This is a well-written piece by the winner of the weekly travel writing competition of Telegraph UK. Richard Holman introduced a French word “flânerie” in his article. Holman recalled how his French teacher told him there were sometimes no direct translations for words in French to English. At that time, he still thought it was another form of “Gallic intellectual one-upmanship”.
Now he thinks back and finds it absolutely true that he cannot find an equivalent for the French word “flânerie”. I looked it up from WordReference.com, “flânerie” means stroll or lazing around. I don’t know French so I can’t tell whether the meaning fits well or not. But according to Holman, the translation still lacks something.
Whatever the word means, Holman thinks it is the best way to experience a city. With “no guidebooks, no maps; just start walking and see where it leads” – this is how Holman explored Paris, the city where “flânerie” was invented.
I always think having some random walks around the city is the best way to experience a city. When we are following the travel books, most of the time we are just going to some tourist spots which do not necessarily represent the culture of that city. However, if we manage to do what the locals do, we can get a better taste of what their real lives are like. We can breathe the local air, taste the local food, walk the local paths. This is what travelling is about – cultural exchange and getting a real picture the city!
I like the way the author related the French word with a French city. The choice of the picture was also very appropriate, showing the artistic and romantic side of Paris. This is an interesting piece of soft news to read.
There are share buttons on the side of the story so that readers can share it with friends via social networking sites easily. This can help generate a larger audience for the article. The text size can be adjusted by pressing the "+" or "-" button. This make it handy for readers.
I also like the layout of the page. It is simple, yet reader-friendly. The advertisements are all on the side of the story, with still images only. The pop-up or motioned images can be eye-catching but sometimes very disturbing when you want to concentrate on the text, especially when they are just advertisements and have nothing to do with the article you are reading.
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