Third Time is a Charm
I recently traveled to France for the 3rd time.
The first time was my honeymoon, 25 years ago, when I was just a “kid”. We did all the touristy stuff. I was too nervous to go to the top of the Eiffel tower or the Arc de Triomphe, so I waited while my husband did it. I don’t remember much of Versailles because honestly, I didn’t pay attention. I wasn’t feeling well that day and didn’t care about any of it. I just remember it was stuffy and crowded and I couldn’t wait to leave. It was a great honeymoon, but a quick trip; we only went for 5 days.
The second time was for our 15th anniversary. We traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, and Nice. This time I was a little older and realized that this could be the last time I would be in Paris. I did everything: rode to the top of Eiffel tower, walked to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and even did a Segway tour. Riding a Segway through Paris was pretty daring in my opinion. Cars and buses do not care that you have never ridden one before, so you must always pay attention. I can only imagine what I looked like. We did touristy things on this trip as well and it felt at times that it was the first time seeing some things.
In January of this year, good friends asked us if we would be interested in going to Paris with them. At first, I didn’t think I was all that interested, considering I had been twice already. As the discussions progressed, we decided to go, and added Normandy to the itinerary. This time, in Paris we stayed in an air b&b in the 3rd arrondissement, a great area of the city. The apartment was next to a bakery, main metro station, restaurants, and a grocery store. This was a very different experience than the previous 2 trips. It gave us more of a feeling of living in Paris. We did all the tourist stuff again, and I saw and experienced things that I did not remember from past trips. We spent a half day at Versailles, and I remember every bit of it this time.
We rented a car and drove to Bayeux in Normandy and stayed in another air b&b that was basically a farmhouse (in the middle of nowhere). We did a tour of Omaha Beach, the American cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, Mont Saint-Michel and a D-Day Museum in Arromanches that had just opened. The trip was 10 days, and it felt way too short. It was a great mixture of history, art, architecture and fun, with great travel companions.
Next time I am asked to go to a place I have already been, I will definitely say yes because each time is a different experience!