One of my all time favorite places to visit while in London and not lose a ton of money ! Go see the manuscripts room and check out original works by the Beatles, Darwin and other famous writers,philosophers,composers etc...
Another favorite room to visit is the room with the antiquities taken from Greece and Rome...you must see the friezes...
You could easily spend several days wandering through the museum and still not get an idea of everything that it contains...It's fun to watch groups of school children go through to see the "mummies"...
This is the most popular tourist attraction for French natives...on a little "ilot" stands an ancient walled town with a cathedral at the top...the steps wind up around the walled town...Go to "La Mere Poulard" for traditional French omelettes made in copper pans...go to a local restaurant or cafe for the local lamb chops which are naturally seasoned by the sea grass that they munch...Very tasty!
Careful where you park, be aware of high and low tide schedule...there are areas of quicksand around Mont-Saint-Michel. Safe for women,families, everyone to visit this town... just don't go into the bay to check out the sands and try to get a better photo of the tiny island.
Safe place to see local bands play in Athens,Georgia...supposedly REM played there in the late 80's early 90's...Funky part of town and a very inconspicuous location...
This is a "must see" for people who enjoy quality pottery and art. Several families in the area in and around Seagrove have been in business of throwing pottery for at least 3 generations. Artists from other parts of the country and the world have visited Seagrove to see the techniques of the local potters. Bring cash, checks and credit cards and check the web to find out the dates when local potters hold "lotteries " to determine who has first pick of their collections and pay the price according to the piece they pick.Very competitive and almost a secret in the area! Potters have had their work shown in shows in Atlanta, New York City, DC, Mexico City and even Paris.
Local NC artists and pottery throwers from across the nation come to this part of NC to run their kilns and display their wares to the public...Some families have been in business for at least 3 generations in the area. Check out Seagrove,NC and pottery and find out when the families hold their special events where you get a lottery ticket and choose the piece you like the best and purchase it for the price they have listed...This is very competitive...people have know about "this secret" for years and have been unwilling to share it with others. Pottery has been displayed in museums in DC, Atlanta, Mexico City , New York and even Paris. Bring cash and your check book...I can't remember if they accepted credit cards or not.
You must see this site! The last time I visited was the summer of 2000 and they were still uncovering parts of the Mayan ruins in the area! See where the "ball court" was, the red paint hand prints on the walls, hear the stories of North,South, East and West and what they represent to the Mayan people...You are in Maya land in this part of Mexico!
Take American dollar bills, not 5's not 10's but dollar bills to barter for local arts and crafts.
Beautiful white pyramid overlooking the turquoise blue waters...locals say do not pick up any ancient pieces of Mayan pottery or ceramics because it will bring a curse upon you. Similar to the volcanos in Hawaii...
Watch out for overbearing European tourists who treat the local Mexican population almost like animals in a zoo...you go into a local village and see people peering into the homes of the families of very modest means and snapping away photos...tacky of them!
Visit this site! Beautiful,peaceful town on the river and this is supposedly the site where the great artist Leonardo da Vinci is buried. (not in Italy!) Francois premier, the French king, asked Leonardo to remain in France during the latter years of Leonardo's life.
This is a great place to pop in after you walk up the trail to the top and need a nice,warm, inexpensive meal...only problem is...the last time I went...no credit cards...cash only!
Great view of the Black mountain range...lovely...quiet and the staff is very friendly.
There really isn't much to see in Carcassonne other than this fortress; we often use it as a jumping off place before we board a bus and then an overnight train to Madrid.
Interesting stop off to stretch legs and let kids, adults take a look at local minerals,gems etc...this area has a lot of "gem stone mines" that have been "salted" with stones but on occasion someone does find an emerald or ruby!
Want to get out and see the locals and the tourists? Go to River Street in Savannah, Georgia and you'll be surprised at who you'll literally run into while checking out this part of the city...Nice shopping, nice restaurants, some good bars, pubs...bring cash and credit cards...This is a tourist friendly area and it is hopping and packed on St.Patrick's Day! Supposedly the second largest St. Paddy's Day celebration takes place here in the US! Book a hotel room at least a year in advance though if you plan to do St.Paddy's Day!