Traveling has always been a huge part of my life. I always have a trip planned; or, at least, I did until COVID-19 hit. The virus has forced me to cancel two trips I had planned for this year: one to San Francisco and one to Anaheim.

While stuck at home, unable to travel, I have been living in my memories of my past trips.

Last June, I had the most amazing vacation in France. We were on this trip for two weeks; the first week, we spent in London and the second week we spent in France.

They both felt like a dream the entire time we were there. I was hoping to go back in 2021, but with the pandemic I am not sure that will happen. However, I’m still living in my memories and have those to share.

Our first few nights, we stayed in Normandy in northern France. We stayed at a farmhouse that had spectacular sunsets every night. There were cute shops and restaurants 20 minutes away and we were able to experience those as well. Since Normandy is a coastal town, the seafood was delicious.

We went to a few different places close to Normandy. The first was Honfleur, which was my personal favorite.

This small town makes you feel like you are inside of a dream. The homes have slate-covered frontages that make them recognizable in any photograph.

The second one was Etretat, a place that has an elephant-shaped rock. This place has huge green cliffs, and, to add to the beauty, the water over the cliffs is emerald green.

Next, we traveled to Mont-Saint-Michel, a tidal island in Normandy. It was a breathtaking sight; the Abbey church can be seen anywhere on the island because it towers over the rest of the buildings on the island. To top off the beauty, there were roses all around the church.

After exploring Normany, we ended up in Paris. We first visited the Eiffel Tower, and it is even more magnificent in person. We were able to go to the top of the tower and it gave us a great view of the city. At night the tower twinkled with lights that looked like stars.

I miss France very much, and I really hope I can go back soon. This pandemic has affected the whole world so negatively, and I am not sure when it will end.

Due to the travel restrictions, there are not many places we can go, other than places here in Utah. This virus has forced us to live through our memories since we cannot make new ones yet. However, I am hopeful that we will soon be able to make new memories.