Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have done early when I started my blog way back in Nov’10 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and renew this information; vital for any visitor and resident as well. Paris not only have Parisians but French from every department of France and even some foreign residents and/or citizens who use it every day.  I hope it helps you understand a bit more what Paris is in its metro or subway or tube underground. Of course, remember, this is for historical purposes only, I always prefer to be above ground in Paris !

After having worked in Paris, and living in Versailles nearby for about 9 years, I am amaze at the number of people coming from places where there is no subway.metro:tube and gladly jump in into the Paris metro and rave about it back home. Like it was a tourist attractions; well I like to tell some historical stories of the Paris metro. I will try to write a bit on each line ,sort of like an historical anecdote rather than photos, maybe one if can find it. The story is the important thing here.

Paris has 16 metro lines so far, and it was not the first one to have one. It all started with the idea of hosting the Universal Expo of 1900, so to be ready work on the metro began in 1897. Today I will talk about line 13 of the metro de Paris.

This line came about from the union of line B of the north south network company and the old line 14 of the CMP. It links the cities of the suburbs, and it is the longest line in the Paris metro with 22,5 kms of tracks.

We start our journey at Saint Denis-Porte de Paris, it link the town of Saint Denis with Paris; open in 1976. Here you have in a working class neighborhood, another wonder of France, the Basilique Saint Denis, the art gothic at its best it is a necropole of French royalty. It was here that in the 5C the tomb of Saint Denis was laid. The first king put here was Dagobert in 693! and was name the official resting place of all French kings in 1122 after efforts by the abbey Suger.  Very much damaged during the French revolution,it was Louis XVIII that gave it dimension by tranfering the remains of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette,and renovated by Napoleon I continue under Napoleon III. see it a 1 place de la Légion d’Honneur. You come into the main sport stadium in France, the Stade de France at Rue Francis de Pressensé.

We continue to Garibaldi, opened in 1952 after one of the founding fathers of the Italian nation. The access to the flea market of Paris at St Ouen where every weekend 150K persons walk by 2500 stands. The marché des puces see the wonderful markets within a market such as marché Vernaison, 99 rue des Rosiers or 136 ave Michelet, marché Antica next to it, the marché Malassis by 142 rue des Rosiers, Marché Dauphine by 132-140 rue des Rosiers, marché Biron by 85 rue des Rosiers or 118 rue Michelet ,Marché Serpette by 110 rue des Rosiers, Marche Paul Bert by 96 rue des Rosiers or 18 rue Paul Bert ,and Marché des Rosiers by 3 rue Paul Bert. YOu can have a drink at Le Louis XV, 94 avenue Gabriel Péri.

We stop by now at Guy Môquet, opened in 1911 under the name of Marcadet,then named Marcadet-Balagny, a year later, then after WWII on 1946 it change in honor of Guy Môquet a young French communist shot dead by the nazis in firing squad at the age of 17. You see here the Village des Epinettes, that you can access by rue Félix Pécaut at the north or rue Maria Deraismes to the east, rue Gallette to the south or rue Jean Leclaire to the west. It was part of the village of Batignoles annex to Paris in 1860, a very nice old Paris area to walk by. see the Cité des Fleurs, access by avenue de Clichy at the level of metro Brochant or by the rue de la Jonquiére. Created in 1847 is a village inside a village, here Catherine Deneuve and sister Françoise Dorléac were born in 1943. You come to see the cimetiére des Batignolles or cementary, at 8 rue Saint Just; done in 1833, here between 900 trees lies André Breton, Paul Verlaine, and Ray Ventura amongst others. You do your shopping at the Marché de l’avenue de Saint Ouen. and get a nice French meal at Le Refuge des Moines at 85 rue des Moines.

