A Nice Day

BY SARA SHEIBANI

The more I travel, the more I find myself enamoured with the lifestyle of a place than by seeking out its tourist attractions. In some shape or form when we travel we all are attracted by the shiny world renowned places. Many travellers make an effort to try new cuisine or visit cultural sights to gain a better understanding of the way of life in different places. However, different ways of travel develop different levels of connections; some people travel slowly embracing a place’s lifestyle, while others marathon cities like they’re binge watching a tv show. Staying in places instead of jumping city to city every few days allows you to glean a better understanding of a space and gives you time to get comfortable where you are visiting. Time restrictions and other commitments may provide a barrier to complete slow travel but time for a calming walk spent soaking up the sunshine instead of sprinting with everything passing by in a blur can always be found if you search hard enough.

I’ve found that creating a routine unique to where you are visiting is a wonderful way to balance traveling slow and seeing tourist hotspots. When I visited Nice, France, I was able to discover my own balance of tourist and local life. I smelled fresh croissants and made myself familiar with the interconnected cobblestone paths, but still managed to go to all the ‘must sees’. My mornings would start with a short pastry run past the patisserie to the boulangerie for fresh pain au chocolat. Then I would bring my treats back to my hotel and enjoy them while overlooking a neighborhood park from my balcony. After breakfast, I would pack my mini-backpack with my essentials and be off. During the day, I would complete my tourist activities; going to historical sights, museums, the old town, or walking along the ocean side promenade. Over time, I became familiar enough with the city’s layout that I no longer needed directions to get to different spots.

Developing a simultaneous sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity is the key to striking a balance of living as a tourist and as a local.

Developing a simultaneous sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity is the key to striking a balance of living as a tourist and as a local. Spending a few days in Nice, I learned about the different markets and where they were, antique clothes, books and trinkets, fresh produce and even a flower market. But, even though I knew the different types of markets, some days I would be surprised stumbling onto one I didn’t know existed. No matter what I did during the day, I would always end my tourist time watching the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea. Some evenings I would walk clumsily along the rocky beach searching for sea glass. Once the sun went down and the air became chilly, I would head back to my hotel, admiring leftover holiday lights along the way. Then, with a cup of warm tea, I would journal my journeys of the day. This act both reminded me of the transiency of my stay, but also made me appreciate the memories I was making more.

My routine in Nice was extremely different than what I do when I’m at home, but that was somewhat the point. Creating routines during your travels can help you live more in the moment and form a sense of normalcy amidst an experience so different than your everyday. Throughout my exploration of Nice I found go-to spaces to draw and places to eat. I even discovered my favorite breakfast boulangerie and baguette boulangerie. Creating connections with spaces in Nice, even though I wasn’t a local, led me to cherish my time there even more. Being a tourist is something that is hard for us travellers to shake, no matter how far off the beaten path you go. However, even the small act of wandering more slowly down the path, or maybe even vering away when some flowers catch your eye, has a way of making you feel more connected to the places you visit. That connection is something that deepens experiences and furthers learning and, in my opinion, that is the point of travelling.

SARA SHEIBANI, FRANCE