Is the flâneur dead—or has it simply evolved?

In Part Two of this exploration into one of Paris's most fascinating cultural figures, I follow the flâneur from the boulevards of nineteenth-century Paris into the modern world of psychogeography, street photography, digital wandering and slow travel.

Discover how Guy Debord, the Situationist International, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier and Lauren Elkin reshaped our understanding of wandering without purpose. Along the way, I reflect on my own experiences exploring Paris and I ask whether the city still rewards those willing to abandon the map and embrace the unexpected.

Featuring insights from Professor Federico Castigliano, author of Flâneur: The Art of Wandering the Streets of Paris.

For more on Federico Castigliano check out https://federicocastigliano.com

For some amazing attire, Christian and French Abroad can be found at https://frenchabroadparis.com

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Introduction (00:24)

News (11:12)

Coffee Pot Conversation (19:05)

Conclusion (30:47)

Coming Up (33:56)

Outro (35:36)

#paris #travel #vlog

What exactly is a flâneur?

It's one of those French words that appears everywhere when people talk about Paris, yet few stop to explain where it came from or why it still matters today.

In this episode of Coffee Pot Conversations, I explore the origins of the flâneur through the extraordinary life and writings of Charles Baudelaire, the nineteenth-century poet whose observations of everyday Paris transformed the way artists, writers and travellers viewed the modern city.

Along the way, we uncover Baudelaire's complicated life, his fascination with the changing streets of Haussmann's Paris, his relationship with Edgar Allan Poe, the publication of Les Fleurs du Mal and how simply walking through Paris became an artistic act.

Whether you've heard the word flâneur a hundred times or are discovering it for the first time, this episode explores why wandering without purpose may be one of the best ways to experience Paris.

In this episode

• What is a flâneur?

• What does flâner actually mean?

• My own discovery of slow walking in Paris

• Charles Baudelaire's childhood

• Baudelaire's life in the Latin Quarter

• Hashish, cafés and nineteenth-century intellectual Paris

• Les Fleurs du Mal

• The Painter of Modern Life

• The birth of modernity

• Edgar Allan Poe and Baudelaire

• Haussmann's Paris through a poet's eyes

• Baudelaire's final years and burial in Montparnasse Cemetery

• Visiting Baudelaire's grave today

Perfect for listeners interested in

Charles Baudelaire • Flâneur • Paris history • French literature • Paris walking tours • Hidden Paris • Haussmann • Edgar Allan Poe • French poetry • Literary Paris • Montparnasse Cemetery • Creative writing • Coffee Pot Conversations

☕ Coffee Pot Conversations explores the hidden history, literature and everyday life of Paris through storytelling, personal experiences and carefully researched history.

Rather than simply visiting famous landmarks, each episode invites you to understand the people, ideas and places that shaped the City of Light.

Introduction (00:24)

News (02:42)

Outside Broadcast (13:46)

Coffee Pot Conversation (16:07)

Conclusion (42:20)

Coming Up (44:30)

Outro (45:02)

Most visitors to Paris head straight for the Louvre.

I didn't.

In this episode of Coffee Pot Conversations, I continue exploring some of Paris' most fascinating museums that quietly sit beyond the city's biggest attractions.

We begin at the remarkable Institut du Monde Arabe, an architectural masterpiece created to celebrate Arab culture, history and artistic achievement, before crossing the Seine to discover one of my favourite hidden museums in Paris—the Musée du Parfum Fragonard.

From the origins of perfume in Grasse to the extraordinary story behind Jean-Honoré Fragonard and his famous painting The Swing, we uncover how art, fragrance and Parisian culture have become intertwined over centuries.

Finally, we step into the spacious galleries of the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, where a work I believed to be by Piet Mondrian turned out to be something entirely different, proving that curiosity often matters far more than expertise.

If you're looking to experience Paris beyond the guidebooks, these museums deserve a place on your itinerary.

Perfect for listeners interested in:

Paris museums • Hidden Paris • Louvre alternatives • Musée du Parfum Fragonard • Institut du Monde Arabe • Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris • Perfume in Paris • Grasse • Jean-Honoré Fragonard • Wallace Collection • Paris culture • Paris history • Art history • Modern art • Paris travel • Coffee Pot Conversations

☕ Coffee Pot Conversations explores the hidden history, culture and everyday life of Paris through storytelling, personal experiences and carefully researched history.

Each episode encourages you to experience Paris as a visitor rather than a tourist, uncovering remarkable stories that many guidebooks overlook.

Introduction (00:24)

News (04:16)

Coffee Pot Conversation (11:46)

Conclusion (25:45)

Coming Up (27:54)

Outro (29:08)