Now we arrive at the area where I do my Spanish groceries by car of course: this is Brochant, opened in 1912, you can walk in the park parc Clichy-Batignolles Martin Luther King, by rue Cardinet; done in 1970,by the old train station of Cardinet with 100k sq meters.The nice square des Batignolles, at place Charles Fillon, ,and the village des Batignolles, very nice traditional Paris streets away from the crowds. Have a glass and meal at Les Puces des Batignolles, 110 rue Legendre, and do your Spanish shopping  at Cap HIspania ,23 Rue Jouffroy d’Abbans. We move in to Miromesnil, opened in 1923 on the line 9 and since 1973 on the line 13. The first of line 13 to be equipped with protection doors in the platform. Here you see the magnificent Church Saint Augustin, 8 avenue César Caire, built between 1860-1871 with a dome of 50 meters, the first to be done in metal and glass, wonderful. Here you can walk too to the Chapelle Expiatoire et square Louis XVI; at the spot where the remains of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were found and later transfer to Basilique de Saint Denis. You ,also, worthwhile to see the Church Saint Philippe-du-Roule, 154 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, built between 1774-1784. See the wonderful Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 blvd Haussmann, treasure of Italian paintings and great cafe Jacquemart-André inside. See, also the famous concert hall Salle Gaveau, 45 rue La Boétie done in 1908, high ground of classical music in Paris. The Hotel Bristol at 112 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré,and another of my hangouts at L’Evasion, 7 pl Saint Augustin or Le Carré, 12 pl Saint Augustin  to have a drink light meal and see the world go by you.

You arrive now at Varenne, opened in 1923,on the line 10,then in 1937 to line 14,and then finally in 1976 to line 13. During the WWII this station was closed while the French government was at Vichy, the station reopen in 1962. See the Hotel Matignon, 57 rue de Varenne ,one of the most beautiful mansions of Paris, and from 1937 houses the chief of State, and built in 1720. The owners were the count or comte de Matignon, then Princes of Monaco, then Talleyrand, Napoleon Ier,and finaly in 1922 France buys it. See the wonderful walks at rue de Grenelle, around the Invalides, the building of the national French Education is at no 110 angle with rue de Bellechasse.See the hotel de Châtelet at no 127, hotel de Villars at no 118, that house the shop of Delacroix,and the grand hotel Villars where the present mayor’s office of the 7éme arrondissement is located. Go on to No 85 for the Hotel d’Avaray and next the Hotel d’Estrées that houses the Russian embassy. Move over to Rue de Varenne, and continue the wonderful architecture with at no 47 hotel de Boisgelin, and hotel Gallifet at no 50, that houses the services of the Italian embassy. Continue on rue de Breteuil, from the place Vauban along the hotel des Invalides, there you see a tea tree as one of the oldest in Paris,and it is here that the most rich families of Paris live. You can see the wonderful Musée Rodin, 79 rue de Varenne, done in 1730 the hotel Biron, and by 1919 the museum is opened. The great sculptor Rodin. See the unique Cinema La Pagode at 57bis rue Babylone, a wonderful Japonese room, the cinema built in 1896.  New birth and renovation of it thanks to new American owner Charles Cohen. In 1931 the cinema opens to the public,and shows films of Jean Cocteau like the Testament d’Orphée in 1959. You have a very nice cafe as Cafe du Musée Rodin inside the museum, and Le Basilic, 2 rue Casimir Perier for real beef lovers.

Now we reach Gaité,  open on line 14 in 1937 ,and then to line 13 in 1976. You see the Church Notre Dame du Travail, 36 rue Guillemnot, done between 1899-1901 to house the working class of the district. Here lies the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson at 2 impasse Lebois, a temple of photography in Paris! built in 1912 and the fondation here since 2003. See wonderful rue de la Gaité, a different area than Montparnasse where you find the théatre Bobino done in 1867, to house great music idols such as Leo Ferré,and Georges Brassens. Théatre du Montparnasse at no 31 and finally enjoy the Comedie Italienne at no 17 and the théatre de la Gaité montparnasse at no 26. You can drink and food with great ambiance at the western the l’Indiana Club, 77 avenue du Maine, late opening and cards games right on the tables for fun, 11 pool tables, DJ music varied and theater concerts , the works!

