Take A Vacation from your Vacation

It was completely by accident that I learned one of the most valuable travel lessons of all: you should take a vacation from your vacation. Ok, what does that mean?
I think I'm like a lot of travelers who try to cram as much into their trips as humanly possible, in spite of the fact that we always end up returning from our vacations exhausted! Isn't vacation supposed to be a refreshing change from the regular grind out our everyday lives? That's hard to remember when you're running around Paris, London, or Rome trying not to miss a thing! Sadly, all that hustle and bustle catches up to you somewhere around day 3, and you end up missing something anyway!!!
So don't sweat it!!! Save your sanity, and health, by planning a day or two of lazy down time into your travel itinerary! During my first trip to Paris, I didn't know if I'd ever be back, so my to do/see list was quite long. Even though my main objective was to see Paris, I notice that the Cannes Film Festival fell on the same dates that I would be traveling, so I decided to add a few days on the Riviera to my trip. Little did I know that adding this side trip to my itinerary would save me from my own overly ambitious agenda. So, the first three days of my trip, I ran all over Paris...walked around the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Ile St. Louis, Sacre Coeur, and alley and avenue in between! It was incredibly exhilarating, but it was also physically devastating. In those three days, I learned that no matter how broke-in you think your shoes are, you will end up buying blister pads for the inevitable foot abrasions, and I learned that your body will hurt MUCH MORE if you STOP moving...so just keep going! I never looked forward to ANYTHING, as much as I did the downtime of the overnight train ride from Paris to Nice, if only to be off my feet for a few hours.
But I DO ramble on.... Once I got to Nice, everything changed! The weather was greatly improved. The slightly cool temps of mid May in Paris were replaced by the balmy winds off the Mediterranean! The sunshine, bright colors, and beach magnificence of the resort town were a feast for the eyes, but it was the LACK of monuments, museums, and time schedules that brought me back from the brink of a total breakdown! You find that it doesn't matter what time is it...hell, I'm not sure I was totally aware of the date while I was in Nice. Everything moved at a leisurely pace. It was the exact opposite of Paris, in every way...AND I LOVED IT! All of the madness of the big city melted away as I dipped my toes into the crystal clear waters. I almost CRIED as the train took me away two days later, at sunset, but that side trip gave me what I needed most, a good rest from the madness of the mega-city that is Paris, right when I needed it most! I returned to Paris with a renewed energy, and was able to enjoy one last mad-cappped run through the city of lights before returning to the states!
So do yourself a favor: the next time you plan a trip, especially to a big city, take time to smell the roses! Plan a vacation from your vacation. You'll be glad you did.