When does the extraordinary become mundane?  These photos were all taken on a short walk down Rue du Faubourg-Poissonière, an ordinary street in the tenth arrondissement.  Forty buildings in the street are listed by Wikipedia as remarkable, historic or ‘places of memory’. None of these ten are  amongst them.

 

 

As I paused to take one of these photos a slightly drunk man in argumentative mood swayed past me muttering something (in French) about ‘tourists getting everywhere these days’.  When he turned to look back directly at me I replied. Non, j’habite à Paris. Je ne suis pas touriste. Taken aback, the grumbler promptly sobered up, asked politely what I was photographing and peered with interest at the carved details and decorative ironwork I pointed out.  Ah, vous êtes architecte!  Well, not exactly, but a landscape architect interested in buildings…..  That was good enough, my peculiar interest was now legitimate and we parted on friendly terms.  I didn’t try to explain about Thursday Doors!

Click on any door to view the gallery.