Again and again
Monday, November 06, 2006 Posted by Eric
I took this photo for the lighting and ambiance, but after looking at it, something appeared to me that might be interesting for you to know. If you look closely at the address, you’ll see that it is "4 bis". In France, the "bis" symbolises "again". This address probably did not exist when the buildings 3 & 4 were originally given addresses, but when they built the hotel in between they had to give it "4 bis" (4 again). This exists for "again and again", as well as "again, again, again, & again" (bis, ter, quater and sometimes even quinter).
November 6, 2006 12:16:00 AM GMT+01:00
How interesting! So if someone sends a package to the hotel they send it to "Four Again" or "Four Etcetera"! Ha!
It looks like a courtyard between the buildings. I love courtyards...so many in Paris.
November 6, 2006 1:12:00 AM GMT+01:00
Lovely ambiance and a bit of education to boot. God I love this blog! Now where'd I put my drink.... :oP
November 6, 2006 1:49:00 AM GMT+01:00
Beautiful!
November 6, 2006 2:00:00 AM GMT+01:00
I'm so glad I stumbled onto your blog and your fellow post-a-picture-a-dayers.
November 6, 2006 2:06:00 AM GMT+01:00
Oh, very interesting. It looks like a tight spot but I can't imagine what a quater would look like...
November 6, 2006 2:10:00 AM GMT+01:00
This looks like it could have been taken in the center of Paris, in one of these arrondissements where not too much has changed yet (except for the posts planted on the sidewalk!!). Was it?
I'm with Suzan; the Parisians courtyards are cool - and very difficult to take in picture with a point-and-shoot camera !!
November 6, 2006 3:18:00 AM GMT+01:00
I just read about the power outage in Paris.
I hope you guys (Eric and Michael, the only ones I know live in Paris) get your power back soon! I know that it is cold in Paris right now! Bon Chance!
November 6, 2006 3:27:00 AM GMT+01:00
That's interesting comment Eric.
I like this image, may be the architecture or may be simply lightings. To me, it's typical Europe.
November 6, 2006 3:46:00 AM GMT+01:00
Very odd fact.
I like the building on the left, though it could use a new coat of paint...
November 6, 2006 3:52:00 AM GMT+01:00
Oh no! Hope you guys don't have a hard time without power! It definately sucks to go without for a few days, as I well remmebr from the summer!
November 6, 2006 3:55:00 AM GMT+01:00
Wish I were there...what wonderful color!
November 6, 2006 4:25:00 AM GMT+01:00
Good shot Eric. Bravo encore and encore ;-)
November 6, 2006 4:48:00 AM GMT+01:00
Belle photo, en noir et blanc, on aurait pu se croire dans un vieux polar des annees gabin.
November 6, 2006 5:09:00 AM GMT+01:00
i like the colors, lights and shadows... amisterious pic ;)
November 6, 2006 5:29:00 AM GMT+01:00
The red light, the narrow passageway and the man walking there at night... what sort of hotel is this Mr. Eric ??? LOL
November 6, 2006 6:30:00 AM GMT+01:00
I agree with Nathalie's slight hint here "What sort of hotel is this Mr. Eric ???". If there were an AmsterdamDailyPhoto I'd be sure this photo would appear there.
Soosh_q and Susan, I'd love to be a fly on the wall if the two of you were in a room together with all of those cocktails flowing. I could see Eric's comments multiply 10-fold.
As for the electricity outage, it was no big deal except that it NEVER happens here in France. In Florida we are used to them due to storms, but with 80% of France's electricity coming from nuclear power, that usually isn't a problem. Of course, the French are all blaming it on the German network, which I don't understand either. All in all, it was only out for about 20 minutes here in Paris, but imagine that was a lifetime for those stuck in elevators and such.
November 6, 2006 6:43:00 AM GMT+01:00
nice one...the posture of man walking away makes it feel that the night is long....
November 6, 2006 6:50:00 AM GMT+01:00
I just LOVE IT !
Isn't that an hotel right on the porte Saint Denis or porte Saint Martin?
November 6, 2006 6:52:00 AM GMT+01:00
LOL Haxo! You KNOW this hotel? Ahem...see comments above!
November 6, 2006 6:52:00 AM GMT+01:00
faboulous! in new york they use 1/2 but i've never seen 1/4, 3/4 and so on :)
November 6, 2006 6:57:00 AM GMT+01:00
If I didn't know better, I would have said that this was Gene Kelley's hangout in "An American In Paris". Here's the film trailer if you're feeling nostalgic.
November 6, 2006 7:57:00 AM GMT+01:00
Glad to hear the power outage didn't last long. I just saw another article that said it happened Saturday night so I guess I was a little late! It said it started when Germany shut off the power for a few minutes in order to allow a ship to pass...oddly enough it is something they have done before without any side effects as it cause this time. Apparently lots of the EU shares power (I was a little surprised at that....sovereign countries and all....).
And Michael, I beg your pardon! ;o The only thing I've had to drink today was a latte, water, and a Dr. Pepper! lol!
November 6, 2006 9:42:00 AM GMT+01:00
I think that the light makes this image an interesting and attractive picture, if you add the info on bis numbers, something that we take for granted and never come to think of, we get an amusing and well designed post as usual.-) Thanks Eric.
November 6, 2006 9:46:00 AM GMT+01:00
Wonderful shot Eric. It looks like a scenery (? I mean "décor" in French) from Alexandre Trauner for one of these 30s movies. Full of spirit and atmosphèèèère !
