Place Saint-Louis

The origins of Place Saint-Louis date back to the 13th century. It is where Café des Arcs is located. Along its archway there are shops and cafés where tourists and locals love to just "hang" and shoot the breeze like I was doing. Up to the 13th century the city had been constrained by its original Gallo-Roman walls, but it began to grow beyond the limits of its ancient shield, thus new buildings were built along the ancient wall. The result is this charming square now called Place Saint-Louis although its old name used to be Place du Change. This name alludes to the presence of money changers, the primordial bankers that once inhabited this square most of which were Italian and whose activity culminated in the 14th century. Lets admit it, modern banks are nothing more than money changers that profit from humanity's addiction to material goods. An adjacent street that leads onto the square pays homage to them: rue du Change.