Next in the Paris interview with an author series for 56Paris is Tim Ward.
A part-time Parisian with his wife Teresa, they own an apartment and live here several months of the year.
We catch up about Tim’s fascinating new book, Mature Flâneur, about his travels in Paris and in France, along with other European countries.
The perfect attitude for visiting Paris
56Paris: Lovely to see you Tim! Tell us about your book, Mature Flâneur. What does the title mean?
Tim: Flâneur is one of those lovely, elusive words that has no real equivalent in English. “One who wanders without purpose, observing society” captures only what it looks like on the surface.
As the French literary critic Sainte-Beuve explains it, to flâner “is the very opposite of doing nothing.” To be a flâneur is to give yourself the gift of time – permission to live an unstructured life, and by so doing, discover something about the world, and about yourself.
It’s a perfect attitude for visiting Paris, or indeed, any other city you want to get to know really well. As for the ‘mature’ part of the title, well, I’m sixty-five years old. I have the time to travel more slowly now, savoring each day.
56Paris: What made you decide to write it?
Tim: I hope that people who read the book will want to experiment with being a flâneur whenever they visit places they love – especially during a longer stay.
So, the book is not just about my experiences. It’s also a manual for how to wander well, including 16 ‘flâneur lessons’ I picked up along the way.
For example, rule 7 is ‘find art everywhere.’ One day out for a walk I came upon a photography display mounted on an iron fence. Shortly after that, I noticed street art in the most unlikely corners of the city, art that I had previously walked by, unseeing and oblivious to, simply because it was not in a gallery.
I also wrote it for armchair travelers. A 90-year-old friend of mine named Dolly told me recently, “When I read your book, it’s as if I am strolling arm-in-arm with you through the streets of Paris.”
This is the best compliment I could ever hope for.
Travels around France and Europe
56Paris: How did you choose the four countries covered in the book?
Tim: These are simply the countries my wife Teresa and I chose for our first year in wandering through Europe as full-time flâneurs.
Portugal, because Teresa’s heritage is Portuguese, but it had been twenty years since she had returned.
France, because we adore Paris and it is our European home base since we chose to buy a second home here, but felt we never spent enough time in the city.
Northern Italy, because we both love mountains but have never been to the Italian Alps nor the Dolomites, which are these amazing granite cathedrals that stretch to the sky.
And finally, Norway, because both of us have always been so intrigued by the fjords, the glaciers, and Viking lore, yet strangely we had never made it north of Denmark. So, we spent three whole months driving around the entire country, right into the Arctic.
56Paris: You set out on a trip of self-discovery. Did your journey provide that?
Tim: Yes, it did. It took quite a while, I must confess, to unwind from my previous work identity, to let go of the need to plan, to organize, to set and meet my goals, and instead, to just relax and be.
These were hard habits to break.
Would I be anybody if I weren’t a successful professional? What does a life without a position even look like? It was a tough process. I had to remind myself the goal for this year is not to have goals. So, whenever I felt antsy, and started looking around for something to do, I just went for another walk, lingered in a café, or met up with a friend.
After a year, what I discovered was, I like this life just as it is. Perhaps ‘flâner’ is not just a process of self-discovery for me. Perhaps wandering is the destination.
Living part time in Paris
56Paris: How long have you been a part-time Parisian? Where are you from originally?
Tim: Teresa and I have been coming to Paris regularly for about twenty years: a week here, a week there. We bought our flat in the city in 2014 and then started staying for at least a month every fall.
Then the pandemic hit, so, two years, no Paris! That felt like withdrawal. Since we started ‘flâneuring,’ we are now here about three months a year, spread over three or four visits.
Oh, and I grew up in Canada, then emigrated to the USA thirty years ago.
56Paris: What inspired you to come to Paris?
Tim: When I first came to Paris, I was 21 years old, and doing Europe on $5 a day.
I didn’t like Paris at first – everything seemed so expensive. For Teresa, however, Paris was love at first sight. It made her sad that I was rather negative about the city, back when we were first getting to know each other.
