How To: A Tourist's Guide to Paris

I took a vacation.

I was just too comfortable.  Each day filled with familiarity and similarity-- It was all too tempting.
And perhaps I even thought bland was better.

Paris looked exciting, with all the shining lights and glamour surrounding every detail.

I packed my suitcase to the brim with all the things I thought I'd need: a comb, toothbrush, clothes, maps, and my camera.  I bought a plane ticket and waited until I could finally feel French ground beneath my feet.

When I arrived, I first visited the Eiffel Tower.  I took as many photos and notes as possible, and I even learned to speak a few words in french.  I ate chocolate croissants, saw the Mona Lisa, and peddled a rented bicycle down the main cobble stone streets.

As I returned home, I began to realize that even after all the time spent there, I had only been a tourist.

I could have written a book called "How To: A Tourist's Guide to Paris."

I never laid down in the long grass in the countryside, and I certainly never swam along the coastline. I never took a bread baking class or even a cheese factory tour.

I only did the basics.  I never fully embraced my short trip to Paris

So as I prepare for my second trip, I'll be sure NOT to only be a tourist.