Window reflections…

I wanted to illustrate what, since the end of the last century, you can find under the vaults of what used to be a railway viaduct, the “Viaduc de Bastille”. The railway line, which closed in 1969, had its end station at the Bastille, where now the new opera house stands. The rail tracks on top of the vaults have been replaced by the “Coulée Verte” (Green Course). You can today make a 4.7 km (2.9 miles) walk all the way from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. I wrote about the walk already ten years ago (see here).

The 64 vaults along Avenue de Daumesnil in the 12^th arrondissement have now all got windows – thus the reflections – and behind the windows you can find shops, galleries, workshops, cafés… It all goes under the name “Viaduc des Arts”.

I feel that the top picture shows a bit of the atmosphere around the place – a piece of art behind the window and – as reflections – a loving couple, three bikers, a young lady on a kick-skateboard…

So, here you can - behind the reflecting windows – find not only shops, but also a large number of workshops – paintings and restored art objects, hand-decorated porcelain, creative jewelry, wedding dresses, embroidery work, umbrellas and parasols, handmade shoes, lithographs, restored and newly made violins… and also what today remains of the famous Pleyel piano maker.