Dammit! The World is Too Beautiful...

Though my wife would frequently disagree I think I'm a reasonably intelligent guy. Except when it comes to world geography. On that subject I'm a complete and total idiot.

Don't believe me?

1. Until my daughter corrected me a few years ago I thought Spain was somewhere near Mexico. (They speak Spanish in Mexico so I figured the home country was nearby.)  
2. I didn't realize Mongolia was still a country.  
3. Until a week ago I thought that Northern Ireland was just the "top" part of Ireland.

Thankfully, now that I am living in Europe my world knowledge is slowly starting to improve. And France is so centrally located that it's very easy to actually visit some nearby countries and learn more about them.

But here's the thing... I think I somehow had it in my head that all the pictures I've seen over the years -- of those quaint French villages, Italian cities overlooking the ocean, and exotic Irish castles -- were just different views of the same handful of especially picturesque locations.  Obviously, that's not true at all.  France alone has so many incredible looking little villages we have no idea which ones to visit.

We've always wanted to see Ireland, so that's our next big vacation, but in the meantime we'd like to organize some weekend trips here in France.  But how on earth are we going to decide? Check out these pictures (which I liberally borrowed from various websites):

COLMAR

Considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Colmar is straight out of a fairy tale.

EGUISHEIM

Just a short distance from Colmar, Eguisheim is the birthplace of winegrowing in Alsace.

CASTLENAUD-LA-CHAPELLE

This medieval town overlooks the Dordogne River in southern France.

ANNECY

Annecy is an alpine village in southeastern France, where the River Thiou meets Lac d’Annecy.

LA ROQUE-GAGEAC

A little commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine, southwestern France.

SAINT PAUL DE VENCE

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.

SAINT CIRQ-LAPOPIE

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.

MONT SAINT-MICHEL

Le Mont-Saint-Michel is an island commune in Normandy, France.

ANGLES-SUR-L'ANGLIN

Angles-sur-l'Anglin is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.

SAINT-CÉNERI-LE-GÉREI

Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei lies nestled in a loop of the River Sarthe that is spanned by a small stone bridge.

GORDES

A commune in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The residents are known as Gordiens.

DINAN

Dinan is one of the best preserved small towns in Brittany.