It's okay to be a tourist

If there's one opinion I have that's going to get me side-eyed, it's this: I like going to "touristy" places and doing "touristy" things. Everyone is always praising the sights and sounds "off the beaten track" and scorning the "touristy" stuff, but for first-timers, I think it's great! They are "touristy" for a reason -- because they are big and beautiful and iconic representations of a place.  

Yes, if you've already been there, done that, then by all means do some exploring, but if you've never been to a place, go for the touristy stuff!  We took my almost 90 year-old mother-in-law to Paris this summer. It was her first time, so of course we had to go to the Eiffel Tower! Of course we had to go to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Of course we had to get a love lock and put it on a fence to commemorate MIL's late husband.

Of course we had to gawk at beautiful buildings like the Grand Palais and the Hotel de Ville. 

Of course we had to sit in a cafe on the Place du Tertre and wander around Montmarte. Honestly, I've been to Paris many times and still love spending time in Montmartre. I don't care if it's touristy, it's artsy and it's alive and it's fun. My MIL absolutely adored her first visit to Paris and can't wait to go back to explore the lesser-known sights, but if this ends up being her one and only visit, she will always have her memories of the iconic sights.