‘Return Again’ Travel
A place we love can call us back any number of imaginative and mysterious ways. Sometimes it’s through a slow, simmering build of signs and serendipities, sometimes it’s behind a tsunami of not-enoughs and what-ifs that hits us fast and hard before we even depart, and sometimes it’s among unmet often unrealized desires that resurface only in the face of great change.
So much of the time life drowns out the invitation. We conveniently ignore, subconsciously block or unintentionally overlook the places life is calling us to live a part of our lives from be it even for a day or two. For the longest time I didn’t listen or allow myself to be present enough to listen to these tiny, telling prompts from the universe.
In looking back, I won’t say however that I wholly missed the summons to complete lessons not fully learned, the markers to excavate self-truths not otherwise discoverable or the stimuli to fill up a depleted well of creativity. I will admit though that by resisting to travel with intent I regrettably delayed the fulfilling and transformative benefits of travel.
And so, when life served up the great change of being laid off after ten years of addiction to work and commitment to a singular purpose, I had the emotional runway stretched out in front of me I needed to answer calls back to amazingly inspiring places like Rome, Seville, San Sebastian, Paris, and Florence. Each one having patiently waited to flood my life force with a revitalized, nourishing and unique perspective on living, on postponing, on compromising, on dreaming and on doing.
In earlier blogs I’ve written about Rome and Seville’s hold on me and my fervent to-the-bone love for San Sebastian’s way of life. I have every intention of going back to each. And as I contemplate my obsession to do so right now it reveals a defining quirk about my travel motivation and north star. When I treat my tastebuds as my guide, they very rarely if never have steered me in a direction that takes me off course from my passions and predilections. This observation holds especially true for return again travel.
Paris was the first city I answered the call back to and the first time more importantly in my travels that I gave myself permission to appraise place and person (me) in tandem. What I couldn’t see then that I see now is I wasn’t just taking Paris in all over again, I was using it to measure in some ethereal way how far my own dreams, hard work and education had carried me in the time we’d been apart.
Notably Paris was the first place I had ever visited outside of North America, and I was symbolically returning for seconds the day after I turned 4-0. After acknowledging the hard-to-ignore surface level differences between Trip 1 (2003) and Trip 2 (2019) like my age, buying power, and taste, familiar sites like the Tuileries Gardens and Champs Elysee became uncontained breeding grounds for rampant, unpredictable self-reflection. In between glasses of Sancerré and bites of Soufflé, there was a melody of pats on the back, pangs of doubt and waves of regret that played out before me. It was impossible not to confront and contemplate a before and after while taking stock of my future.
And suddenly, there it was. Travel wasn’t just a transaction that purchased escape or change of scenery, it was a powerful catalyst that when approached with intent could galvanize self-discovery, self-empowerment and even self-realization.
Without my really knowing it at the time, my second trip to Paris established my mission to travel this broken but beautiful world with intent. Paris has inspired no less and so much for so many. Whether we’re 23 or 40, Paris effortlessly rises up to meet us where we are. It stretches out in front of us like a delectable playground for any taste we’re looking to indulge – gastronomy, fashion, art, history, philosophy and so on and so on. It would be criminal not to show up hungry.
My favorite place to dine in Paris… Le Bon Georges
A cute, tasty spot in St. Germain without the pretense but flavorful, passionate plates - La Boissonnerie
A quintessential cafe full of French classics and a great vibe - an Ina Garten pick! Cafe Varennne
If you love soufflé then book a reservation and enjoy savory and sweet off the Rue de Honore… Le Soufflé
Cute little hotel where you trade luxury for an amazing location in the St. Germain with excellent service - Hotel Pas de Calais
