Becoming a Pedestrian in Paris

A week before Lisa and I left Chicago for Paris, my mother sent us a book entitled, The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by the Australian writer, John Baxter. True to her long history of book-giving, Mom thought the book would be inspirational and add to our wonder of the city we were about to embrace as home. Baxter, an ex-pat living in a neighborhood in Paris that is famous for the literary geniuses who have lived there, would occasionally spend his time away from writing to give walking tours to the type of people interested in where Hemingway and Fitzgerald would get drunk. The book he wrote about these tours painted a picture of a truly pedestrian Paris, a Paris meant to be seen and experienced on foot.

Of course when I was reading this book while taking Chicago’s public transit, it was somewhat difficult imagining myself as a “flaneur” who sauntered down city streets for hours on end. Growing up on the East Coast and spending most of my time in large fast-paced cities, I was conditioned to walk with purpose. Weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic on the streets of D.C. or New York became my normal mode of walking. Moving to Chicago I found that while the pace was a little slower than back east, speed was still integral to walking and you always walk to get somewhere.

Paris is infinitely different. Still firmly rooted in its medieval pedestrian past, the city lends itself to those who walk and walk slow. In the last ten days, I have found that walking in Paris is like a Buddhist trying to reach enlightenment…the trick is to not try to get anywhere, but to realize that you are already there. I am not going to lie; it’s been difficult shedding the old skin. At least twice a day Lisa has to tell me to slow down. But when I do, I am able to not just see Paris, but to discover it.

So far on our little Parisian adventure, I’ve discovered the Jardin du Palais Royal (Royal Garden) hidden in the thicket of narrow streets in the city’s 1^st arrondissement. I have discovered the Seine at sunset and the Notre Dame cathedral at night. I have discovered the tiniest gas station I’ve ever seen place inconspicuously amongst the sex shops of Pigalle and I have discovered a vista of the Pantheon from Luxembourg Gardens.

Today, Lisa and I are going to meander our way down to the Ile de la Cité to go see the stained glass of Sainte-Chappelle and who knows what kind of discoveries we’ll make. While I may be uncertain about what I discover today, I know that whatever it is, I will discover it as a pedestrian.