Quartier Saint-Michel
Rue Xavier Privas 1863-1927 poète chansonnier.
Photographe R Deshayes
PM.A9 39
The rue Xavier Privas is in the Saint-Michel area, in the 5th arrondissement and the Latin Quarter. The boulevard Saint-Michel runs alongside the Luxembourg Gardens, crosses the possibly better known boulevard Saint-Germain, and reaches the Seine near Notre Dame de Paris. It is a fascinating area, near the Sorbonne (part of the University of Paris), full of bookshops and cafés, with the Cluny Museum also nearby. The Cluny isn't often mentioned in comparison with the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and so on, but it is well worth a visit for the Lady and the Unicorn (La Dame à la licorne) tapestries alone which are oh so romantic.
The card was given to me by the man I worked for at the time. He was a surgeon, a man of very few words, and a hard but fair taskmaster. The card, as I recall, was accompanied by a bottle of wine, though I forget why. I must have done something above and beyond the call of duty :)
Fascinating picture! There's a strange atmosphere about it that I can't quite describe - an unusual blend of real and unreal; or painting and photo. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it holds one.
ReplyDeleteNice story about how you acquired it. In a few words you painted a very compelling picture of the man you worked for!
I'm sure you enjoy it ! Have you been in my fief around rue Oberkampf, between Bastille, République and the Belleville's Chinatown... ?
ReplyDeleteVery, very cool idea for a site. I love postcards, and even when I live somewhere, I'll buy one or two I keep for myself as souveniers.
ReplyDelete;-)
Lovely postcard..I like the view of the street like this.
ReplyDelete@Mike, thanks, it is an interesting picture. I suppose it could be described as art photography. The rest of my Paris cards are less inspiring, so perhaps I should have saved it till the end.
ReplyDelete@G@ttoGiallo, no I haven't been to rue Oberkampf, though I did once go to the opera house in Bastille.
@lala, yes I'm a compulsive postcard buyer too. Generally I buy them in twos because I can't bear to part with them.
@My Bug Life, thanks. I started this Paris week with it, because looking at it prompted me to find my others, many of which seem to have gone missing, sadly.