It may look a little provocative to post a photo of a place called Le passage d'Enfer (literally translated “passage from hell”) right after a Catholic holiday (yesterday - Thursday - was the "Ascension"), but this photo illustrates perfectly what Paris looks like at the moment: grey, cold and... rainy!. This Passage d'Enfer is located in the 14th arrondissement, off the boulevard Raspail and not far from the boulevard Saint Michel and, apparently, it's name originates from a time - long ago - when it was a bad neighborhood.
I like it a lot! It looks like one of these neighborhoods that hasn't changed much in the last 50 y or so. And I like the way you framed that shot, too.
ReplyDeleteHere in SF, the weather isn't much better, you know. Hang in there :)
Speaking of Hell, I have a joke or two...
love the canted frame .
ReplyDeleteThe cityscape,and the lack of people, remind me of some of Eugene Atget's work.
Eric you won't believe it. I'm considering staying in a hotel in Bl. Raspail, I was looking for information about the area just today.
ReplyDeleteIt IS a nice neighborhood nowadays right?
Would you recomend it? I really need to know.
The picture is beautiful!
It's nice. I can smell the rain in this photo.
ReplyDeleteWow you just get better and better This is so wonderful this photo. Looks kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteWe spent a few days in Paris many years ago about this time, and it looked like this -- raining every day. Then one day the sun came out and there didn't seem to be square foot anywhere where there wasn't someone sitting in the grass or along the sidewalk -- just enjoying the heavenly spring. That one day made up for 3 gloomy days 10 times over.
ReplyDeleteFrench language is funny:
ReplyDeleteSay "c'est l'enfer" and you mean: it's damned bad.
Say "c'est d'enfer" and you mean it's damned good...
Go figure...
ANOTHER great photo Eric - the angle and perspective are very effective. Everyone must have been inside out of the rain. Unlike you who must have been laying on the ground to take this - were you wearing waterproof clothes or did you get wet!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that it is gloomy & grey in Paris - but even when it's raining - I still LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteI just had to weigh in on this one. Passage d'Enfer runs up to the Blvd. St. Michel (or Saint Michael). Quite a coincidence that Michael the archangel runs so close to Hell.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I like the lines and the low angle for this one.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting perspective, as if you had been down to the ground to take the photo. And slightly melcncholic, too. Yesterday it looked like that here, too, but today the sun is shining.
ReplyDeleteBloody hell - I didn't think things had moved so fast. Separation of church and state has crumbled already as the Catholic church declares a holiday for the ascension of Sarkozy?? ;-))
ReplyDeleteAn attractive shot Eric - a wise choice of monochome for this empty scene (where the rain seems to be the subject - and why not?!) and effective use of angles. I like.
ReplyDeleteSally, LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI must say I have gotten into the daily habit of viewing your photo du jour. I really enjoy your photos and comments. We just returned from a wonderful 5 days in Paris last month, when all the good weather must have been used up. It was in the 70s (F) and sunny every day we were there. I was beginning to think Paris was semi-tropical (especially since leaving a snowstorm in Maine, US), but I guess we were just lucky.
ReplyDeleteIt is gray, cold and rainy here the last few days as well. Usual spring weather for Maine. Lifts my spirits a little thinking about our trip. By the way, we didn't encounter any unfriendly Parisiens, and were very impressed how nice they were.
Sally, I love it! Michael, sorry, but Passage d'Enfer runs between Blvd. Raspail and rue Champagne Premiere, which runs between Raspail and Blvd. Montparnasse. I recognized this, because I have a few photos of it myself. It's a curious little street, with some buildings that are quite pretty, others stark.
ReplyDeleteMonica, it's a perfectly fine area, from the perspective of a Yank. Where on Raspail are you looking? It's a long boulevard. Here's a great help:
http://www.hot-maps.de/europe/france/paris/homeen.html
I look forward to this daily dose of Paris!
ReplyDeleteMonica, a website called "pagesjaunes" (http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/h/xsl/?ville=75199056;templ=home) is also good to look up addresses in Paris since it will give you a photo of the address, and you can scan up and down the street to give you some idea of what the neighborhood is like.
ReplyDeleteJeff and Erik H. - thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteActually I have heard nice things about this area. The point in Bl. Raspail I'm considering is very close Bl. Montparnasse.
I will look up the links you gave me.
I'm also considering another place in the 6th, which I must admit I prefer.
I like to stay closer to the Seine!
Monica...I just returned from renting an apt for 10 days on the Passage D'Enfer...it was so convenient....half block from metro Raspail, 3 blocks from RER Port Royal, a couple blocks to Montparnasse & a VERY quiet street as there r no cars on the Passage.....a very safe area as I was a woman alone & never worried
ReplyDeleteIt may look grey but it is still beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photo, Eric.
ReplyDeleteI love all the archaic street names in Paris. There's another one called l'Impasse de la Vierge. Nobody can convince me they weren't thinking of a double entrendre for that one.
Melinda thanks a lot for sharing this. I have checked the tools Jeff and Erik H suggested and I'm convinced now this is a very nice area!
ReplyDeleteExcellent photo, I love the the wet pavement !
ReplyDeleteInteresting that your readers know so much about Passage d'Enfer. Looks like a great place to live, in the end!
Blog très sympa... J'aime bien ton regard sur Paris. Coup de coeur pour cette photo, peut-être moins originale que les autres mais bon...
ReplyDeleteTu peux jeter un coup d'oeil sur mon tout jeune blog qui ne demande qu'à grandir...
http://envue-dailleurs.over-blog.fr/
Hmm... a little French now...
ReplyDeleteJ'ai failli y habiter. Y a-t-il toujours la grande grille à l'entrée ?
When I visited the place, that was in 1989, it really was slum like.
Good pic anyway.
Hello. I have a similar photo...not in B & W. When I researched the passage d'enfer, it seems that it may have been named after a now vanished convent that was reputed to be haunted by the Devil. Blvd Raspail was formerly named Blvd d'Enfer !
ReplyDelete