Wanderlust and Words

“Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction.”   Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost   I walk every day. I walk to run errands, to explore, to simply feel the breeze on my skin and the sun on my face. And I walk even more when I’m travelling to get the feel of a new place and a sense of its culture, history, and mood. So I couldn’t resist a book entitled Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London by Lauren Elkin. The book begins by pointing out how difficult it has been and still is for women to simply wander around a city. There is danger. There are expectations that a women’s place is in the home. Fortunately, there are women throughout the years who have resisted societal norms. George Sand delights in the freedom she gains by cross-dressing: “With those little iron-shod heels, I was solid on the pavement. I flew from one end of Paris to the other. . . . I came home at...

I have walked beside the Aude River every day for the past two months and have been reminded of the important role rivers play in our lives. They are often the heart of our cities, a place where we can go to relax as we watch the water flow, and in the past they were essential for transportation, business, and everyday life. The Aude River originates in the Pyrenees, slowly gathering force as it heads down onto the plain, passing through Quillan, Esperaza, Limoux, and Carcassonne before entering the Mediterranean at Narbonne. Logging was important in this region in the past and thousands of logs were floated downstream in rafts. Products were shipped from Quillan down river to Carcassonne, a regional centre. The water also provided power for flour mills and sawmills as well as irrigation for the crops. Women knelt by the water’s edge to wash the town’s laundry. Times have changed, but the river continues to play an important role in Quillan’s economy. White-water kaya...