We end up our tour at the Porte de Vanves, opened in 1937 for over 40 years the terminus of line 14, enlarge in 1976 and taken by line 13. You see here the nice Parc Georges Brassens, at the old village of Vaugirard annexed to Paris in 1860, It rends hommage to the singer that lives a great part of his life nearby at 9 impasse Florimont then at 42 rue Santos-Dumont, entrance to park by rue des Morillons.You have a great market here at Puces de la porte de Vanves, entrance on Avenue Marc Sangnier, and the old books market at Marché du livre ancien et d’occasion, 104 rue Brancion. Have a glass and meal at Le Grand Pan where Georges Brassens still can be sense, at 20 rue Rosenwald.

And there you folks, another Paris dandy ride, I have taken it often and full of efforts underground but a quick way to get around and see things while in my eternal Paris. I hope you have enjoyed the tour on line 13 of the metro de Paris

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

I have done early when I started my blog way back in Nov’10 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and renew this information; vital for any visitor and resident as well. Paris not only have Parisians but French from every department of France and even some foreign residents and/or citizens who use it every day.  I hope it helps you understand a bit more what Paris is in its metro or subway or tube underground. Of course, remember, this is for historical purposes only, I always prefer to be above ground in Paris !

After having worked in Paris, and living in Versailles nearby for about 9 years, I am amaze at the number of people coming from places where there is no subway.metro:tube and gladly jump in into the Paris metro and rave about it back home. Like it was a tourist attractions; well I like to tell some historical stories of the Paris metro. I will try to write a bit on each line ,sort of like an historical anecdote rather than photos, maybe one if can find it. The story is the important thing here.

Paris has 16 metro lines so far, and it was not the first one to have one. It all started with the idea of hosting the Universal Expo of 1900, so to be ready work on the metro began in 1897. Today I will talk about line 12 of the metro de Paris

It has 13,8 km of tracks, traverse the city from north to southwest; the first track opened in 1910 from Porte de Versailles to Notre Dame-de-Lorette.  There is a tunnel underneath Montmartre traversing the gypsun rocks to go to Jules Joffrin in 1912. The stations of Abbesses and Lamarck-Caulaincourt are 36 and 25 meters deep respectively.

We begin this rich ride at Abbesses,  opened in 1912, with 36 meters deep, and a nice stair in a helicoidale form, the name comes from the abbey from 1133 Dames de Montmartre. It had 45 abbesses until the revolution stop all, the only remains of the times is the Church of St Pierre. The main sight thus is the famous and magnificent Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, main entrance 35 rue du Chevalier-de-la-Barre; started built in 1877 and done 40 years later; with a wonderful view of the city of Paris below it.  The church is 94 meters high, a crypt covers all its superficie,and the dome has the biggest  mosaics tiles in the world with a great bell call “savoyarde”. To reach the dome you need 237 steps up. Another imposing church and less known, is the Church Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre at 18 rue des Abbesses, named by the locals Notre Dame des briques or bricks; built between 1894 and 1904. The first church to be build with solid wire cement. The colorful but by now highly touristic Place du Tertre, going down to the place des Abbesses, full of characters there. You move over to the Bateau-Lavoir, at 13 place Emile Goudeau, the fauvism and cubism at its greatest glory in painting is here. You have the nice théatre des Abbesses, done in 1996, to complement the one in Chatelet at 31 rue des Abbesses. Have a drink at Le Saint-Jean,23 rue des Abbesses. Have a meal at the historic A La Pomponnette, 42 rue Lepic, It is here that Poulbot starts the cry for the Republic of Montmartre, still held by the descendant of the original owner Arthur Delcroix, French cuisine with a twist. You can enjoy Chez Eugéne, right in the pl du Tertre as well (one family souvenirs). We continue to Pigalle, opened in 1902; after the famous sculptur of Madame de Pompadour M. Pigalle. You see here the Cité du Midi, at 48 blvd de Clichy,quiet provincial heavens in a fast pace area,see the old baths of Pigalle at No 12. Walk by avenue Frochot, with a huge grill door, nice homes, where Django Rheinhardt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, and you can do it too. For parties the mythical Le Bus Palladium, 6 rue Fontaine, from 1960, and the chic La Fourmi, 74 rue des Martyrs. Plenty to see other than the famous sex shops around here, which are less today!

