Flâner is a very Parisian verb. It means to meander, to walk about aimlessly enjoying the moment and perhaps even getting lost.
It is also one of my favourite things to do.
Getting lost in London is almost easy, the city is so huge, and there’s rarely any sun to orient oneself by.
After 18 years living there, it has gotten much harder to lose my bearings, but I still try. It’s always fun when you connect one more map-piece to the larger puzzle.
Are all cities as easy to get lost in?
Paris is a bit harder to get completely lost in because it isn’t flat, and has a river running through the middle of it. It also has better weather, and the sun always helps.
Haussmann’s projects that demolished buildings to eradicate narrow snaking streets and replace them with broad thoroughfares also helped make it easier to navigate. The plans for those works are quite fascinating to see.
And let’s not forget the meant-to-be-temporary signature building of the city of lights!
In Barcelona it is a bit harder to get lost, the city is on an obvious grid and you can always tell which neighbourhood you’re in and which way the sea is.
I could tell which way to go from the wind, the smell, and the light. It was the oddest and coolest thing!
Not all coastal cities are as easy to orient oneself in though! Athens is devilish!
Some parts of central Athens (plaka, in particular) are excellent for getting lost.
The rest is a bit too griddy and made exclusively for cars anyway… We also have uphills and downhills that you can either see or feel in your muscles, as well as the Acropolis and several mountains (Lycabettus, Ymittos, Penteli) on the horizon, helping you understand which way you’re going. And then there is the sea, visible even from the Acropolis hill.
It has been studied that walking is the Great Unblocker.
A Stanford study estimated that walking boosts creative output by 60% compared to sitting. (2014)
If I am ever feeling stuck on a project or in my thinking, I go for a walk. Sometimes it is to a Pilates class, sometimes a flânerie around town (so much easier in the centre of old cities!), sometimes it’s just to go get a coffee nearby. By the time I get back, I am magically unblocked.
This also works for conversations.
It is no wonder that Aristotle’s Lyceum was also known as the Peripatetic school. He taught and debated topics while walking… near where this next photo was taken (Ancient Agora of Athens).
Even HBR (Harvard Business Review) thought it worth mentioning and (in 2015!!) published a short guide on how to do walking meetings right… which includes not surprising your attendees with them!
So next time you feel off, or blocked… go for a walk. Connect with your body. Be present. Move.
It is the most productive thing you could do with the next hour.
Truly.