Night in Passy

The market at Passy is a good place to end a day in Paris. Much could be said about this market, but it is sometimes the trip home that stays in memory. The end of the day, night, in Paris transforms from merely magical to nearly mystical. For a while, after the sun sets, the sky turns to a luminescent blue. It is called l'air bleu by Parisians. If there are clouds they stand out against the deeply glowing blue sky lending an almost Van Gogh feeling to the scene. Eventually the sky darkens, the lights bloom and the shadows retreat, each to their own space and the sights can almost make you stop breathing. It is like walking alongside Brassaȉ as he made his wonderful night images so many years ago in a long gone Paris that comes alive again every night. Getting home from Passy means taking the 32 bus to Trocadero. Each bus stop has an annunciator which tells you when the next bus will arrive. It takes about 5 minutes to stroll to the next stop along rue de Passy. If the bus has been delayed you end up at Place de Costa Rica and if you look to your right you will see the Passy Métro station at the foot of rue de l'Alboni. If you love night, it draws you down the hill with an unusual force. From the top of the stairs you see the image I captured this one night. Paris is alive and a steady stream of people submerge into and emerge from this Métro station. I just stand here and let it envelop me. I think of those wonderful old images of Brassaȉ from the last century and realize how lucky I am to be here, really be completely here.