This is (duh) the Cluny La Sorbonne metro station in the Latin Quarter. The photo features a homeless man sleeping on a bench side by side with a student reveling to his earbuds. These are probably the two most common sights in the Latin Quarter.
Lunchtime Photo
Been to Shakespeare bookstore there yet? Had the Bertillon ice cream yet?
My first thought was that this picture was likely to be of an unauthorized immigrant, since the French social safety net is much better than that in the U.S. And a 2012 survey (seems to be the most comprehensive available), 55% of homeless people were born outside of France - https://www.ined.fr/en/everything_about_population/demographic-facts-sheets/focus-on/the-homeless-in-france/ [admittedly not the same as being an unauthorized immigrant].
But, in fact, France apparently has a housing crisis, in that housing is unaffordable to a large number people - https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/homelessness-in-paris-the-darker-side-of-the-city-of-light/
He looks pretty clean. And he's wearing a clean mask. Idk what it all means. Wish I was in Paris.
Unauthorized immigrant, you mean a worker with no right to have a say in the politics of his workplace, kinda like most people before the enlightenment when Kings and Queens made all the decisions?
Man, I hope you're visiting the Cluny Medieval Museum. It's 20m from my home and it's a pretty cool, if small museum... built on Roman baths.
Homelessness got pretty bad in the 5th. Partly due to the Syrian refugees/Roma influx. But my suspicions are that Paris pop. density has been rising in the last 10 years, to no good effects.
20 meters, not minutes. When I was a student, I used to love this area of Paris... I was in a Parisian suburb at the time and travelling to the 5th every weekend or so.
Getting to live there as an adult felt like a dream come true but, in practice, it's not nearly as cool as I'd imagine... 🙂 Still a nice area, though.