In a love letter from Paris, writer Carmen Chai introduces us to the things she most admires about the romantic French capital, from its haute cuisine dining to its simple backstreet cafes.

Marc Atchison makes a pit stop in Monte Carlo and elects to walk around the streets where the world's mist famous auto race is held.

Contributor William Ecenbarger straps on his boots and heads out through the fields and meadows of Europe on a walking tour that leads him to some off the beaten track places that few tourists get to enjoy.

Shelley Cameron-McCarron and her family hike across France's famed Baie de Somme and quickly experience that sinking feeling.

French is a tough subject for most Canadian teens, unless your parents take you to Paris for a summer vacation so you can appreciate the city's culture, history and fabulous food.

PARIS — One of the best mottos in life is “keep it simple.” And, as I recently found out while travelling through France, simple often means great tasting food that’s easy on your stomach and your wallet.

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — When travellers venture to Southern France to sunbathe and sip a refreshing cocktail at cafés along the Mediterranean Sea coast, it’s Nice that comes to mind. But nestled about halfway between Marseille and Toulouse is this charming, much less crowded city that’s always bathed in sunshine.

SARK, ENGLAND — The rain had stopped, which renewed my enthusiasm for exploring tiny Sark, an island which is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Smallest of the Channel Islands and only accessible by boat, Sark is unique in that it is a fiefdom granted to the Seigneurie of St Ouen in Jersey way back in 1565, with the proviso that he keep the island free from pirates.

SANARY-SUR-MER, FRANCE - If it weren’t for my favourite dystopian novel, I wouldn’t be here, in this picturesque town, gazing out at a perfect scoop of a harbour, where fishing boats and pleasure craft jostle for room.

BARCELONA - Outside my window, Europe is whizzing past. First Holland, then Belgium … France … Switzerland … Italy … Spain. Small towns, their church spires sticking up like pins on a map, pass by in the blink of the eye.