willit

I went to Florence some years ago, my first ever trip to Italy, although it was only a long weekend. I was astounded by the beauty of the place, the culture, the incredible food and the overwhelming history. It made me fall in love with the country, and I have visited many other parts of Italy.

While staying in Lucca, I spent a day in Florence. It is still beautiful, the food is still good, the Art, culture and history is still there, but somehow, it was not as good as I had remembered it.

My question is this - If somewhere is really , really special, is it better to return and be disappointed, or to not return and keep "perfect" memories intact?

ira

Hi W,

>..If somewhere is really , really special, is it better to return and be disappointed, or to not return and keep "perfect" memories intact?<

Why does it have to be either, or.

Venice and Paris are still wonderful everytime.

I can't go back to Bermuda, though. The time I was there was during an airline strike, and there were hardly any tourists.

I have never had such great service at such low prices.

Scarlett

I worried about that for about a minute when my husband asked me if I wanted to go back to Paris for a longer visit than my first.
I have gone back year after year and I think we just add to the perfect memories.
Next trip - Italy!!

PalQ

Well you miss out on so much by not going back to a special place. I understand your point and there is validity in it but outweighed by what you'll miss by not going back. I enjoy returning to Berlin every few years just to see how the place has changed, for example. And the subsequent times you won't need to do the main sights but can concentrate on less touristed parts of town.
So better to return and NOT be disappointed!

MaureenB

I completely understand your question. The first time you see a place, you see it through eyes of wonder and awe. So it's hard to go back and see it by the light of day, so to speak.

It seems many Fodories have the luxury of traveling to places many times, and take the view that you can always see it again. But I think there are so many places in the world I want to see, and so little time to do it in, that I probably won't be back to visit a place twice. (Ok, maybe Paris.)

Eloise

I've been going to Rome almost every year for more years than I would like to say.

It doesn't overwhelm me -- with art, architecture, food and wine -- the way it did the first time, but I now feel at home there, which I find just as pleasant. I know the neighborhoods, I can find my way around easily on public transportation (although I walk almost anywhere), I know my favorite restaurants, I've seen enough of the main and even the minor points of interest that I don't feel badly if I decide to spend a morning in a cafe with a book.

StCirq

If a place is really, truly amazing, my philosophy is to buy a piece of it as soon as you can. Truly amazing places don't often begin to disappoint over time - they just get better and better as you come to know them.

LoveItaly

I too understand your question willit. I think there are two sides to the coin. The first visit is always very special as Maureen stated. After that the "wow" factor may not be as strong but there is another aspect to returning to a special place as Eloise posted.

Example, I have been to Florence so many times I do not have to figure out how and when to see the beautiful statue of David. So I explore other areas without feeling bad I am not seeing the "have to see sites" as I have done that. Each return visit to a special place gives one another perspective of that place so in the long run you really do love that special place more (or not). Having said that I still think the first visit to somewhere you have always longed to go to is very special and can never be duplicated. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to go to everywhere their heart longs to visit.

suze

I always have (since I started traveling in my early 20's) gone back to the same places many times. I think that says more about me and my personal travel style then it does about any of the particular destinations. Each trip is different and I have yet to be disappointed.

socialworker

What a great question!! I also have worried about this for certain places, esp if they were an unexpected pleasure. Of course, once you have gone there and had a wonderful experience, the "unexpected" aspect is gone!!

I can only answer your question w/a paraphrased quote from one of my favorite philosophers, Eeyore--"You can never really be quite sure until afterwards."

justretired

I also think this is a great question. It made me immediately think of Venice.

In 2000, we dragged our luggage backwards down the bumpy steps of the ugly Venice train station (no ramp provided). We then stood up and turned around, and our jaws dropped. My first thought was, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

There was "Main Street," only it was the grand Canal. There were buses, taxies, and police cruisers, only they were all boats. Across the canal, pastel palazzi. Everything was new and fascinating. We loved it.

Yet even after only four days, some of it started looking a bit frayed around the edges. The locals in the tourist trade were a bit tired of catering to the endless stream of foreign visitors. The meals in general were not as good as elsewhere in Italy (I turned out to not be very fond of squid in its own ink, but I had to try it once). And everything was overpriced. We packed up our fond memories with our luggage, took the water taxi to the airport, and flew home as planned.

How would we react to it a second time? We'll soon find out. We're taking our third trip to Italy in September, mostly to places we've never been before. But Venice is the only place we're returning to. On this trip, we hope to see more of the real city that underlies the touristic "theme park." We'll let you know how it works out - look for our trip report in October.

- Larry

Patrick

For me the answer might vary slightly depending on whether we're talking about a "place" or an "experience". The finest meal I've ever had in my life was at The Negresco Hotel in 1986. I've walked by there and smiled, but I would NEVER return for a meal, because I know it couldn't possibly match my memory of that other one.
One of the most amazing experiences I've ever had was biking along the Damme Canal out of Brugge one morning when all of a sudden I jammed on the brakes. The mist rising off the canal, the windmills around me, the trees along the canal. It all made me feel like I was in some amazingly picturesque travelog. A few years later we returned and of course, I didn't quite get that same sensation. But that doesn't mean it disappointed me either.

But every time I return to Grindelwald and face the Eiger and the Alps spread out before me, I'm just as impressed as the first time. And I could return to Paris, Rome, London, Venice, and maybe a few other cities over and over again and each time find them even more rewarding that the time before. Truly great places will always remain truly great for me.

socialworker

Hey Larry, I was just talking to some co-workers at lunch last week and I used the identical phrase for how you feel when --hot, tired and dragging luggage-- you step out of the doorway of the Venice train station onto the Grand Canal!! It really can only be likened to that abrupt transformation in the Wizard of Oz from black and white drabness to an explosion of color and wonder!!

historytraveler

Return.Every experience is different but that doesn't mean it's better or worse...just different.

crefloors

Paris was even better the second time and I'm saving for a third and I know it will be even better. Lets see, went to New Orleans for a convention about 30 years ago and actually didn't see a thing..it was all fuzzy and foggy..I remember something about Hurricanes, Pat O'Briens..oh dear..I think I'll leave it at that, don't really want to go back, just wouldn't be the same and maybe that's a good thing? I have been clear headed ever since and can't wait to get back to Paris and then I must get back to Venice, and I know it will only be BETTER than I remember. I know what you're saying and I think it has to do with where we are in life and experience at the particular time we are visiting a place.