I first spotted these two old-timers about twenty years ago, although this picture is from 2010. Time marches on, and the run-down Buffalo wings spot in my picture is now the chic café Odette, and has been prettied up a bit.
They are old, narrow, and tiny, and they are surrounded by much newer and taller buildings that date from the late 19th and early 20th century when part of the street was demolished to make a connection to another street. I’ve yet to find a reliable age for them.
Rue Galande, the street they are on, is in the 5e arrondissement. Originally part of a Roman road that ran from Paris through Lyon and on to Rome, it took its name from land next to it owned by Étienne de Garlande, a wine-maker and favorite of King Philip the Fat. No one knows when the ‘r’ disappeared. The street was officially named and opened in 1202.
Café Odette photo: David Baron/Wikimedia May 2015
