I Don't Need to See the Mona Lisa Again: On Mass Tourism

Do you still take city trips now and then?

I mean a long weekend, or a few days away midweek.

There was a time, back when my daughter was a teenager, when I did that fairly often. Although honestly, it was more a case of my daughter dragging me along than the other way around.

Back then I had a job that paid reasonably well, so I could afford it. My main reason was that I thought it mattered for my daughter's education to see the famous highlights she was into at the time in real life, not just as pictures on the internet.

One of those first trips was a few days in Rome. We went to see the Colosseum, of course, plus the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Capitoline Museums. There was even a special Caravaggio exhibition marking the 400th anniversary of his death. I'd never heard of Caravaggio before, but I was completely blown away and fell head over heels in love with his work.

I found every single sight fascinating, especially the "Garden Room" from the Villa of Livia at Palazzo Massimo. But what really shocked me was the mass tourism. When my daughter and I started taking those trips, I hadn't really traveled abroad to go sightseeing since I was a kid. I'd never been to Rome, and I'd been looking forward to mingling with the stylish, well-dressed locals. I'd even packed with that in mind: no baggy sweaters or comfy sweatpants, but at least a nice blouse, a smart jacket, and a scarf to complete the look.

Boy, was I in for a letdown! I'm not sure I saw a single local that whole trip in May. What I saw were tourists in white sneakers and baseball caps, with big cameras dangling over their (sometimes slightly too round) bellies. Anyway, I found that pretty shocking. Same with the crowds packed around the Trevi Fountain and on the Spanish Steps. Just not fun, period.

Around that same time (I think it was August), we took a trip to Paris. Same story. Among other things, my daughter wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa. By then I'd given up any illusions about spotting actual locals, though Paris wasn't quite as bad on that front. Still, the overwhelming crowds at the sights definitely took some of the fun out of it for me. I never expected the Mona Lisa to be such a tiny little painting. Back then, if you wanted to see it, you were herded like cattle into a separate room, the Salle des États, and you could only hope to catch a glimpse over everyone's heads (or, being on the short side, peeking between them).

And when you spend a few days in a Paris hotel, you end up relying on street food a lot, because eating out twice a day in Paris was more than my budget could handle. And what do you notice? Parisian street food is practically identical to what you get in Amsterdam or Rome: mostly Nutella, on crêpes and waffles. At least it is on the well-known streets in the city centers, which these days only seem to be walked by tourists.

By the time we went to London for a few days to visit those wonderful museums, most of them free, I'd more or less learned my lesson. By now I looked like a frumpy but comfortably dressed tourist myself! There was no camera dangling over my own slightly too round belly, but there was a backpack. It was stuffed with homemade sandwiches, Dutch spice cake, a travel immersion heater, instant soup packets, tea bags and packets of instant coffee. That was enough to survive on for two days.

I took those trips mostly because my daughter asked me to. And to be fair, I really enjoyed seeing so many of those sights in person. I found it interesting, but the circumstances weren't exactly romantic. When I go abroad, part of what I'm hoping for is to immerse myself in another culture and enjoy the nicer sides of it. But honestly, I can no longer tell a shopping street in central Amsterdam from one in Paris or London. The stores are often exactly the same.

It's something I notice in my own city, Amsterdam, too: the center really isn't for locals anymore. I certainly have no reason to go there. The restaurants, bars and nightlife are geared entirely toward tourists now, so you don't see any locals there anymore. These days they seek out nice little places in their own neighborhoods.

That's why I told a friend just yesterday, "Even though I'd really love to see them for myself, I'm going to pass on a city trip to somewhere like Venice or Florence." "You have to get off the beaten path," she replied. By the way, I've heard that in Venice the gondoliers sing Neapolitan songs, because that's what tourists like to hear.

Personally, I think I'd rather seek out lesser-known cities.

So the big tourist magnets aren't for me anymore, unless there's a special exhibition I'd want to see. For Caravaggio, I'd happily brave the crowds one more time. But even then, I'd most likely stick to just that. And maybe I'd see if, as my friend said, there's something interesting to see or do off the beaten path, even if it's just a good meal at a little local place.

One place I'd really like to go is Lecce, sometimes called "the Florence of the Baroque." The whole historic center is the attraction. You can just wander around and keep stumbling onto Baroque facades, churches, courtyards and ancient Roman ruins. And I'm afraid I shouldn't put it off much longer, because apparently the tourists have pretty much discovered it already.

What about you? Where would you love to take a city trip?

Photo: 继禹 郝

P.S. By the way, did you know I also publish a mini-magazine? It comes out every Saturday and it's called SATURDAYS With Diana. If you'd like, you can take a look at an issue here.