throughout paris, covered passageways are tucked away between both main & small streets alike. i've been taking the time recently to walk through these architectural beauties and soak up (even more) parisian history. these laneways reminded me so much of the block & royal arcade's in melbourne. a little bit of nostalgia & for once i can happily say that these arcades in melbourne appeared at the same time as they did in paris - end of the 19th century. melbourne isn't so young after all...
here's just a few of the ones i visited, mostly found in & around the 2nd & 4th arrondissements...
PASSAGE DES PANORAMAS
this was the first passageway that i came across. it turns right off boulevard de montmartre, one of the streets that form les grand boulevards - the 1920s equivalent of the champs-élysées. its most striking features were its mosaic-esque tiled floors, iron & tiled-glass roof and orange/gold lighting. this arcade was full of café's, restaurants & crêperies & so had music and chatter floating through its narrow laneway. what struck me as bizarre was that there were just as many stamp collector shops as their were cafés. i guess that stamps are the specialty of this passage. cute.
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| bonne dégustation |
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| "thankyou for touching with your eyes" - the loveliest literal translation i've ever made |
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| beautiful tiled floors |
GALERIE VIVIENNE
the galerie vivienne was probably my favourite of all the arcades i walked through. came across lots of boutiques and second-hand bookstores (there were even books in english, yes!) throughout the dog-leg covered passageway. i wandered within its walls at early evening, so the many lights that lit up the galerie had come to life. there was something about the combination of fading natural light & warm artificial ones that reminded me of european winter - imagine ducking inside one of these arcades at the height of winter to escape the cold & wind; sipping on hot chocolates, surrounded by warm heaters...oh!
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| reminds me of winter! |
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| the man himself |
PASSAGE JOUFFROY
passage jouffroy had an architecturally stunning curved glass roof with oooold, brass lamps hanging from the ceiling. tiled floors in grey, black & white met with rich oak wood bookshelves where hundreds of books sat, waiting to be picked up and read. i'm not sure whether this operated as a library or a bookshop - sometimes it's a combination of the two. this passageway especially was so peaceful, both in the sense that there weren't many people & also because noises from 'the outside world' didn't find their way into the arcade. lovely.
PASSAGE VERDEAU
almost a continuation of passage jouffroy, this arcade is separated form it by a narrow road. this passageway is home to a collection of galleries, selling both prints of well-known works & originals from other artists who worked on a smaller scale. i saw alot of people in the act of painting/drawing/sculpting, so i think the spaces above the shops might be used as art studios...but that's just an observation. again there was the glass ceiling that seems to be a key feature of these gorgeous arcades. most of the covered passageways of paris were built in the second half of the 19th century, so i guess they reflect that era's architecture & shopping culture. love them!
gros bisous,
S.
