Paris at Night
Oct 2nd, 2006 | 06:32 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 43,742
Likes: 4
Oct 2nd, 2006 | 07:38 AM
#6
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 221
Likes: 0
PalenqueBob,
No, "City of light" has nothing to do with floodlit monuments at night. It's a rather bad translation of the expression of "ville-lumière", forged in the 19th century (when the streets of Paris were rather dimlit lit with gas lighting...), and which should rather be "City of enlightment", in reference to the city's (self-proclaimed) supremacy in arts, sciences, and thinking...
I had trouble explaining that, many years ago, to a Las Vegas cab driver who was commenting " they talk about the City of Lights...but look here! there are more lights than in Paris!"
No, "City of light" has nothing to do with floodlit monuments at night. It's a rather bad translation of the expression of "ville-lumière", forged in the 19th century (when the streets of Paris were rather dimlit lit with gas lighting...), and which should rather be "City of enlightment", in reference to the city's (self-proclaimed) supremacy in arts, sciences, and thinking...
I had trouble explaining that, many years ago, to a Las Vegas cab driver who was commenting " they talk about the City of Lights...but look here! there are more lights than in Paris!"
