It's Ok To See The World

                         

  It’s been a couple weeks since my vacation in Paris. In talking with various people about my experience over there, it made me think about something I would like to encourage more people to do. That’s traveling and seeing the world, not being afraid of stepping outside their comfort zone.  I remember once I was about 14 years old, and I was talking to my grandfather about a family vacation we had just taken. A buddy of his mentioned that he was 50 and had never been outside Baltimore. That stuck with me and made me realize first I was lucky to had been the few places I’d been at the time, and second there were more places I needed to see.

  I’ve been blessed to at least take one vacation somewhere for the past seven years. Early in my traveling escapades people would often ask me where I was going, if the answer wasn’t Atlanta, Miami, or maybe Vegas the follow up question was “Why you going there”? A few things, one that's a annoying ass question. Second while those are great places to visit, there is so much more this country and the world has to offer. Now that I'm off my rant.. My answer was always because I wanted to see what it’s like there.

   We have to get out that “why you going there?” mentality and look for reasons to get out into the world. Look beyond your neighborhood or even your city, don’t confine yourself to that small reality. Don’t listen to your friends who may clown you for wanting to go somewhere, or say they don’t have a desire to go anywhere...word of advice their a damn liar. Everyone wants to visit someplace other than where they live, unless they honestly don’t know any better.

If financially traveling is not an option at the moment, that’s fine just set a goal that one day you will get where you want to go, and that day will come.

Want to travel but unsure of how to start, ask friends or family who have traveled or may know a travel agent.

Not sure where to go? Research festivals or conventions of things that interest you and build your trip around that. Kill two birds with one stone.

Research different monuments, art museums, science, music, or history museums trust me Google is your friend. 

A little apprehensive about traveling far? That’s fine start small and take a road trip to a neighboring city.

Like a particular professional team? Follow them to a different city and catch their game there.

Want to visit a island but don’t think your ready to leave the country?

No worries visit Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. Virgin Islands so you're still under U.S. governance. 

These small steps will broaden your horizons to want to branch out more.

I always encourage going places with a open mind, think negatively about your trip and you won’t enjoy it from jump.

Traveling is not only a time to refresh from the daily grind, it’s also a time to experience new things.

New cultures, new food, things you normally wouldn’t do in your day to day life.

 Interact with different types of people you would never talk to on the daily. Hell you may make some life changing connections.  It’ll also make you realize how everyone perceives where they live and how everyone else lives.

 I’ve met so many people who actually have said they want to visit Baltimore one day.

I’ve also met people who have said don’t waste your time coming there, when I mention I wanted to visit their city one day.

Traveling can be a rewarding experience that makes you appreciate what you have, and know there’s more out there.

It slowly becomes a addiction as you try new things.

It also makes you realize It’s OK to be cultured no matter how “uncool” it may seem to some.I implore everyone to give it a try.

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Jet Set Adventure

                                                         

   I recently was  blessed to take a trip to Paris. I’ve been out of the country before, but this was my first time outside of North America. It was a fun, eye-opening experience that made me realize how different cultures are, but yet are still the same. I’ll break down three things that stood out to me about my trip to Paris.

The Culture

      One of the first things that stood out to me is the lap of luxury in Paris, soon as you step off the airplane and walk down the terminal you’re greeted with all the luxury stores you can think of. Gucci, Burberry, Fendi, Louie any luxury brand you can think of. Next thing Paris is just like New York City, being the fashion capital of the world and the capital of Paris it is crowded. Traffic is terrible, think the traffic of NYC, Washington D.C., and L.A. combined and that’s traffic in Paris. No wonder so many people walk, bike, or take public transportation.

     Fashion! Parisians take great pride in the way they look. For the most part they are very casual and low key, but you can tell they put a lot of thought in what they are going to wear. Their choice of attire is also very modest nothing that really brings attention to them.  Paris is known for access to a lot of great wine, but Parisians also love to smoke. I was shocked at the amount of Woman who smoke, and they smoke just about anywhere they can. They smoked so much I was curious if there are any anti-smoking campaigns in the country.            
      Hopping on the train especially during rush hour, be prepared to throw some elbows to get on the train. It quickly becomes a madhouse to make the train and feel like a can of sardines until your next stop. At the mall and need to use the restroom, be prepared to pay the cashier at the front desk to use the restroom.             Parisians enjoy their time with their families. A lot of stores and supermarkets are closed by 8:00 pm. When you’re finished eating at a restaurant, there is no rush to kick you out the wait staff politely checks on you periodically until you ask for the check.  
                                                                                                   
For the places that do open late, such as nightclubs Parisians know how to party.      

The Food
                          

    Some of the stereotypes ring true, cafes in Paris are plentiful and appear to be at every corner. Drinking their espresso and reading a book is in the norm in Paris. Cafes are such a big thing their McDonald’s have legit cafes in them, on par with Starbucks.    There are crepe stands everywhere just like we have hot dog stands everywhere.  This was my first time ever having crepes and they are quite good. Next to crepes their next sweet of choice is macaroons. 

    Parisians love their bread, often baked fresh daily. Bread comes with nearly every meal and there are plenty of sandwich options. There’s so much bread by day 2 of my trip I was on bread overload and was trying to avoid it as much as I could. There was one fast food place called “Quick” man their burgers gave McDonald’s a serious run for their money.     

   Their food does not contain as much “junk” such as artificial sweeteners, preservatives, etc. I bought a bag of potato chips and while crispy, crunchy, and good it’s not as salty as chips in America. Their sodas do not contain as much carbonation and fizz. Even their ground beef doesn’t wear you down like it does here. Portion sizes are small but enough to fill someone up, especially if a lot of walking will be done.
                                                                                            
    Supermarkets offer stands where shoppers can squeeze their own oranges for fresh orange juice. Other than bacon, pork isn’t really an option on their menu(s). Paris has a strong Asian population which was a shocker to me. That meant there were plenty of Pho spots and Japanese restaurants around.                 
                                                                                                
   The lack of junk in their food in addition to walking, means a lot of Parisians aren’t obese. Without getting too political, and knowing the obvious answer it makes me annoyed as to why the U.S. government refuses to really regulate how much artificial crap is really put into our food.

History

       Paris has a lot of history. A lot of things I now have the privilege to say that I have seen in person and inspired me to see more of the world. The Palace of Versailles which was the home of the French Royals, the various King Louis's during their respective reigns. A massive castle and landscape that was huge beyond words, makes you wonder what someone could possibly do with all that land.                                                                       

     The world famous Louvre which is the world’s largest art museum. Which contained the original painting of the Mona Lisa painting. Being able to have dinner inside the Eiffel Tower and see it in person and how tall it really is was awe inspiring. The Notre Dame church where I didn’t find Quasimodo, waiting to ring the bell. The Arc de Triomphe which is busy as hell, good luck trying to play in that traffic. Narrow alleys with cobblestone pathways. Buildings that have stood for thousands of years, just the entire history of the city. There was even more places to see that I didn’t get a chance to.

        I highly recommend that if you can, get out there and see the world. From other countries versions of ghettos, to where the royals reside or use to reside. There is so much out there to see, and will make you appreciate what you have at home, or figure out how to make things better for quality of life no matter how big or small the initiative is. This trip was truly eye opening for me on just how much is out there, and I can't wait til my next excursion around the world. 

                                                                                                 

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