“Please stop writing about Sifnos so a million people don’t go there,” pleaded my friend. But of the 24 Greek islands I’ve visited, Sifnos remains my favorite and the only one I’d consider coming back to and spending considerable time on.

Folegandros touched my soul.

Perhaps because I had just come from the relative circus of Santorini, where the selfie-stick wielding tourist hordes were all mad af.

I first set foot on Folegandros in 2015, after a sailboat chartered by a group of friends sought safe harbor from strong meltemi winds. We rented two cars at the small port town and set off to explore the Cycladic island.

I’m a selfish cook. Let me explain. I only cook what I like to eat. In the summer of 2009, I became obsessed with Paella. I had to learn how to make it. What better teacher than a local Mallorcain who makes paella every Sunday for her family?

I once climbed down a mountain in Mallorca, Spain, to try what the New York Times claimed was the best paella in the world. And though I came for the paella, I left with a memory of a lifetime.

As springtime approaches, I look back on the day my brother and I took time off from Paris Fashion Week to visit Giverny, Claude Monet’s home.

Monet, a founder of the Impressionist style of painting, lived in Giverny for 43 years from 1883 to 1926. His house and garden, as well as the village and its surroundings, were his subject matter. They still attract half a million visitors each year from all over the world, including painters charmed by the distinctive light of the Seine Valley.