Romantic Hidden Passageways Of Paris

At one time there were around 150 of these beautiful covered passageways tucked throughout the center of  Paris.  Several spectacular ones have survived that offer wonderful glimpses back into the past.

Only by chance would a tourist find them, as they are  never really one of the first things  to see.  Maybe if you have been to Paris several times, you might think to include them  in your itinerary of places to visit.

They are some of the hidden jewels of  Paris that have an immense charm for lovers of this city who relish every layer of history  she exudes.  When I come across them, I always feel somewhat pulled back into a sphere of time, like a cosmic wormhole, as if I was once there.

This whole past weekend was full of passages of the sun and moon that changes seasons and that brought up the highest tides of the century.  Since thick clouds hid the eclipse Friday morning and I was too late to have any possibility of finding a hotel at the seacoast,  I decided to mark the occasions in a different, yet symbolic way of walking through these marvellous passageways from another time.

These lovely covered passages were very fashionable during the early 1800’s, when most were built. You could consider them as being the first shopping centers for the affluent Parisiennes of the day.

They offered a cosy warm respite from rain-soaked muddy streets, where you could leisurely shop for goods, while  taking time out for a glass of wine, or coffee and pastries.   They were a place to be seen and to be scrutinized as well, providing fodder for gossiping lips, as the most sought after in Parisian society could be seen strolling by.

They also provided a convenience of connecting one street to another, short cut transits from here to there, often connecting multiple streets together.   A fashionable dressed lady with her long heel length dress could avoid the ever present risk of being splashed with muddy water by a passing horse-drawn cart.

Most sidewalks in the area are still fairly narrow and were probably more so back then, making navigating through the city a game of weaving through passersby in tight stretches.  I got caught in a walking tour Friday heading towards the same passages and I had to deviate into the street around them.

At night the soft glow of the gas lit lights made for a perfect romantic ambience to gather for a late aperitif or  have dinner in one of the several restaurants like the Grand Colbert.

If I were to take you with me on my own recent tour, we would head towards Metro stop Cadet to begin our journey.  Prepare to walk your legs out virtually as I did in real life!

Walking south on Rue Cadet, which has a fair amount of food shops, we reach Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, where on the corner is the absolutely adorable original home of À la Mere de Famille, the oldest chocolate shop in Paris, started in 1761.

Next to it is the beginning of Passage Verdeau, built in 1846, which has some shops selling antiques and old postcards.   It ends on Rue Grange Bateliere, but all you have to do is cross the street and directly in front  will be the wonderful Passage Jouffroy.

Passage Jouffroy, built in 1845,  is one of my favourites, having  kept more of its original rusticity and charm.  They have several book stores, some selling ancient ones and others a melange of new and not so new, where I found some interesting culinary books not seen elsewhere, that took some discipline not to buy!

The old wooden store front that use to sell waxes and varnishes is lovely and certainly must have done a great business with all the  wooden parquet floors in the area, in constant need of both. Going up the steps to the left you come across the colorful side of the Musée Grevin located within.

Tucked in the left corner is an adorable Hotel Chopin, reeking of nostalgia, that was at one time Hotel Familles.  Further down is the tea salon Le Valentin, with some unusual pastries.  One that caught my eye was a pricey cake de voyage(travel) for 14 euros made of figs, apricots, kirsch and almond paste.

Passage Jouffroy ends on Blvd Montmartre and again directly across the street is Passage des Panoramas.  Built in 1799, it is the oldest surviving one and was the first to be lit by gaslights.  Both Balzac and Zola wrote about the place with glowing romanticism.

The old Stern engravers boutique, started there in 1836, is now classified as a national monument. Stern is still going strong at another location and the original has recently been turned into an expensive Italian restaurant.   Under the direction of chef Massimilano Alajmo, who has his flagship restaurant in Padua, Italy, it has received mixed reviews.

Exciting right onto Rue Saint Marc, I would head towards Rue Richelieu for a quick glance at Le Passage des Princes built in 1860.  On the way, I passed  a famous old wine bar called Le Gavroche where wines flows easily in the rustic charm of yesterday.   Passage des Princes has really lovely glass ceilings framed with delicate intricate ironwork and now is devoted entirely to toy stores.

