PARIS - Passages & Galleries

I had heard of the passages of Paris, but had never seen one. On this trip, I decided to search them out.....and it took some searching! Although they were shown on my map, I walked quite a bit before I found one. The entrances are quite easy to miss. The passages were designed and constructed mostly in the nineteenth century to give pedestrians and shoppers shelter from the elements...sort of an old time version of a shopping arcade.



For decades they were left to crumble and decay, but many have now been renovated, their tiled floors and glass roofs restored. I lucked out and stumbled upon Galerie Vivienne just as it stated to rain. It was time for lunch in the cozy cafe and then some photography in the beautifully restored passage.