Below is an excerpt from my Paris ’16 web done in March… built from thoughts inspired by our experience travelling just prior to Belgian Terrorist attacks.
Our Tips for Friends page usually hosts a multitude of snippets that can be helpful for travellers, many being “common sense” and others I would categorize as “reminders”. This time around, however, I’m going to take this space and focus on what I feel is the “importance” of travel and “faith” in others. Apologies up front in case this gets preachy!
On Tuesday morning, just two days after our return, I awoke to reports on my many Twitter news feeds of explosions at Brussels Airport. This, normally, I would meet with a certain amount of disgust and thoughts of compassion for those who lost loved ones. However, we had in fact been in that space on Sunday morning, during that time frame, in the departures area, getting prepared for our flight back to Canada. The previous “non-event” quickly became something much more significant to ponder.
I don’t write these blogs to make political statement, gloat of glamorous tales of travel or as a professional trip author for bucks! I do so because it helps my process of thinking! My personal attachment to travel comes from knowing how I learn best… From seeing, doing, experiencing using all my senses. You can read an article, watch a program, speak with a friend, they are all ways to learn about the world in which we live. But none measure up to actually being on the ground, a genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn… Education happens innately and exponentially when we visit. I like to detail our trips so I can see pictures of our family growing together, to remember the things we learned, and to share with family and friends who may wish to walk similar roads.
So… When the “bombing” reared its ugly head just days after our Paris excursion I was at a bit of a loss for words. I suspect many were. Our being there transformed what was someone else’s newscast, radio interview or Twitter post to being one for us! As the extent of the devastation revealed itself, one couldn’t help but think that we may have been quite lucky to have travelled on Sunday rather than Tuesday. Or, at the least, that those on Tuesday were unfortunately very unlucky! So many lives ruined at the hands of another… Our thoughts extend to those who are mourning.
Making sense of why these things occur is for bigger and better thinkers than I! I suppose if one let this type of event change the way he thinks, or the actions we take, then you could quite rightly say, they have already won! I, for one, will not let this keep me from travelling, learning about others, or educating my children about the wonderful world in which we live. In fact, I think in many ways it pushes me to advocate even more for the act of travel.
And why not… The blessings of this trip were many. We spent hours of time together as a family learning about Paris, it’s people, and each other. Got to view the city from the Eiffel Tower, see ourselves in the Hall of Mirrors, send a crooked smile back to Mona Lisa. I can close my eyes and hear the accordion player at the end of the bridge to Ile St Louis. We had the great fortune of breaking bread and sharing a glass with our wonderful hosts in the Marais, receive a helping hand from the stranger who provided RER C instructions to a lost family, the surprise of Raphael’s spontaneous appearance and tour of Père Lachaise, or tulips on the table as we stepped back in the door at 204 Cloverville Rd. So many great things can happen when we place faith in those we encounter. Meeting half way… Connecting… Trusting… These are the traits of a real travel experience, and authentic learning.