What we're up to in Paris
Embracing our inner flâneur
Image courtesy the Paris Review (Reworking of Paul Gavarni’s Le Flâneur by Spenot)
“The figure of the flâneur—the stroller, the passionate wanderer emblematic of nineteenth-century French literary culture—has always been essentially timeless; he removes himself from the world while he stands astride its heart. When Walter Benjamin brought Baudelaire’s conception of the flâneur into the academy, he marked the idea as an essential part of our ideas of modernism and urbanism.”
Our Un-Agenda Agenda
Note: I see the irony of noting a to-do list directly underneath "embracing our inner flâneur.
Do
Walk the city
Climb the stairs of Montmartre and enjoy the view from above
Hit up an outdoor market
Speak French
Ride Le Metro
Rent bikes and ride along the Seine
See
Lindsay's Paris apartment
Centre Pompidou
Parisian hipsters in Oberkampf
High-speed outdoor flyby of La Tour Eiffel and Le Musee du Louve
Eat & Drink
A proper croque madame for Matt
Good, cheap French wine
Challenging stinky cheeses
A fresh baguette from a local boulangerie
Tapas ordered from the hanging menu at L'Avant Comptior
À bientôt, Paris! On to Italy...