Airplane food. Though often the butt of many an unfortunate joke, this scoffed-at cuisine stands alone in my mind, not because of its flavor or its lack thereof, but because of its sentimental value. That chewy, cardboardesque croissant, those ice-cold dinner rolls, the oh-so-yummy mystery meat— all new to me. Believe it or not, airplane food was the first among a series of firsts that spanned my trip to France, and for this reason it will remain etched in my memory like the grooves of a coin.
With bellies full of microwavable chicken, oddly colored salad and God knows what else, my family and I embarked on our journey.
â–º SEMI FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
And by “journey,” I mean our small yet hectic trek to Paris. Imagine a family of four—all of whom dazed from both jet lag and one-too-many melatonin —wandering confusedly through the metros, their over-sized luggage dragging at their feet. As comical an image as this may seem, let’s fast forward. Our destination, Paris, was not what I expected, though this was not necessarily a bad thing. In movies, on TV, even on those crisp and vibrant postcards, all you see is the good. The flowers and the architecture and the beautiful young couples. But, as is the case in all cities, darkness lurks about like a cat on padded paws. Litter, rain, poverty—you name it. However, these less-than-idyllic characteristics of Paris simply added to its realness, to the experience, and although my once-lofty vision of the city was tarnished by these things, a new, slightly-less-perfect Paris lay waiting to be explored.
Of course, we visited the city’s hot-ticket tourist venues, whether it be Le Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame or L’Arc de Triomphe. And while yes, they were in fact beautifully beautiful, marvelously marvelous, and wonderfully wonderful, I found that the most amazing spectacles were engrained in the culture itself. Take, for example, the courtyards: On just about every street corner, we found a small yet eclectic green space, complete with both foliage and benches. If you wanted to simply grab food to go— whether it be street falafel from Le Marais or Pain au Chocolat from Rue de Rennes—you could find somewhere to sit, relax, and chow down, if only for a short while.
Just as with the courtyards, other aspects of Parisian life surprised me in the most pleasant sense of the word. The strong European coffee, those teeny little cars, the abundance of attractive, well-dressed men. It was all so very new, yet so very real and vivid and bright. I found myself less enchanted with the tourist sites and increasingly awestruck by the cafés and the flowers and those little details that we, as travelers, often overlook. Even though the trip was relatively recent, I find that with each passing day, images of Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame fade from my mind like ink from an old, forgotten manuscript— easily and without remorse. On the contrary, certain memories—from our trip to a local market to our mastering of the metro—are as clear as day. Permanent. That being said, I have one piece of advice, and it has nothing to do with airplane food, mind you: Enjoy traveling. Do not rush from site to site, viewing everything through the faulty guise of a camera lens. Soak in the details, however minor they may seem, and try to—as that old cliché so simply states—take time to smell the roses.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
0 Replies to “Smell the Roses”
Comment on this article
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks , I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Hi webmaster, commenters and everybody else !!! The blog was absolutely fantastic!
Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!b Keep em coming you all do such a great job at such Concepts
cant tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!
Hello!
I am student of the department of tourism at the University of Piraeus in Greece and i am excited that we are conducting a survey about Family Travel.
I would be really happy if you completed this quick survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s1OjLYV6AtLcEgkaa6UsqtxjVCnLQ1NMjTGANmOqyAw/edit
Thank you very much!
Best Family Summer Vacations. Bookanyboat helps you search for boat rentals, yacht charters and sightseeing cruises in 3 exciting destinations, including: Dubai, Ibiza and Miami. bookanyboat.com
Exceptional post but I was wondering if you could write
a litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit more.
Bless you!
Thanks for finally writing about > How To Chhoose a Dude Ranch When Therre Are
So Manny Chhoices – My Family Travels
Summer is the best time to visit Alaska because the days are longer as well as the temperature were warmer.
As ones luxury cruise ship glides past creaking blue-white glacier and lush woodland, rest on you private veranda.
The Last Frontier is a nature lover’s dream, with places like Production of essential which you can see big cats fishing trout or Queenstown with which you can witness humpback whales breaching on a whale-watching cruise.
In Icy Strait Point, soar over the trees on the a zipline, and learn about the history of the Gold Rush in Skagway.
Thanks for sharing informative post.
San Diego vacation rentals with private pool
Very superb information can be found on web site.
Fantastic site. Lots of useful information here.
I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing.
Lovely just what I was looking for.Thanks to the author for taking his time on this one.
Awsome info and straight to the point. I am not sure if this is really the best place to ask but do you guys have any ideea where to get some professional writers? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hey very interesting blog!
Ahaa, its fastidious conversation regarding this post at this place at this web
site, I have read all that, so now me also commenting here.
I think that what you published was very logical. However,
what about this? what if you typed a catchier post title?
I ain’t suggesting your content is not good, but suppose you
added something that grabbed people’s attention? I mean How To Choose a
Dude Ranch When There Are So Many Choices – My Family Travels is
kinda plain. You ought to look at Yahoo’s home
page and see how they create news headlines to grab viewers
interested. You might add a video or a related pic or two to get readers interested about what you’ve written. Just my opinion, it could bring your blog a little
bit more interesting.
Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
It’s actually a cool and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this post is good, my sister is analyzing these things,
so I am going to convey her.
You have brought up a very good points, regards for the post.
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again!
Howdy! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us so I came
to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Wonderful blog and terrific design and style.
After going over a few of the blog posts on your web page, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
Your site is very good, I liked the information. Grateful. 10070690
I’m no longer sure where you’re getting your info, however good topic.
I must spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this information for my mission.
Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would value your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e-mail.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!
Do you have at least some idea how to cancel Hawaiian airlines flight? Booked tickets can be dropped online by Visiting Hawaiian Airlines’ actual webpage. explorers don’t have even the remotest clue how to drop the trip on the web, they can contact flight chiefs at Hawaiian Airlines drop ticket
Hi there! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great information you will have here on this post. I will be coming back to your weblog for more soon.
Its excellent as your other posts : D, regards for posting.
Great Post ! I have read your other posts which are really informative for any family traveler. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful informative information.
Exactly what I was searching for, thank you for posting.
very nice publish, i certainly love this website, keep on it
Many years ago, I did study Spanish in Barcelona, with a school called CIEE. I loved every minute of my month there, stayed with an older woman who ran a boarding house for students. She made us all speak Spanish at every meal. I remember eating a lot of patates fritas at her house, but I did learn a lot of Spanish (a little Catalan too) and I fell in love with Barcelona.
I was just telling my friend about that.