ARTSY RAMBLER: MINDFUL JOURNEYS TO PARIS AND BEYOND
By Evy Journey
Nonfiction/Art/Travel
Experience the transformative power of art when you see the rich and vibrant city of Paris through the eyes of a mindful artsy traveler. From the light-inspired grandeur of Gothic cathedrals and the fresh beauty of Impressionism, sinuous forms that speak to our innate sense of beauty, and the rare library that helps one define oneself; to the role of French cuisine and cultural events in shaping the city’s uniqueness, this collection of essays will take you on a journey of discovery and self-reflection.
Amidst the charm and allure of Paris and its art, questions arise and conflicts are explored. Can art truly enrich our understanding of life? Can it help extricate us from constantly waging wars? And how does a urinal become a symbol of controversy that challenges our conception of art?
If you enjoyed “A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway, this thought-provoking and sometimes meditative collection of essays will unveil the beauty and complexity of the world around you by unleashing the power of art as you satisfy your wanderlust.
Read sample here.
Artsy Rambler: Mindful Journeys to Paris and Beyond is available at Amazon.
When we first met, Rich was working as a clinical psychologist in the program that hired me as a researcher. We discovered early on that we shared a profound interest in exploring other cultures. While I hadn’t yet ventured outside the US, he had already gone on a solo trip to Paris right after completing his undergraduate Philosophy degree.
Why Paris, I asked. For the museums, he said, and for the occasional unexpected experience that could turn out quite memorable and might even shift your perspective. He recounted one unusual experience at a Paris café that fascinated me —meeting the assistant director of the classic genre-defining Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) film 400 Blows, written and directed by François Truffaut and a staple in college campus movies. The director and the young woman with him took Rich to several spots rarely included in Parisian city tours. They concluded their evening at a bar on Place des Vosges where the director invited him to try pastis (an anise-scented aperitif).
Maybe, I began to fall in love with Paris listening to Rich’s stories about wandering around museums and the streets of Paris. Before I became aware that this love had seized me irrevocably, I thought that if there was one place in the world I was truly in love with, it was Florence, Italy. That if I had the means, as well as the guts to overcome the challenges of adapting to a foreign culture, it was where I would have chosen to live. For the art. For the history. For the Florentine sensibility I imagined it to have. For the gelato and the loggia in the Piazza della Signoria. All contained in a coherent little package, including the tourists who came for the day and couldn’t possibly know all that their guides were keeping from them.
Evy Journey writes. Stories. Blogs (three sites). Cross-genre novels. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse (an ambler).
Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois) initially to help her understand herself and Dostoevsky. Now, she spins tales about nuanced multicultural characters negotiating separate realities. She believes in love and its many faces.
Just as she has crossed genres in writing fiction, she has also crossed cultures, having lived and traveled in various cities in different countries. Find her thoughts on travel, art, and food at Artsy Rambler.
She has one ungranted wish: to live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She visits and stays a few months when she can.
Evy’s latest book is Artsy Rambler: Mindful Journeys to Paris and Beyond.
Visit her website at https://evyjourney.net.
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