SHOULD YOU TAKE REPEAT TRIPS? WHY I WENT BACK
Centre Pompidou.
In today’s digital world, it often seems that we have an abundant amount of destinations to choose from. Want to travel somewhere for your birthday? Try Mexico City. How about a a week long relaxation? I bet you’ll get several answers, from Bali and the Maldives, to the Seychelles and South of France.
With several places to choose from, why go back to a place you’ve been before? I thought about this question when my friends and I were deciding on where to take our annual trip. And this year, the chosen destination just happed to be Paris (mainly because tickets for the end of September were incredibly cheap). When we decided, I’ll admit I was hesitant: I had just gone to Paris in January with my partner, having spent over a week there. This would mean exploring the same city, twice, in one year. Was it worth it?
It took me about 30 seconds to mull that question over, and figure out my answer: A resounding yes! It takes more than one trip to fully understand a city. Do I understand Paris, and Parisians, more now? No. But I’m one step closer! Below, I’ve highlighted why I enjoyed visiting the city more than once, including staying in a different neighborhood, enjoying a more spontaneous trip, plus visiting familiar spots that were favorites from my previous trip.
NEIGHBORHOODS:
When I visited in January, my partner and I stayed in Montmartre ( you can find my post about it here). This time, my friends and I chose an Airbnb near Bastille. Closer to more tourist sites, the neighborhood has plenty of restaurants and things to do. My favorite restaurants we went to were: Le Chat Bossu, Cafe Meticourt ( get the green eggs and feta, thank me later) and Le Quartier Vegetarian (another amazing spot, with an equably charming staff and neighborhood vibe).
Musee d’Orsay.
SITES:
When not traveling, I work as an interior and exhibition designer. I love museums. But, when I’m traveling, I prefer to see more of the city by foot, rather than spending time in a museum or indoors. This time, however, I was finally able to visit the Lourve (book timed tickets ahead of time, choose what you want to see before, try not to get stressed out by the amount of tourists,) as well as Musee d’Orsay. I loved this museum, which is housed in a former train station. We also visited Sainte-Chapelle, an iconic chapel featuring some of the most gorgeous stained glass windows I’ve ever seen. Although this trip became much more about tourist sites, I was able to appreciate this, as I felt that I had more time to see historic sites, as opposed to my first trip.
Sainte-Chapelle.
SHOPPING:
I love vintage, and Paris does it right. I fell in love with this guide while I was there in January, and knew I had to head back during my second trip. My favorite spots (also listed in the guide) are Kilo Shop, Free’p’Star and Tilt Vintage. All have a couple of locations around the city, and one can find some of the best selections for as cheap as one euro.
It can be hard to convince yourself, and others, to take repeat trips, especially when there are just so many places to see in the world. However, we don’t really have the opportunity to understand a city from just one visit, or even two. There are still many, many things I have not experienced in Paris, and probably won’t unless I take the plunge and live there (honestly not a bad idea though). So, take a chance. Visit that city again. Connect with the people, the sites, the food, a little more. Understand why you visited in the first place, and what drew you back in a second time. I promise it’ll be worth it.
C'est La Vie!