Backtracking my steps to Rue Vivienne and heading south would lead to the intricately beautiful Galerie Vivienne, built in 1823 and the adjoining Galerie Colbert, built in 1826.

The first thing you notice upon entering are the gorgeous mosaic floors that was created and signed by Giandomenico Facchina as seen in the photo.  The is the most sumptuous of all the passages or galleries done in a Pompeian neo classical design.

There are two rotunda, one of which is decorated with nymphs and goddesses. The shops are chic with a good bookstore and one of the finest wine caves in Paris.  Legrand Filles et Fils(daughters and son) started out in 1880, selling spices, coffee and wines.

You can taste their sought out wines in the cosy and dark interior or out in the light filled passage.  As you can make out in the photo of their carte des vins, some carry hefty prices for a glass of wine.

Leaving the Galerie Vivienne on Rue des Petits Champs, I headed right towards Passage de Choiseul, where there is located an old theatre with the strange and funny name of Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens created in 1827.

Bouffes is French for a quick chow down meal, or on the run meal eaten without any thought other than to ease hunger pains.  The theatre is still producing shows to see to this day in a very pretty classical setting!

The following sunday I visited some more of these exquisite arcades from the past.  Not a good day to go though, because two of them were closed. In retrospect, I was at least able to get some photos though the locked grill doors, with only a pigeon walking around.

Passage Moliere is in the 3rd arrondissement on Rue Quincampois  near the Pompidou Center.  It is not covered, and looks more like an alley, without any real distinction.  There was though, a really interesting atelier, where you could have your hands, or that of family or lovers moulded for a tidy sum with adults going around 250 euros.

An interesting shop near by was one selling cute matching bow ties and men’s boxer shorts.  Guess those would be for the pleasure of intimate friends only though; in order to see how couleur coordinated you could be!

I then walked north on Blvd Sébastopol to Etienne Marcel then pass Rue Tiquetonne to the Passage Le Grand Cerf, where the largest stagecoach service of Paris let off passengers from their grueling travels.

Walking back along Tiquetonne, I passed my ultimate chocolate, nuts, and everything else pastry chef supplier , G. Detou and then crossed over to rue Jean Jacques Rousseau heading south.  Fortunately, my very favourite  cookware shop, Dehillerin on the corner of Rue Coquillière was closed, saving me the temptation to go in where I always find something to buy!

Further down pass Le Bourse is the Passage Vero-Dodat.  Two charcutiers, which sell pork, terrines,  patés, sausage and meals to go,  must have been extremely successful in their day to create this really beautiful passageway with marble floors and painted ceilings,  in 1823.

Monsieurs Vero and Dodat were extremely enterprising though, as at the end of their passageway was the second largest stagecoach company in Paris.  Passengers started leaving at dawn for many towns all over France and often bought food to take for their very long journeys by horse-drawn carriages.

It was a very successful setup until railroads eventually took away the majority of their traveling customers.  Alfred de Musset was said to often visit his actress lover there, whom he wrote about: Un Souper Chez Mademoiselle Rachel.

Nowadays, there are expensive shops, including a Christian Louboutin shoe store.

 

Because I am who I am, a lot of my experiences evoke a deeper meaning, and it certainly wasn’t any different this time for this sensitive soul.   Passageways,  at least when I am walking through them,  always remind me of all the passages we have in our own lives.

Some, we are eager to cross;  others can be difficult and unpleasant.  One thing for certain is that they all lead to somewhere, with the hard ones always offering us many lessons in surviving that does lead to hard earned wisdom.

I usually celebrate the seasonal equinox in a more esoteric and spiritual way, as I do the summer Solstice, but my own recent passaging through these graceful Parisian jewels, however concrete, was at least for me a fun and historical way to welcome the passage to Spring.

My mood has already gone up a notch or two from my annual winter slump and believe me, I can’t wait for our wonderful sun to keep climbing higher above the equator!  Summer days are happily for me on the horizon at last!