We continue our journey to Saint-Georges, opened in 1911. Walk around the lovely place Saint Georges, great architecture, and Sand and Chopin met Bizet in the Square Orléans. At no 27 the politicians were arrested at the hotel Thiers while a coup d’Etat of Napoleon III in 1851. Not far from here Truffaut does the Le Dernier Métro in the little theater high up in rue Saint Georges. See the cité Malesherbes, near ave Frochot , here at No 5 lived Ludovic Lepic the initiator of the impressionists. Have a glass and see the world at Le Bergerac,13 rue Notre Dame de la Lorette. See the unique Musée de la vie Romantique at the mansion Hotel Scheffer-Renan and see the romantic life as per George Sand, Lamartine,and Delacroix at 16 rue Chaptal. Move over to our next stop at Trinité-D’Estienne D’Orves, one of my romantic areas in Paris, the station was opened in 1910 in reference to the church. Here the heroes of the French resistance established the first radio communication between France and London. The man was Count Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves, betrayed captured by the nazis, transfer to Berlin, the nazi tribunal was so impress by his bravery,that asked for his grace to Hitler, never mind he was shot in firing squad execution at the Mont Valérien (Suresnes dept 92) on August 29th, 1941. You must see the Church de la Trinité, built in 1861, very nice at place d’Estienne d’Orves. have a nice drink and view the world at Café du Mogador, 57 Chaussée d’Antin. Walk the Rue de la Tour des Dames, quartier or district of intellectuals, such as No 1 Mademoiselle Mars, No 3 Mademoiselle Duchesnoir, friend of Victor Hugo. See the wonderful Musée Gustave-Moreau, created while he was still alive, by the master of Matisse and influential of André Breton, painting of its best, see at 14 rue de La Rochefoucauld. Go see the théatre Mogador, at 25 rue de Mogador built in 1913, as a london music hall imitation, named Palace Theatre, change name in 1919 the old name of the city of Essauoira in Morocco and with the opening presence of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  If need to chose this is my favorite theater in Paris.

We are now at my favorite train station in Paris, because to go to work in Paris went by it for five years straight. Saint Lazare, opened in  1904, and still one of the stations the most traveled in the Paris metro system. You can see the the sculpture L’Heure pour tous by Arman at the cours de Havre. The station took its name from the rue Saint Lazare and the train stationi SNCF. It is the second busiest train station in Europe!!! the hall of the salle des pas perdu dates from 1854. It has now a nice gallery of stores including a the first  Burger King in Paris. You come to see a wonderful monument ,Chapelle Expiatoire at 29 rue Pasquier, built in 1861 at the same spot where the remains of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette before been transfer to the Basilique de Saint Denis in 1815. The chapel was covered by the personal funds of Louis XVIII .The name expiatoire was because it was never use as a chapel, just remembrance. The altar is the precise spot of the remains of Louis XVI were found. Chateaubriand call it the “possibly the best remarcable monument in Paris”, and I agree…. You see and I used to past by every day the Lycée Condorcet, built in 1803, it was once named after Bonaparte, then Bourbon, Fontanes, and finally Condorcet. A prestigious high school or lycée of France, some of its disciples were Marcel Proust and Alexandre Dumas pére,, others were Desjardins, Jaurés, Mallarmé, Merleau-Ponty,Pagnol, Poulenc,and Sartre. it is at 8 rue du Havre. You come for a drink and great seafood at Brasserie Mollard, 115 rue Saint Lazare, go shopping at CC du Passage du Havre, two levels and FNAC, you see the wonderful cinema Les Cinq Caumartin, from 1939 at 101 rue Saint Lazare, see the Casino de Paris,16 rue de Clichy, done in 1730 by duke of Richelieu, built for his amusement the folie Richelieu,  then a place of spectacles in 1811, a skating ring was built ,the Church de la Trinité was moved a bit further by Haussmann, in 1880 the Palace Théatre was done, then in WWI, the Casino took its place,and by 1930, the director offered Josephine Baker  a leopard as gift name Chiquita, she sings here, many memories here. You see the Church Saint Louis d’Antin at 63 rue Caumartin, at the request of Louis XVI in 1782, the church was done, stop service during the French revolution, came back to the cult in 1795, and parish church in 1802.

