Improbable Walks

Lisa Pasold
  • 4.9 (7)
  • HISTORY

Welcome to Improbable Walks, the travel podcast that brings you to the streets of Paris, wherever you are. Every episode, we discover a new street in the City of Light, strolling into the hidden history and stories of Paris, block by block. Your host is Canadian writer and long-time parisienne, Lisa Pasold. To support this  monthly podcast, please subscribe for free, so you're notified when the next podcast is available. Merci!

  1. 09/30/2025

    Rue du Paradis

    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.

    14 min

  2. 07/28/2025

    René Lalique: refreshing glass

    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.

    17 min

  3. 06/30/2025

    The Paris Hours of the Duc de Berry

    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.

    17 min

  4. 05/22/2025

    Writers & War Heroes: rue Victor Schoelcher

    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.

    15 min

  5. 03/30/2025

    Alexandre Dumas hosts a party

    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.

    11 min

  6. 03/01/2025

    Charles Baudelaire & the Club des Hashischins

    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.

    18 min

  7. 01/31/2025

    In the Shadow of Notre Dame

    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.

    12 min

  8. 11/30/2024

    Sublime & Seedy: Delacroix on rue Visconti

    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.

    15 min
See All (45)

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Improbable Walks, the travel podcast that brings you to the streets of Paris, wherever you are. Every episode, we discover a new street in the City of Light, strolling into the hidden history and stories of Paris, block by block. Your host is Canadian writer and long-time parisienne, Lisa Pasold. To support this  monthly podcast, please subscribe for free, so you're notified when the next podcast is available. Merci!

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Pasold
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Improbable Walks
  • Show Website
    Improbable Walks