What a fantastic fortnight I've had! If only the hastiness of our peregrinations hadn't eliminated the opportunities to see some really great things.
We've been traveling around France for the past week as a group, and I traveled around France by myself for the week before, and there was a big difference in the two weeks.
The way I see it, there are two kinds of tourism, both of which have value and, consequently, both of which I'd recommend, for different reasons.
First, there's the kind we might think of when we think of tourism. See as many places as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. This has some value to provide an overview of what a country, state, region, continent has to offer. It is often while we are in this tourist mode that we visit museums, buildings, monuments, art, beaches, and many other things.
But then there's the kind of tourism I'd really recommend, which doesn't fit the term tourism as well. What I mean by this other kind is somewhat more closely related to life as usual. Experience another country, don't just visit it. In our typical American haste we often miss some of the sweetest experiences other cultures have to offer when we visit. Take the train people take to work every day. Understand why people dress they way they do. Read the paper of the country you're visiting. Where do the locals eat? What do they eat? Have you figured that out yet, or are you just visiting the places the locals set up shop to feed/take advantage of the tourists?
My most rewarding experiences traveling have undoubtedly been those when I have forgotten about the all things I need to see and places I need to go and have immersed myself in the culture I'm visiting. My internship in Lyon, where I worked under a French boss, lived with a French family, and made French friends, is an entirely different experience from the three times I have visited France with large groups of Americans.
Experience the culture, don't just pass through it.
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