I’m starting to think that visiting famous places is masochistic and unsatisfying pursuit.

The trouble with famous places is that the whole world knows about them and wants to go there.

About three weeks ago I was in Paris with my wife Engogirl. We wandered around fairly empty streets and didn’t see that many other tourists until we approached various famous landmarks.

One day after wandering around the area near the Louvre that was crawling with people like us, we decided to check out the neat looking church with the unusual domes (Sacré-Coeur Basilica) on a hill in the distance. 

Sacré-Coeur is in Montmartre, the area made famous by those brothel creeping, absinthe swilling Impressionists. It would seem that the whole world including us was in Montmartre when we got off the metro.

The place was totally packed with people.

It was almost impossible to walk in a straight or constant line due to tourists like us taking photos. The whole place was just one big tourist knick knack shop. An artificial Disneyfied construct with a French twist.

Bleeeaughk!

So far on this trip, the most pleasant times we’ve had, have been in little villages out in the middle of nowhere that we’ve stumbled across. One of the best investments we’ve made is a GPS. Our GPS has been a real god send, as it can be told to avoid toll roads and motorways so it will take tiny little back roads that aren’t in our European road atlas. The added bonus of using a GPS is that all the stress of navigation is removed which means there is far less bickering and way more enjoyment to be had whilst driving.

I think that it’s so easy to get caught up in the whole, “you’ve JUST GOT TO see such and such” headspace that turns travelling into something like train spotting where one ticks various sighted items off a list.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen fellow travellers walk up to a sight with their camera held up to their faces, snap a shot and instantly turn on their heels and walk away. So many people don’t seem to be taking the time to stop and actually look and think about what they are viewing.

To soak it all up, would be such an alien concept.

It’s almost like for some people, travelling in Europe is like a trip to the moon and they’re running short of oxygen. Just grab a shot like it was some sample of moon rock so that they can take it home to analyse over the coming years.

I’m beginning to think about next week in Venice with a mixture of anticipation and dread.