The Ignorance of Mass Tourism

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” — Paul Theroux

We were sitting in the Spanish Consulate General’s office to get a visa to travel to Spain last year when we started chatting with the couple in front of us who were also heading there around the same time as us. We started exchanging notes on what they were planning, to see if there was any overlap. We came to know that they were going wherever their large tourist bus would take them.

That exchange wouldn’t go anywhere so we started reminiscing about the various trips we have taken in the past, and oh surprise of surprises, they were in Italy right around when we were there too, and had taken a charter bus tour through the country. Attempt number two, and we started digging in to where they had been in Italy and what they had liked best.

“David” — came the response. “The statue of David was beautiful.”

We whole heartedly agreed, and described our account around visiting the Accademia Gallery where a trio of fast-pass tickets were purchased rushedly from some scalpers who were selling these to the hordes of people lined outside the museum. Standing in line with 2 kids in the screaming sun definitely puts a damper on your patience and we had surrendered immediately.

“But we saw it outside. We didn’t have to go inside a museum for it.”

Hmmmm. We started wondering where could that have been. Maybe it was one of the replicas — either in the fascinating Piazzale Michelangelo that we had chanced upon, or maybe this was the very visible version at Piazza della Signoria near the Uffizi.

“But we saw it in Rome.”

There was nothing left to say anymore.