such a unique and beautiful place. It's worth a visit even if there are tons of tourists. Normandy is beautiful and there is enough to do in the area to entertain.  

Le Train Bleu | Paris, France

Le Train Bleu is a stunningly beautiful restaurant that was built for the Exposition Universelle in 1900. It's located in the Gare de Lyon station and is a full service restaurant. Le Train Bleu is an incredible restaurant that takes you back to another time period. The restaurant is covered in elaborate and ornate decorations and 41 original paintings from popular artists from that time period. Markus and I kept talking about what it must've been like to travel by train and stop in for a meal. It must've been a stunner in it's heyday. 

When I saw photos of the restaurant, I knew that I wanted this to be where we spent our last night in Paris. We couldn't have chosen a more magical and perfect place. I knew the minute we walked in that it would be a meal and experience unlike any other I've had before. We ordered the foie gras, liver mousse, veal cutlet, roasted leg of lamb, blue cheese potato gratin and ended with the rum baba, which came with a whole bottle of rum. You know I liked that part! Our meal was so decadent and really delicious. My favorites were the foie gras and the blue cheese potato gratin. If you know me, you know I love pate, liver mousse and foie, so that was a no brainer. The real surprise was the gratin because I don't normally go for potatoes, but these were a game changer. We kept ordering and eating even though I was stuffed. I think it was because I didn't want to leave. It also helped that the servers were hilarious and kept telling funny jokes. Overall, our experience at Le Train Bleu was unforgettable and I'm pleased that it was where we spent our last evening in the City of Lights. 

Notre-Dame and Shakespeare & Company | Paris, France

When you visit Paris, it's almost guaranteed that you'll make a stop at Notre-Dame.  I know if I didn't my parents would've been quite sad and disappointed. We only intended to stop by and take a look outside, but the line was quite short, we couldn't say no. Once inside, we realized why the line was moving so fast. They were packing everyone inside. It was quite impossible to get a good look at anything, but we still walked around for a bit and then headed out. Notre-Dame is a beautiful French gothic cathedral that is unlike any I've seen before. 

Afterward, we crossed the bridge to Shakespeare and Company. I've always wanted to visit the independent bookstore because many famous authors used to gather there. Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and many others would gather and spend heaps of time there. Since it's such a popular and well-known spot, it was just as crowded at Notre-Dame. It was impossible to look at books and soak in the atmosphere. Still, I'm glad we stopped by because it's been on my bucket list since I was in high school! 

Strolling Around the 7th arrondissement | Paris, France

In Paris, there are 20 arrondissements and we barely scratched the surface of even one. On our second day, I made a reservation at the only Michelin starred restaurant still open in August. All the other restaurants were boarded up for the summer holiday or were ridiculously expensive. I know that it's a once in a lifetime to eat at a French Michelin starred restaurant, but it doesn't have to be thousands of dollars. Do you know how many shoes and sweaters I could buy with that money? No thanks.  I'll share more about our incredible meal in a future post.

Before our lunch reservations, we left our hotel a bit early so we'd be able to explore the 7th arrondissement. I honestly couldn't tell you how we got there, but we passed all these beautiful storefronts and buildings. We even came across the Assemblée Nationale and the Hotel Matignon, which I just found out is where the Prime Minister of France lives. It totally makes sense why all those people were staring at me strangely when we were taking photos. They must've been like, "Look at this strange person taking photos in front of the Prime Minister's house." What can I say? I can't pass up a pretty door, especially if it's a big, beautiful and blue! 

Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries | Paris, France

One thing that I knew that I did not want to do in Paris was go inside the Louvre. As someone who really likes art and museums, I tend to get annoyed at museums, especially if they're popular ones. They tend to be overflowing with tourists who want to get that obligatory photo in front of "that famous painting". Also, I kept reading that I should avoid the Louvre at all costs. So that's what we decided to do. We didn't even plan on being in the area but on our first day we somehow found ourselves at the Jardin des Tuileries at dusk. As we walked through the garden we realized that it led to the Louvre. Since we didn't know when we would ever get the chance to see the Louvre, we walked over. It was probably one of the best decisions we made because there were barely any people around. Walking around the courtyard and seeing the glass pyramids without the crowds was a pretty cool moment. I'm glad that we decided to skip the lines and just "happened" upon the Louvre.