Sorry for all of the Paris spam, as of late. I just have so many pictures and felt like The Louvre deserved its own separate post, so I left these out of the longest post in history.
While browsing the artwork at the Louvre, I kept thinking back to the importance of travel. How refreshing and insightful and romantic travel is, and how it is so vital to your soul to do it, and often. I was transported back in time looking at the various paintings and, unlike usual, I was particularly drawn to the sculptures this time. I couldn't get over the intricate details carved out of the bodies, the sinewy muscles, the bulging veins of anger or passion, the soft curves of romance or the doe-like eyes of a lover. I felt like I was encompassingly rejuvenated, as if I was able to come back to my true self--the girl who loves art and history and pondering deep thoughts and reading old poems. Paris was a wake-up call, but the Louvre was like shedding some old skin, acquired from working a 9-5, and basking in a reinvention and rediscovery of the old self.
I cannot stress the importance of travel enough, but above all, it allows serious time with whoever it is you are traveling with--family, a loved one, or a group of friends. It allows you to relax and step back for awhile, to refocus on the things that are important, that wow you, that are bigger than the everyday routine.
Even if it's a quick day trip, a weekend trip, or an overnight trip--try to travel and explore more this summer!