On new places and taking a ton of photos

I just realized that taking photos is not so important when you're in a new place/country. You are so busy taking photos of buildings, objects, telephone booths, train stations, bus stops, stores, etc., that you forget to immerse yourself in that certain moment. 

I was going through my England/Scotland photos a while ago.  Some of it instantly brought me back to that place but others were so vague to that point that I was almost into tears. I couldn't remember what happened during that day or that hour. As a sentimental person, I wanted to punch myself for letting this happen. 

It's just pointless to take a hundred or a thousand photos and forgetting where you are, who you with, the color of the sky, the weather, the time. Those things are really the important ones you should remember. 

Photographs are just mere aides. Never again