Why is Paris called the City of Lights? Why do the women dress so fancy? It's because of the passages of course! That's pa-sage...pronounced in French. They are pathways which go directly through buildings. Back in the day streets were all muddy and it was only through these passages that people could keep out of the mud (unless they were in a carriage). They had glass roofs to let in light, large mirrors to reflect that light, and gas lamps to keep them well lit at night. It was the only city which lit up at night. Trust-fund women would hang-out in these passages and could see their reflections in the large mirrors. They became places to show off your great style- perhaps only to yourself. Less reputable women also adorned these locations and many lived in the apartments above them. Men could go upstairs and return to the passage below...good times. They essentially became the first malls- enclosed spaces (mostly) lined with shop windows to entice customers into their stores.
We explored several different passages today. Many of the original passages no longer exist but there still are some- a few are still fancy locations.
Lined with shops (most are closed because it's August and Parisians are on holiday)
Tiled floors
Statues (only one had a statue)
Clocks (all had clocks and beautiful ceilings)
and glass ceilings
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