We move across river to the Assemblée Nationale , opened in 1910, until 1989 it was name Chambre des Députées. One of the places of government in France, the house of representatives equivalent if can do some comparaisons. Of course like many things in France, this was the palace Bourbon-Sicile in the monarchy days. The nice bridge I cross all the time in my car, Pont de la Concorde linking the quai des Tuileries to Orsay, done with the stones from the Bastille in 1791. You see the wonderful Palais Bourbon, annexed, guarded by the Republican guards, and the seat of the govt since 1798, itself built in 1726, dressed with corinthians columns in 1806, to replica the Church of the Madeleine that faces it across the Seine, see the palais Bourbon at 126 rue de l’Université and 33 quai d’Orsay. See the wonderful Hotel de Brienne, at 14 rue Saint Dominique, built in the 17C houses today the Ministry of Defense. It was once the home of the mother of Napoleon I, purchase by the State in 1817. Georges Clemenceau prepares victory in WWI here from 1917,and De Gaulle makes two grand speeches from here in 1940, and from 1944-1946 See the Basilique Saint Clotilde, 23bis rue Las Cases, done in 1856,and church since 1857, given title of Basilica by Pope Leon XIII on the occasion of the 1900 years of CLovis baptisme to honor his wife Clotilde. King Clovis of the Francs ,as in France get it, and wife was Wisigoth and Christian who converted him for the battle of his life in 496, then all French kings are crown at same spot Reims Cathedral. Have a glass at Le Concorde, 239 blvd Saint Germain, see if you are poet at Club des Poétes, 30 rue de Bourgogne founded in 1961. Have a nice meal at Chez Francoise, aerogarde Air France des Invalides, an institution since 1949, with live jazz on Saturday evenings. And of course, the Tante Marguerite,(changename same  owners now call  Loiseau Rive Gauche) ; 5 rue de Bourgogne, great food by the late chef Bernard Loiseau, his staff continues the tradition.

We reach Solférino, opened in 1910; For a great battle in Solferino , Lombardie Italy in 1859 then agains the Austrians, this huge battle of many dead 40 000 French troop led by Napoleon III beat the Austrain emperor Franzs- Joseph, from this a man Henri Durant a Swiss, established the Red Cross with its first convention in Geneva in 1864. He receives the Nobel Peace Prize n 1901 before his death in 1910. Here of course, you see the monumental Musée d’Orsay, 62 rue de Lille, an old train station destroyed by the communards in 1871, survive possible destruction in 1970,and save into the museum we see today. Across it ,you see the Musée de la Legion d’Honneur, 2 rue de la Légion d’Honneur, it was this building called the Palace of Siam done in 1782, burned by the communards again,,,The American Thomas Jefferson was one of its most admirers; the museum houses the souvenirs of Napoleon that created it in 1802. Other beauty nearby is the Hotel de Beauharnais, 78 rue de Lille, first stone done in 1713, attached to the other hotel de Seignelay, it was the home of the son of Joséphine ,wife of Napoleon I, and decorated by her. It is one of the best decoration examples of Napoleon I Egyptian campaign. The prince sold the hotel to the Prussian delegation in 1817,and today its the embassy of Germany in Paris. The gorgeous and historical La Maison de l’Amérique Latine, 217 blvd Saint Germain, with its French gardens, and wonderful Latin Americans specialties, great food indeed. The other jewel La Maison des Polytechniciens –Restaurant Le Poulpry done in 1703, and where my oldest son had an internship cook period; 12 rue de Poitiers, just lovely surroundings real Paris.

