Desperately Seeking Paris

Welcome to Desperately Seeking Paris, a book that traces its origins to a case of dry eye syndrome. Specifically, to the day my ophthalmologist, looking at a pair of eyes as dry as toast, as red as beefsteak tomatoes, said I was spending too much time in front of a computer screen — to take a walk.


Which is how I stumbled upon a new pastime, or rather a very old pastime — that of being a flaneuse. What’s a flaneuse? Well, in France, a flâneur was a well turned out man whose pleasure it was to stroll the streets and boulevards, free to observe the hints and clues in the behaviors of others. Things that might not catch a less discerning eye. A woman who does the same is a flâneuse — finding bits of beauty and inspiration everywhere.


To share these bits of beauty is why I’ve created this book. My hope is that should you find yourself, say, at a bustling airport, on a crowded bus, or simply waiting to pick up the children after a soccer practice, you could dip into the book and find yourself breathing a little deeper, sighing a little less, and feeling renewed.


Barbara Donsky, the author of “Veronica’s Grave,” to be published by She Write Press May, 2016, blogs at: https://www.Desperatelyseekingparis.com.