Palace of Fine Arts – the BEST tourist site ever!

I had an amazing experience in San Francisco.

I visited the place I never knew the existence before the real visitation.
It was the Palace of Fine Arts.

I don’t know anything about this architecture, but we just looked the architecture and nature around it from outside.
Actually, it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen!

You see European Roman Western architecture
surrounded by beautiful lake which shines by reflecting sunlight,
and white birds are swimming on it
green trees and grass surround the lake
and kids are running with shouting something while their parents are smiling at them

I can tell what I saw, but I cannot express in words how I was impressed by the beautiful scenery.
At that time, I was totally in clear mind – I was only looking at the scenery without any disturbing thoughts.

How did I accomplish the clear mind?

I think it was by having no previous knowledge about the site – there was nothing to compare with the reality.
I did not expect any excitement and satisfaction,
so there was no causes of feeling emptiness.

This experience tells you that you can enjoy travels if you do not have any expectations which are created by previous knowledge about tourism sites.

Fishermans’ Wharf

My friends also took me to Fishermans’ Wharf.
You see sooooooooooo many people there.

What you can do there are:
You can go shopping and buy souvenirs,
You can eat fresh seafood at restaurant,
You can go to the beautiful island close to the wharf by ship,
You can buy and eat fresh calamari, seafood soup, and other fried seafood.

However, when I reconsider the spot again, I wonder why this much bunch of people were there and they were so excited.

For me, Fishemans’ Wharf was the just usual wharf – nothing is different from the wharf close to my house in Japan.

The only difference between them is that Fishermans’ Wharf already has many services for tourists such as souvenir shops.

The wharf near my house is just as wharf, not as tourist site.
few people are usually there.
but fisherman work every day and some neighbors go there to buy fresh seafood.

What makes this Fishermans’ Wharf so special?
Do shops there sell the best fish?
I don’t think this is the reason.

The spot is one of famous tourist sites in San Francisco.
I don’t know how the wharf started to be so popular,
but the image of “famous tourist site” may induce people to feel excitement.

Don’t you become excited if you visit locations where are scenes of your favorite dramas or movies?
Don’t you feel like want to visit stores or restaurants where TV programs introduced?

I think that the popularity of Fishermans’ Wharf is there.
Fishermans' Wharf might be introduced via media one time,
and becoming more popular and popular and the location offers more services for tourists such as souvenir shops and big Christmas Tree.
Then, these services attract more tourists.

These are just my imagination,
but I think current popular Fishermans’ Wharf exists due to the cycle.

Future Travel – Machu Picchu

I’m going to travel Machu Picchu after my study abroad to Costa Rica next year, 2010.
Actually I already have completed image of Machu Picchu because I saw photos which some upperclassmen uploaded on Facebook.

But why am I still planning to go there?

I think that’s because I want to be satisfied with the fact that “I go to the place,”
which might be similar to those tourists who drive Lombard Street and who visit Fishermans’ Wharf.

However, I feel that I might have similar experience from the ones I had in San Francisco because I already have the completed image of Machu Picchu in my head.

How can I beyond experiencing the emptiness?

One way is looking for nature there – sunrise, wind, and smell

Because nature never be expected by hearing stories or looking photos,
and never be expected because it keeps changing.

Aren’t we often moved by beautiful sunrise and sunset, do we?
And don’t we regret that we should have brought cameras with us that time?
I think that’s because we never be able to see the exact same sunrise and sunset again.

If you expect to see same scenery as the photo of Machu Picchu,
you may feel the emptiness like I had in San Francisco.

However,
if your purpose for visiting famous sites is to feel the nature there,
you might be able to avoid from being disappointed.

Whether feeling empty or not is depending on your mind set.

Epilogue

Before I started writing this,
The San Francisco travel was just good memory, that’s it.

However, writing this essay gave the travel meanings.

I realized that how much I learned from the travel by reflecting it,
and also I realized that why I felt sad when I looked at the real Golden Gate Bridge and Alamo Square.

More importantly, reflecting the SF travel causes me to have excitement toward future travels.

While I was writing this blog, I realized that those failures in the past experience can turn to the opportunity to achieve great travels in future travels.

Through writing about the travel in San Francisco,
I realized that I unconsciously compare the real scenery with the image I had in my mind,
and this unconscious activity in my brain caused the emptiness I had.

In other words,
I kept disappointed because of my expectation in my mind,
which looking for in reality that it is exactly same or better ones than I saw in photos.
This means that
you might be able to avoid the emptiness
by looking for unexpected things in your future travels!

These are my experiences,
but I hope my story causes making your future travels meaningful, too.