"In the huts of the night"

The prohibition of smoking in closed spaces in France a few years ago has allowed an unwaited but merry consequence : the animation of the streets. In down town Angers on december 6, the temperature was not exceeded 5° and the weather was rainy. Nevertheless, on a day traditionnaly more quiet because some stores are closed, customers were, by little groups, gathered in the covered terraces of the cafes.

The weak light diffused by these yellow, orange or blue tents attract the inhabitants, almost the youngs, and give them an intimate shelter to continue their daylife. Sometimes provided with a gas device for heating the atmosphere, they become the only animated area for pedestrians surrounded by the night.

Most of them are concentrated around the Ralliement square especially along the Saint-Laud street. Those open air cafes look even more attended than the inner rooms, as if the people needed to speak in the clouds of fog instead of smoke. Cleared out of the crowd of the weekend, these tiny islands of life give the surrounding streets of Angers downtown their flavour of the old days and their mystery, till the dawn to come.