On Falling Back In Love

A Sign I Found On a WalkI was very intrigued by the idea of the “traveling mind set.” DeBotton says that receptivity is a key part of that and I would agree with him on that. Being in a new city or place is so much better when you have no clear idea of what you should find interesting. It helps to just be open to anything and everything. Finding a building that others ignore fascinating is part of the experience of travel to me. Laughing at a sign on a building just adds to the uniqueness of a place. We photograph everything, annoying, as DeBotton says, the locals. Yet travel would be nothing if we didn't do any of that. And as DeBotton shows, this doesn't just mean traveling to another city or place; it can be traveling within a place we are familiar with.
I've experienced that here in London on my history walking tours. We often take walking tours that take us around places to give us a physical sense of the history we study. I love these walks because not only do they give us a break from lectures, but it's a chance to be a bit of a tourist again. My professor takes us to places that I probably would never discover on my own. He takes routes that I'd never figure out even if I had a map. I consider myself familiar with London at this point, but these walks allow me to travel again within this city. Each time we go on a walk, I allow myself to do as DeBotton does in this chapter. I make myself forget what I already know about London and allow the “newness” to soak in. By doing this, I've found that I really enjoy the walks and more importantly, I enjoy London. I find myself appreciating the juxtaposing architecture that seems to be characteristic of this city more and more. I love the charm of the small streets we take as shortcuts to the next major stop on the tours. I love the little shops we see and the alleyways we pass by. Somehow the charm that I know London has always increases on these walks. The best thing about that though is that the charm carries over. I'll appreciate the walk back to my dorm even though it's a walk I've done nearly every single day.
I think for that reason it is necessary to play tourist as DeBotton does in your own city. You re appreciate the things that made you fall in love with it in the first place. At the same time, you find new things to love about it.