Not all who wander are lost: to live like a flâneur

"Not all who wander are lost."

I'm not sure where this quote came from, but it is one of my favorites, and definitely describes a lot of my trip so far. A lot of what we have been doing is just wandering the streets of the cities we visit. We don't always make it to every hot tourist place or see every corner of the city, but wandering seems to be a really great way just to get a feel for the culture and the people of the city, especially when we wander away from the tourist spots. And as a bonus, we usually come across some really cool things that we would not have found if we weren't wandering. I love wandering just for the sake of wandering. When we do have a specific destination, Becca and I both have the tendency to walk quickly. So we've gotten into the habit of reminding each other to walk at a "tourist pace," that is, to walk slowly, enjoy the journey, and keep your eyes open for things along the way. It's not just about getting from point A to point B, but about what you also see along the way as well. This also relates a lot to another one of my favorite quotes, found at the top of my page: "Life is a journey, not a destination."

One of my favorite words is the word flâneur. It is a french word, literally meaning "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer." But it also means "a person who walks the city in order to experience it." It is not someone who walks through the city to get from point A to point B, but someone who walks just for the sake of walking, just to experience it the city. This is the way I want to live. Not only literally, but also as a philosophy, a complete way of living and thinking: to slow down, walk at the "tourist pace," and wander just for the sake of wandering. We so often go through our busy lives just getting from point A to point B. I know especially in a big city, it's all about the fast pace. But you can be a flâneur every day, anywhere, even when you are not a tourist. Try walking like a tourist through your own city. Slow down. Look around. You might see something you have passed every day but never noticed before.

Madrid has definitely helped me to live at this pace, since this is way of life here. Most locals walk at a slow pace through the streets. At first, this frustrated me, since I'm a fast walker. But then, I was glad for the reminder to slow down as well. We have done a lot of wandering through the streets, taking siesta in the park, enjoying tapas, paella, and sangria on the sidewalk restaurants, and sitting in the plaza for hours at a time. I could definitely get used to this pace of life.

¡Salud!