FRANCE -- I round the corner with baited breath only to be greeted with… another bland hallway. “I thought the hall of mirrors was next, how far is it?” I remember asking, though I was taken back by the response. “This is the hall of mirrors!” Recently I took a trip to Paris. While the city certainly had its allure, I found myself disappointed when viewing certain monuments - the popular ones. Places like the Eiffel Tower and the Castle of Versailles somehow didn’t meet my expectations - expectations for a place I had never been.
These same places which disappointed me could be found plastered all over social media. Is it safe to assume then that the web had created an unrealistic perfect mental image of these flawed, earthly places?
I still enjoyed my trip. While my itinerary's locales may not have been conventionally beautiful as I was told they were, perhaps there is still beauty in their flaws - something the media does not want you to see.
From the spiderwebbed cracks racing in all directions throughout wooden supports above and around which tell of a rich history, to the intricate woven pattern depicting layers of dirt, grime and erosion scuffing the otherwise perfectly smooth steel beams of a tall tower,
I now notice the beauty of nature's touch.