Improbable Walks

Latest Episodes:

Rue du Paradis Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

This episode walks along the wonderfully-named rue du Paradis. I was inspired by the beautiful ceramic murals here, and by the 1790s party hostess, Madame Hamelin. The fashionista-Merveilleuses are a fascinating aspect of the Directoire post-Revolutionary era; Josephine Bonaparte herself was part of this fast crowd, and lived nearby for a while. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

René Lalique: refreshing glass Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

This episode focuses on a lovely detail in the grand streetscape of Paris: one specific address in the tony 8th arrondissement, where glass artist René Lalique lived and worked. Lalique mastered not only Art Nouveau jewelry, but Art Deco designs as well. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

The Paris Hours of the Duc de Berry Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

This episode explores the medieval manuscript business of Paris; I was inspired by the gorgeous Book of Hours belonging to the Duc de Berry, currently on display in the Paris suburbs. Books by authors like Christine de Pizan were copied and illuminated on rue de la Parcheminerie & rue Boutebrie in the Latin Quarter. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Writers & War Heroes: rue Victor Schoelcher May 22, 2025

Show notes

This single block in Montparnasse has it all: history, design, art, writers, photographers, models and World War II heroes... from photographer Lee Miller to Resistance leader Colonel Rol-Tanguy, from abolitionist Schoelcher to writer Anais Nin, and even my own near-miss with philosopher Simone de Beauvoir's apartment. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Alexandre Dumas hosts a party Mar 30, 2025

Show notes

For the mad month of March, this episode focuses on a party hosted by writer Alexandre Dumas in 1833. Wine bottles by the hundreds, wall decor by Delacroix... it was a 9th arrondissement costume ball crammed into a small apartment, and it's well worth a walk-by nearly 200 years after the fabulous event. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Charles Baudelaire & the Club des Hashischins Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

In honor of the moody month of February, we visit Ile Saint-Louis, retracing Baudelaire's drug-induced dreams. Our route goes along the central main street, rue de Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile, from West to East. The first mansion on our route is the Hôtel de Lauzun - where Revolutionary "it girl" Thérésa Cabarrus Tallien lived. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

In the Shadow of Notre Dame Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we celebrate the reopening of the Grand Dame of Paris by strolling in the shadow of the great Cathedral Notre Dame, looking at narrow medieval streets on the Island of the City which survived the great upheaval of Haussmann renovations. We talk about rue Chanoinesse--where there is a surprisingly beautiful police garage! And we walk down the unbelievably tiny rue des Chantres. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Sublime & Seedy: Delacroix on rue Visconti Nov 30, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we check out the atmospheric rue Visconti on the Left Bank, tucked around the corner from chic rue Jacob. This sometimes-maligned little street was home to painter Delacroix (this is where he painted his friend George Sand & her lover Chopin!) and writer Balzac ran a printing press here. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Surrealism, Lee Miller, & Blue Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we check out CAMPAGNE-PREMIERE just below boulevard de Montparnasse. The street is barely one block long, but a surprising number artists and writers lived here during the first half of the 20th century, including Man Ray, Lee Miller, Yves Klein, Foujita, Elsa Triolet, and Louis Aragon! If streets are haunted by past creative shades, this is definitely a busy block. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

Anais Nin, Henry Miller, & the Villa Seurat Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we stroll into a hidden gem behind the well-known streets of Montparnasse: the Villa Seurat. This is a small street described in the famous Diaries of Anais Nin. Villa Seurat also appears in the work of her lover, Henry Miller, although he disguises the identity of the street by calling it “Villa Borghese”. This part of the 14th arrondissement really conjures the neighborhood feel of the 1920s and 30s, when artists and writers from all over the world filled the streets of Montparnasse, dreaming and creating and have emotional epiphanies up and down the block. For photos, please check out my website. Thanks as always to Bremner Fletcher for technical expertise and general know-how. The Improbable Walks theme music is performed by David Symons, New Orleans accordionist extraordinaire.

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