Move over to Rue du Bac,  opened in 1910, named Motte, then renovated in 1984. In 1550, a long boat call a bac was used to descend to the Seine here, now its the quai Voltaire. It serves for the construction of the palais des Tuileries in 1579. See here the Prime Minister’ home at Hôtel Matignon, 57 rue de Varenne, built in 1722; with an interior park of 3 hectares done in 1902. See the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons at 57-59 rue de Grenelle it once provided water to Paris. Voltaire critic the size of the fountain,and wasteful funds in 1739. See the wonderful Hotel de Roquelaure, 246 blvd Saint Germain, the seat of the ministry of ecology etc, built in 1724, with a beautiful room of shells! See the uniquely nice, Church Saint Thomas d’Aquin or St Thomas Aquinas at place Saint Thomas d’Aquin, started construction in 1682, finished in 1769. In 1791 it was the parish church and place under his orders, before it was name church of Saint Dominique. See the unique museum of glass or musée de Verre, 31 rue Saint Guillaume, no visit heard it is own now by an American, but  great architecture with metal and glass to admire from the street.  See the Musée des Lettres et des Manuscrits, at 222 blvd Saint Germain, built in 1608,you have the letter done by Louis XVI to all French before departing to escape at Varenne (today private and not visited but see from outside).  You will miss seeing the boule de Moulins, from the name fo that city,  during the war in 1870 were not getting letters to Paris so they put like 700 inside a canon ballast and put afloat on the river ,the last was founded in 1980! Another nice museum, Musée Maillol, 61 rue de Grenelle, showing the painting and sculptures of Maillol,and other such as  Gauguin, Bonnard, Redon,Kandisky,and Poliakoff. For delicious chocolates and French come to Maison de Chocolats Debauve et Gallais, 30 rue des Saint-Péres, the pharmacist of Louis XVI was Sulpice Debauve,he finally opened the store with the help of his nephew in 1800,and became the supplier to  Louis XVIII,Charles X, and Louis Philippe. pure delight. And for exotique Paris see the store Deyrolle Taxidermiste, 46 rue du Bac, stuff animals since 1931;weird!

We move on to Rennes,  It was an old phantom station closed since 1939,and finally reopened in 1968. until 2004 its hours were reduced to closing by 20h,Sundays,and Holidays. Now its as normal as any other station. See here the Chapelle Saint Joseph des Carmes, 70 rue de Vaugiraud, done in 1620, it served as prison during the revolution,and known massacres of Sept 1792, when 116 priests were killed. The Chapel today is part of the Institut Catholique. Walk the wonderful Rue du Cherche-Midi, a solar cadran was at the origin this old Roman road was call Chasse Midi, later renamed to Chemin de Vaugirard in 1388! At no 40 you see statue of count or Comte de Rochambeau, who was at the head of French troops helping the American rebels gained independance from England and aide in the American victory at Yorktown. at no 44, the home of Garat, the succesor of Danton at the ministry of justice, and the one who announced the arrest of Louis XVI. At no 47, the couple Paul and Laura Lafargue, the daughter of Karl Marx lived. The two took their life in 1911, to avoide the arrival of old age…at no 85 and 87, the hotel du Petit-Montmorency, decorated with macaroons from 1743,the home and shop of painter Ernest Hébert, converted into museum in 1933. Here my culinary tastes has taken me to La Maison du Jardin at 27 rue de Vaugirard, near the jardin du Luxembourg, great French food.

And we end our ride at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, opened too in 1910, named after the church in blvd Montparnasse,and the underground entry to the greens of the Jardin du Luxembourg or as locals call it “luco” . Of course, we start to see the Jardin du Luxembourg, done in 1617 for Marie de Médicis.The great Le Nôtre had its hands on the gardens from 1635; great decorations of nature all over, main entrances by Place Edmond Rostand, rue Guynemer, and rue Vaugiraud. Inside see the Palais du Sénat or the French govt Senate; the building was done in 1612, it has been a royal palace, prison, then national palace in 1792, many famous spent prison here such as Danton, Fabre d’Eglatine and David. We need to wait to 1814 for Gisors to built the semi circle chairs that is part of the Senate today. You see around here the unique Musée Zadkine, 110bis rue d’Assas, born in 1890 in Russia,and frequent the Montparnasse of the years 1910, In 1981 he gives all his properties and creations so that a museum be done by his wife. See the funny Théatre des Marionnettes, inside the jardin too, great for children since 1933 by the great Guignol. See outside the Le Lucernaire, 53 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, theater, art expo hall, photo, library very nice events. Have a meal at Le Timbre or the stamp, 3 rue Sainte Beuve, small like a stamp but delicious French food but the chef is English, Chris Wright! Have a drink at Le Pasteur, 35 blvd Pasteur.

