The trip • In late spring, Stephanie traveled to Spain to pick up her niece from a semester of studying abroad in Barcelona. She then met her sister and brother-in-law for a 10-day Mediterranean cruise with Royal Caribbean. One of the optional tours was to Mont Saint-Michel, a small island community in Normandy, France.

Travel tip • Check the website to make sure you have access to the community the day you want to visit. We were told, on average, there is no access to Mont Saint-Michel 100 days per year due to high tide flooding the bridge.