When she finally convinced me to go to Paris together for her birthday, to my surprise I found the city utterly charming, delightful and romantic! “Paris has changed a lot since I was last here,” I told her, drolly. She rolled her eyes at me.
Of course, the city was just the same, but I was now a man in love, and that changed everything.
Buying a property with 56Paris
56Paris: Did you rent or buy your first home here?
Tim: After staying in dozens of hotels and rental apartments over the years, we were itching to buy a place of our own. Teresa would say to me, whenever we visited the city, “It’s my ultimate dream to own an apartment in Paris.”
Well, she really got in my head. I love to make her dreams come true, and suddenly I found myself thinking the unthinkable… could we really do this?
56Paris: What was your experience purchasing property in Paris? Was it different than buying in other countries?
Tim: Teresa had warned me about how hard the process might be, and how complicated. But, when we found the perfect place, the day it came on the market, we simply put in a bid. Then, it was only a matter of paperwork.
For us, the whole process was easy, and honestly, this is entirely due to Kerstin Bachman, who worked with us and the seller every step of the way. She was so patient and clear – she even warned us not to be too hasty, because we were ready to pull the trigger sight unseen from the USA, just based on the pictures Teresa had seen on the web. Kerstin insisted on doing a live video tour through the apartment, which she shot for us.
She also asked us a bunch of questions so that she could be sure this was the right place for us.
Tim’s favorite parts of the city
56Paris: Where in Paris have you made your home?
Tim: In the 11th district near the Bastille monument, in an ancient little courtyard with cobblestones called Cour Damoye.
Every time I walk along those stones, the beauty of our street overwhelms me, no matter the season. I feel so blessed that this is my home.
56Paris: What is your favorite spot in Paris?
Tim: The Grand Bassin Rond in the Tuileries Gardens. It’s the fountain surrounded by a dozen larger-than-life statues – taken mostly from Greek mythology - that display the most turbulent and noble of passions from the compassion of the Good Samaritan to the rage of the Centaur Nessus.
I wrote about all these statues in my ‘Mature Flâneur’ blog.
This ring of gleaming white masterpieces absolutely astounds me. Yet every time I go there, I see tourists smiling and posing coyly with the statues for their selfies, oblivious to the seething drama that surrounds them. I love the paradox.
56Paris: If you could live anywhere in Paris, where would it be?
Tim: My coeur (heart) is in the Cour Damoye. How lucky am I to have a home here. When we enter the gate, it feels as if we have walked through a portal into a secret Paris that is all ours.
Of course, part of the beauty of Paris is that every arrondissement (district) has its own little pockets of charm and beauty.
56Paris: What is your favorite time of year in Paris?
Tim: I am entranced by that special time in early spring, the first day of the year when the chill and rain abate, and the breeze feels warm against your face. That evening everybody goes outside. They gather in the cafes, in the parks, and most especially along the banks of the Seine, swinging their legs over the edge, clustered in groups of friends, drinking wine and beer, eating snacks, and everybody talking, talking, talking.
After months of winter silence, all Paris seems to thrum with conversation, a human symphony.
56Paris: What advice would you give people who are thinking of becoming part time or full-time Parisians?
Tim: Just do it. But gird yourself for the bureaucracy. It takes patience and a sense of humor. Living in Paris is an adventure every day.
Buying a copy of Mature Flâneur
56Paris: Have you written other books besides Mature Flâneur?
Tim: Yes. Mâture Flaneur is my eleventh book, including five other literary travel books, ranging from the time I spent in a Buddhist monastery to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with my adult son, Josh.
56Paris: What’s next after Mature Flâneur? And where can people buy a copy?
Tim: It’s available easily through online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.
However, I always recommend ordering books through your local independent bookstore whenever possible.
My favorite in Paris is the Abbey Bookshop near Notre Dame – they have Mature Flâneur in stock.
What’s next for me? Mature Flâneur in New Zealand: Slow Travels in the Land of the Kiwi is now in production and is due for publication in 2025. There will be at least one more volume after that.
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Photos:Tanguy Mendrisse, Mbzt