And there you go something to sunk yourselves into the most beautiful city in the world, Paris of course. And enjoy the tour on line 12 of the metro de Paris!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

I have done early when I started my blog way back in Nov’10 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and renew this information; vital for any visitor and resident as well. Paris not only have Parisians but French from every department of France and even some foreign residents and/or citizens who use it every day.  I hope it helps you understand a bit more what Paris is in its metro or subway or tube underground. Of course, remember, this is for historical purposes only, I always prefer to be above ground in Paris !

After having worked in Paris, and living in Versailles nearby for about 9 years, I am amaze at the number of people coming from places where there is no subway.metro:tube and gladly jump in into the Paris metro and rave about it back home. Like it was a tourist attractions; well I like to tell some historical stories of the Paris metro. I will try to write a bit on each line ,sort of like an historical anecdote rather than photos, maybe one if can find it. The story is the important thing here.

Paris has 16 metro lines so far, and it was not the first one to have one. It all started with the idea of hosting the Universal Expo of 1900, so to be ready work on the metro began in 1897. Today I will talk about line 11 of the metro de Paris.

This line is totally underground, and is 6,2 kms long, being the shortest regular metro line. Also,none of its stations have change name since its beginning in 1935. It goes from Chatelet to Marie des Lilas. The station Telegraphe is cement reinforce of more than 20 meters deep, from 1944-45 it was under direct control of the Nazis. The line 11 was the first metro line in the world to have pneumatics material done so in 1956.

I start my trip at Place des Fêtes, opened in 1911, in honor of the festivities of the village of Belleville. Here you have the wonderful Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, done in 1867, wished for by Napoleon III, and in it great gymsun stone that was even shipped to the United States. This is why the area is call the district of the Americas with main entrance at 1 rue Botzaris. At the angle of rue Compans, and rue Augustin Thierry, an overlook site dates from 1583! one of the vestiges of numerous aqueducts that drained the waters of Belleville since the 12C, walking along rue de Mouzia, you see wonderful flowery homes popular of homes from the 1840’s.  The best here for a drink and meal is the Le Voyageur, 138 ave Parmentier, and the Rosa Bonheur,2 allée de la Cascade, you danse and drink at the place of a popular painter from the second half of the 19C.

We arrive at Porte de Lilas, here inmortalised by songs of Gainsbourg, and the scene of several movies such as the Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, and Elle a fait un bébé tout seule, etc. You see the Cimetiére de Belleville, at 40 rue du Telégraphe,  the telegraphe optique was practice here from 1790-1798. You have the wonderful pool of Piscine Georges-Vallerey, 148 ave Gambetta, built for the occasion of the 1924 Olympic Games, where Johnny Weissmuller, the future Tarzan ,vgot the record in the 400 meters freestyle.vAt the Church Notre Dame -des-Otages,v81 rue Haxo, see the trace of the assassination of 52 national guards in 1871 at rue du Borrego.

Not much else to tell on this line, other belongs more in other lines so very short. However, good to mention it if doing a bit of my favorites stops, and direct link to them of all 14 especially the stop at Châtelet.

Hope you enjoy the ride on line 11 of the Metro de Paris, and the other posts on it. Best to get to see Paris above ground but if in a hurry, then the metro is ok; it is not a tourist attraction as claim by some enthusiasts visitors…

The map of the metro de Paris and links to all lines and modes of transports in Paris is here: Official RATP public transports of Paris

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!