As for the outage I didn't notice it. May be Le Vésinet is considered one of these priority zones ?!!!! Ah, encore la fracture sociale !
November 6, 2006 10:09:00 AM GMT+01:00
Oh yes, colour and ambiance - perfect.
Thanks for visiting Eric. About the chairs, you think Cafe - you think French bistro chairs that's the way it is.
all the best
November 6, 2006 11:35:00 AM GMT+01:00
i want to tell you "bis, ter, quarter and even quater" times how much i love your blog.
November 6, 2006 11:46:00 AM GMT+01:00
I love the composition and the feeling it emits. Your blog, Eric, is so educational. I found out about the sybolization last summer. It created a slight problem for us which we soon resolved when we rented a house for 2007 in Grenoble.
November 6, 2006 12:13:00 PM GMT+01:00
Susan, how strong was the latte?!? And Michael, don't just be a fly on the wall, join in! The comments around here would triple then! Youv'e always got such fun comments to begin with, if we were all having a coctail party there's no doubt our comments would be hilarious!!!
Oh my, haxo! Are you a frequenter of these hotels that have ben hinted about? Oh-la-la!
November 6, 2006 12:56:00 PM GMT+01:00
Ahhhhh, have long understood the funcion of the term "bis" but never the literal meaning. Thanks for that!
November 6, 2006 2:28:00 PM GMT+01:00
Love the photo and your tidbits of French culture are equally interesting!
November 6, 2006 4:50:00 PM GMT+01:00
I believe I'm right in citing another use of the term bis. In the theatre, at curtain down, an enthusiastic audience wanting more shouts "Bis, bis!!!" instead of "Encore, encore!!"
November 6, 2006 5:30:00 PM GMT+01:00
Thanks for the explanation Eric. You know, after living here for over 7 years now, I never understood what "bis" meant in an address. :-)
Gorgeous photo!!
November 6, 2006 5:57:00 PM GMT+01:00
Love this one! The colours are vibrant, the shadows mysteriously defined, there is real atmosphere. Eric i want to join the daily city list but my email link doesn't seem to work. Are you able to do it for me by any chance? I'm from Cheltenham UK and my blog is www.ukdailyphoto.blogspot.com Thanks!
November 6, 2006 6:29:00 PM GMT+01:00
Well I think it is a great photo and if I lived at #4 Bis I hope they send all my bills to #4..especially Gaz de France and France Telecom right??
Michael...Did you see all the other notations from yesterday???
Eric...The man with your Tatie Francoise..was that your Papa??? I can see a strong resemblance to your photo on PDP!!! Tres Sympa!!
November 6, 2006 7:27:00 PM GMT+01:00
No the man with my aunt is my uncle (but he passed away a couple of years ago).
Nice try, but no, any resemblance between him and me would be a total coincidence because we have no blood in common; My aunt is my mother's sister.
November 6, 2006 7:54:00 PM GMT+01:00
The picture makes me want to see what is down the walkway. Then again from what the others say I guess it might me more than I bargined for. But for someone who has never had the chance to visit Paris it looks intriguing.
November 6, 2006 9:00:00 PM GMT+01:00
Yes, Michael, i have seen this hotel which is close to the "porte Saint-Denis".
But i have never been in (i wouldn't tell you anyhow...lol)
When i saw it, there was a dustbin in front of it, so that the entrance was totally blocked...lol
November 6, 2006 9:08:00 PM GMT+01:00
its very funny:) bis....
i guess if it happens here we put an /A or /B after the number. 4/A..or 4/B if there is a 4/A already.
November 6, 2006 9:27:00 PM GMT+01:00
kpgallant said... "Michael...Did you see all the other notations from yesterday???"
I'm not quite sure which ones you are referring to, but I re-read them all I think.
Stu "El Inglés" Harris - I had not heard of the other use for "bis". Very interesting.
November 7, 2006 3:53:00 AM GMT+01:00
Terrific photo, Eric. And - where have I been? I did not even know that there had been a power outage in Paris! 20 minutes, of course, is absolutely nothing . I remember a few years ago in Pittsburgh, when some districts had no power for over 24 hours.
November 7, 2006 8:38:00 AM GMT+01:00
Near Porte St. Denis, huh? The upper reaches of Rue St. Denis certainly has a well-deserved reputation, and the man seems to be walking a bit stiff legged...
November 13, 2006 1:03:00 AM GMT+01:00
Thank you for the lovely pictures and explanation of "bis" and "ter" and such in French addresses. I had run into this in the numbering of articles in contracts and standards and such. (International standards organizations seem to love this stuff.) But I am slightly confused. If I understand the numbering scheme correctly, wouldn't the building with address "4 bis" appear between buildings 4 and 5, not 3 and 4? Or does this work differently in addresses?
November 13, 2006 8:24:00 PM GMT+01:00
Bis is also used in Spanish, it means dos veces (twice). When it is next to a number, it means the number has been repeated.
December 2, 2006 5:14:00 PM GMT+01:00
Excellent observation, although it does look a bit seedy down this little dark alley way. I have got a friend who is doing a PHD in Parisian Life [or something of this nature] who lives in Lyon and I am sure that he would enjoy your posts, and they may be of use in his research. I will forward the details of the blog on to him.
Regards Simon Dumville
YourBroadcaster
October 13, 2009 11:50:00 AM GMT+02:00
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