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To Paris...and Beyond!

© Heather Stimmler-Hall

For a travel writer, I sure like to stay put. That doesn't mean I don't like to travel, but I don't like to move for movement's sake. Now maybe I'm a special case because I've lived my whole life in places people want to visit, but I think it's always better to take a closer look at the place you are. When I travel, I like to spend the longest time possible in one spot before my ants-in-pants husband starts looking at the maps. He likes to see a lot. I like to see a lot, too, and I think it takes a few days -- at least -- for the newness of a place to wear off. That's when you start digging deeper, after you've seen all the 'must see' places, spent your last shiny Euro at all of the markets and cute boutiques, and used up enough rolls of film. The time to try an out-of-the-way restaurant, to explore the neighborhoods where tourists don't usually go, to catch a piece of local culture. I used to feel guilty going to the movies on my vacations, but I think every country's cinema has its own funny quirks, from what's served at the snack counter, to the seating arrangements and even the types of pre-film ads.

In any case, I always get on my cranky hat whenever I have people asking me about 'Day Trips Out of Paris'. Okay, I'll recommend Disneyland Paris and maybe Versailles (never been myself), but I never really see the need to leave Paris. I lived there for years and still find new things to see when I return, so why waste it on the train heading out? Even worse are those who want to spend a week in France, and they have a travel list that looks something like this:

- Paris

- Normandy

- Loire Valley

- Provence

This would scare the pants off most French people, who like to live life for the joy of it, not the speed. Paris may bustle like any large city, but at the heart of any French experience should be the experience of long lunches, of taking time to meet people in your neighborhood (or your hotel), of spending whole afternoons on a café terrace with nothing in particular to do (if you're an ants-in-the-pants type, take a good Paris book with you). It will be hard to really experience this with a tight travel itinerary of French monuments, vineyards and chateaux.

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