One of the surprise outcomes of 2020 is that our local cities still have what it takes to enchant and entertain us, particularly now that they are free of tourists and traffic.
The best way to get to know your city is to wander its streets without motive or time pressure. The French have a term for this — flâneur or flâneuse. Taken from nineteenth-century French literary culture, it represents a person who makes wandering the streets an artform.
With most museums, theatres, restaurants and cafes closed, our engagement with the city shifts from an actor to an observer. We are invited to survey the exteriors of buildings which in the past we only viewed from inside. It’s a chance to search for secret courtyards we missed because we hurried past or to bask in the tourist meccas without the tourists.
To get the most out of your walk abandon your maps, trust your intuition and be rewarded with unexpected discoveries along the way.
Forest, coast, or city, travel is not so much about the destination as it is the joy of doing or seeing something different. So even if you are missing the buzz of long haul travel, we encourage you to pack your backpack with an open mind — new adventures won’t be hard to find.
