The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Press

Paris is Just the Beginning

11/15/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Everyone sees travel in a different light. 
When I acquired the vintage print you see above,
my husband cheered, "Wow, look at all the places we've visited!"
  My first thought was,
"Wow, look at all the places we haven't seen."

Deep breath.  Time out.
Repeat after me:
YOU ARE GOING TO SEE MORE IF YOU SEE LESS.
Think about that.

We try to cram in as much fun into our travels as possible.
After all, we want to get our "money's worth" -- right?
Too often, that translates into a long list of destinations
we don't appreciate or remember.

  I think the better plan is to treat your travels more like a luxurious bath.
Ease into the warm water, feel the sweet relief envelop you, relax into
the spirit of the moment and forget about everything else.
  We routinely take showers to do what's needed - wash, rinse, dry, done.
  We take baths to relax, rejuvenate and restore our spirits.
  That's how travel should be.
  You'll keep that vacation feeling longer if you treat yourself
to a leisurely soak instead of a scrub.

I titled my novel and blog "The Paris Effect" because so
many of the treasures of France can be found in Paris.
But Paris is just the beginning.

Picture
Remember why you decided to travel in the first place.
We globe-trot to experience other cultures -- beauty, history,
the indulgence of a unique cuisine - and that's just for starters.
Navigating the planet changes our world view.
As we delight in new destinations, we re-invent ourselves,
confident we'll get our mojo back --- hopefully, along with our luggage.

It's like home repair for your head and heart -- but instead of stopping in
at Home Depot for your tools, you check into a new city, village,
nature retreat, mountaintop or beach, depending on your need.
When you re-model or update your home, you gain a number of benefits from
the blood, sweat and tears (not to mention the cash) you put into it.

Agreed, it's no bed of roses as you begin the process -- but somewhere
along the way, you'll gain a real sense of accomplishment as you
realize your enterprise is well on its way to fruition.
Satisfaction, relief, pride, fulfillment.
Consider this, doesn't it take a lot of aggravation and
a bit of despair along the way to complete the project? 
Is travel any different?

When you feel like something more -- and who doesn't ---
travel can bring excitement and energy into your life.

Here in Middle Tennessee, I live right on top of a Civil War battlefield.
  From time to time, I wonder about the men who fought and died in my backyard.
Visiting numerous sites in and around Nashville related to that awful war,
I often wonder if I see it with the same eyes as someone who has
traveled far and wide to witness the same time and place.
  There's something about traveling far away -- making the effort --
that stirs our senses to the wonders of our surroundings.

  Right or wrong, it's true -- when we see and experience
another country or a new city, our senses come alive.
We are more likely to appreciate the new perspective.

Picture
It's rewarding to engage in a vacation activity that breaks your routine.
  If you habitually lie on the same beach year after year,
why not take up bird-watching or hiking in the mountains?
Maybe a week-long cooking course is something you've long dreamed of
--- or at the very least, look for a different beach.... and an unfamiliar view.

It's easy to get comfortable in your favorite city.
  Sometimes I have to force myself to book an apartment in
a new neighborhood -- but I do it anyway.
  And it's paid off, I can definitely tell you.
  How can you know Paris if you've only stayed in one or two arrondissements?  Changing gears makes the ride so much better. 
Yes, you can be sure we return to favorite restaurants, familiar
neighborhoods and museums --- but we're much more likely to discover
a whole new world when we change from one neighborhood to another.

  When in Paris, I've stayed in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 14th,
and 17th arrondissements at various times in my life.
  I can't wait to discover my next new "home", hopefully
finding the courage to hang my hat in the 11th or 12th.
  It's not exactly like cliff diving or bungee jumping but in
a small way, it qualifies as adventure travel.
  Keeping it fresh.

Picture
I want to see and experience everything under the sun. 
But in the real world, that's not possible. 
Time, money, family responsibilities and a million trivialities
contribute to messing up the best laid plans -- but not the dream.
  That's why I focus so much energy on my favorite country.
  I don't exclusively travel to France -- but I have a deep
  commitment to a long-term relationship with her.

Part of that commitment includes planning where to go next.
  Paris is usually where I begin or end my trip.
  It's a basic plan that works out well every single time.
  Never a dull moment in the capitol -- but my inquisitive nature
propels me to carefully choose other destinations
in my favorite land -- new towns, new faces, new everything.

It's in the planning where I remind myself of my own advice --
YOU'LL SEE MORE IF YOU SEE LESS -- and strategize accordingly.

  Translation:
Don't project a wish list that includes half a dozen cities and call that an itinerary.  Pare it down so you can enjoy what you see.
  Travel isn't a spreadsheet. 
If your neighbor saw six countries in seven days, have pity.
Better to prune down the plan and take joy in what you see.
Get the most out of each step you take.

That brings me right back to home renovation.
  It's the Big Reveal we all look forward to -- that moment
when you know all the work to get there was worthwhile.
The Big Reveal is the approach to each travel moment too, that
thrilling instant that raises the gooseflesh on the back of your neck.
As you get acquainted with a new city, the layers will soon reveal themselves, broadening your travel experience and ultimate satisfaction.
 
The process brings as many rewards as the accomplishment.
A payback that lasts a lifetime.

And yes, you got your money's worth.

 Paris is just the beginning.
Picture
Picture
You'll be happier if you renovate your travel plans --- LESS IS MORE.
1 Comment
Purabi Naha link
5/20/2015 06:01:56 pm

Michelle, I am just back from a family vacation to France. I so much agree to what you wrote here. We enjoyed just France for 15 days, although we have seen many people doing three countries in 15 days. For us, France is beyond Paris. We loved Normandy, Nice, Avignon, Axn Provence, Versailles and of course, Paris. :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French-food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Jacques Genin
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Language Skills
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Little Gourmand
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.