Le Métro

Sometimes a simple smile

transcends language 

Make a difference

Le Métro 10

75008, Paris

 

Joie de vivre!

After a very long day walking all over Paris

it is an absolute joy to find a Metro escalator 

to ride up to the street level.

When I find one,

I do a little happy dance (discretely).

This little girl just thought it was funny - 

what a doll...

(Must be a French girl!)

Rue de Sevres

Metro Sevres-Babylon

75006, Paris

Église Saint-Germain des Prés

Église Saint-Germain des Prés

One of the oldest churches in Paris,

 and it has its own Métro stop.

I have featured this church many times before with historical details, 

but you might like to know that this is a Val d'Osne signpost (totem) 

and it was created in the 1920s with its luminous opaline globe to better

light the Métro entrances.  There are a few that remain. 

 How many have you seen?

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Germain des Prés

3, place Saint-Germain des Prés

75006, Paris

Le Métro - après minuit

The Métro

(after midnight)

Truly, the deep interior of the Métro looks the same day or night, 

but in the very late hours before closing the sounds are amplified.

The clicking of heels, 

the laughter of party-people, 

and often an eerie silence

in the curved halls 

that snake from platform to platform.

Paris Métro after midnight

75008, Paris

la petite avec son papa

little girl with her father

French girl?  

I am not sure as there are not many 

little girls in Paris with such beautiful blond locks.

Perhaps it is Boucles d'Or*

(*Goldilocks)

Paris Metro

75004, Paris

Une femme et le métro

Une femme et le métro

I believe that you are not supposed 

to take photos in the Métro, but...

Do you think she could be any more stylish and chic?

Must be a French girl.

Métro Charles de Gaulle Étoile

75008, Paris

Métro République

Métro Station République

So many of the platforms are changing with  "improvements" so it is said.

This station opened on October 19, 1904 as part of the first section of line 3.

The glass walls that are being added certainly contribute to the safety of the passengers, 

but I prefer to see the seats, the signs, and even the "framed" posters as they are,

unobstructed by the barriers to the tracks.

Where are you headed this weekend?

I am flying away to a petite birthday party!

Métro République
75003, Paris

Le Violoniste

The Violinist

The sounds coming from his violin were clear and mesmerizing.  Asking permission for the photo, he nodded in return.  Clicking twice, I thanked him for his music, dropped a tip, and walked on my way as he gave me the hint of a smile.

I hope that all who passed this corner enjoyed a pleasant break from the noise of the street, replaced by the strains of Bach from this single violinist.

Métro St. Germain des Prés

in front of Église Saint Germain des Prés

75006, Paris

Métro Gare d'Austerlitz

Métro Gare d'Austerlitz

As you look beyond the Métro platform, you can see the trains approach and depart.  So many of the stations now protect the awaiting passengers with glass panels and the view is only be into the darkness of the subway tunnels.  I rather enjoy the few above-ground stations and the ability, for now, to peer down the winding tracks.

If you are vacationing during these holiday weeks, 

be safe and travel well.

Métro Gare d'Austerlitz

Platform, Line 5

75005, Paris

Métro Cité - l'escalier

Cité Métro Station

The exit at this metro station had more stairs than we could count 

and seemed to be even more than the circular ascent at Abesses.  

As great as the exercise was for counteracting 

the effects of French butter and baguettes, 

we found the elevator for our subsequent stops at Cité.

Métro Cité

75004, Paris

le Prélude de Paris - l'orchestre classique de Chatelet

Prélude de Paris
classic orchestra of the Chatelet Métro


Two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) 
you can hear the classic orchestral music of this group 
of conservatory students, music professors, and musician friends.  


The subterranean orchestra will stop you in your tracks 
as the sound of Vivaldi's Four Seasons 
echoes through the many tunnels of Chatelet.  
They play at an intersection/crossing of lines 1 and 4. 

Click here for a brief selection 
of their Vivaldi's Hiver

Prélude de Paris

often heard at Chatelet

lines 1 and 4

75001, Paris

Metro sign

The high post with its lighted "M" is one of my favorite Metro signs
particularly when seen against a clear Paris sky


The season does not matter

Paris Metro Sign

Near Louvre

75001, Paris

Métro Réaumur-Sébastopol - Entrée d'Hector Guimard

Art Nouveau design

These famed entrances designed by Hector Guimard were surrounded in talk and not a little controversy in 1900.  The most elaborate were those with glass canopies, of which three still exist.  

Guimard's design above can be seen all over Paris, and there are 80 of this style with cast-iron balustrades decorated in plant-like motifs still remaining today.  The orange light globes sit atop ornate cast-iron supports in the form of plant stems.  Typical of the Art Nouveau style, the entire design is quite "organic."

Métro Réaumur-Sébastopol - Entrée d'Hector Guimard

Lines 3 et 4

75002, 75003, Paris 

Les Soldes

 

  Les Soldes!

Will soon begin in Paris and in all of France.  The dates for the winter sales in Paris are from the 9th of January and ending on the 12th of February.  

If you will be in St. Barth's or St. Martin in the French West Indes 

the dates are different as are those of Réunion.  

In Paris you will find les Soldes again in the summer.

Métro Bourse

75002, Paris

Métropolitain, la fenêtre, et le Vélib

Rouge times two

Safety in the streets of Paris suggests that one ring the little bell 

and then pull over to the curb.  

One can take photos while riding a Vélib, 

but coming to a complete stop is best.

...and I did

There is more to this story, bien sûr

brrring, brrring!

112, boulevard Raspail

75006, Paris

Métro Notre-Dame des Champs

Le Beaujolais nouveau arrive!

Just look at this lovely ink and watercolor
by dear friend Shell Sherree here!

Métro Champs-Elysées Clemenceau

 

In Lisbon the Metrolitano Picoas station has a very French Guimard entrance, a gift from RATP.  In exchange, the Portuguese ceramist and painter Manuel Cargaleiro created these tiles, giving the Métro Champs-Elysées Clemenceau station a unique atmosphere.   

(Merci à Paris-bise-art) 

Métro Champs-Elysées Clemenceau

Avenue Winston Churchill et

Avenue des Champs Elysées

75008 Paris

Le Métro - the long walk

The Métro de Paris is an easy system to navigate, and with a few simple instructions, color-coded lines, one can cross Paris with ease.  The maps are consistent in the color assigned each of the 16 lines, and the Métro stations themselves are well-marked with signs so you will arrive at the proper platform (headed in the correct direction).   Before you leave a station, a map on the wall will show you the exit(s) and where you will be at street level.  I have found that a compass or an iPhone app with a compass is helpful as you come up to the street in an unfamiliar area.  

The photo above was taken for the chic attire of this Métro passenger, but it reminds me that some of the stations are quite large with long walks to make connections to another line.

What tips do you have for navigating the Métro?