Paris1972-Versailles2003

For several years it was my job entry point to Paris from my beloved rive droite train station in Versailles. The neighborhood became mine for ins and outs, lunch, sightseeing, and shopping. I have seen the transformation from an old train station to a modern one with a great shopping gallery. Once again, found older new pictures not in my blog that should be in, so, therefore, let me tell you more of the Gare Saint Lazare of Paris !!!

Of course, it is a memorable train station even if not taken it for several years now too, The Gare Saint Lazare train station will be in mind forever, memories never to go away. Not your fan of public transport if you followed me but sometimes for one reason or another they were needed in my belle France to take them. Some of the memories was the work days when had late arrivals or departures due to technical problems on the tracks lol!  Back then, upon arriving at Saint Lazare I walked 18 minutes to the office same time as taking the public transport but you see Paris, glorious grand department stores, Madeleine, rue Saint Honoré, passing by rue de Rivoli , like I said once in Paris, walk. If this is not possible, than use the Bus, see Paris above ground, much better !!! The train station last numbers I have from 2019, took in over 100 millions passangers !!

Always with a bit of history as feel is needed to understand what we see ! The first train station, the West Pier was built in 1837 in front of the Place de l’Europe to connect Paris to Saint Germain en Laye (Yvelines 78), it was the first of the railway terminals. A new station was built, from 1842 to 1853,at rue Saint Lazare from which it takes the name, The name of rue Saint-Lazare refers to the patron saint of lepers in the Catholic religion, Lazarus of Bethany. Because rue Saint-Lazare, there was an old leprosarium, a leper hospital called “clos Saint-Lazare”.  The current facade was built from 1885 to 1889 to accommodate travelers attracted by the Universal Exhibition of 1889. The former Hotel Terminus is erected between two squares, the Cour du Havre and the Cour de Rome. It was the Grand Hotel Terminus, later change name to Concorde Opera Paris Hotel, and now is the Hilton Paris Opéra Hotel, Two six-meter-high accumulation works of art by Arman have been placed in the courtyards of Gare St Lazare: Consigne à vie in the courtyard of Rome and l’Heure de tous in the courtyard of Le Havre.

The Gare Saint-Lazare is served by the RER E line on the RER A in case of a breakdown of interconnection in Nanterre-prefecture, the trains destined for Cergy-le-Haut were terminus and origin Paris-Saint-Lazare, joining the normal route from Houilles-Carriéres-sur-Seine. The Saint-Lazare metro station is on Lines 3, 12, 13 and 14. A corridor connects Saint-Augustin station from line 9 to Saint-Lazare station on line 14 and, as a result, to Gare Saint-Lazare. It is possible to reach the Opéra station from Saint-Augustin and Saint-Lazare by going to the RER E quays and then taking the corridors leading to the Metro lines 7 and 8 at the Opéra station and at the Auber station of the RER A. Warn you long trek walking under ground.

The new great shopping center Saint Lazare in the train station, superb, we went from Morbihan there just to see the opening! Webpage : https://st-lazare-paris.klepierre.fr/

These are the public transport choices out of the Gare Saint Lazare !!!

Exit or Sortie 1 Cour de Rome, 2 Place du Havre, 3 Passage du Havre shopping center or centre commercial, 4 Galerie des Marchands station mall, 5 Rue Intérieure, 6 Place Gabriel Péri, 7 Rue de l’Arcade, 8 Rue d’Amsterdam, 9 Cour du Havre, 10 Rue de Caumartin, and 11 Rue Saint Lazare.  The station is served by The RATP Bus Network lines 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 43, 53, 66, 80, 81, 94, 95 and 528 , At night, by the Noctilien bus Network lines N01, N02, 15, 16, 51, N52, N53, N150, N151, N152 , N153 and N154, Buses 95,81,and 27 are great sightseeing too and cheaper than the tourist buses….They are at terminus in the .cour de Rome, place Gabriel Péri and rue St-Lazare.

The SNCF information on the Saint Lazare train station : https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/fr/gares-services/paris-saint-lazare

The Transilien regional transports site on Gare Saint Lazare: https://www.transilien.com/fr/gare/paris-saint-lazare-8738400 

The Paris tourist office on the Gare Saint Lazare: https://en.parisinfo.com/transport/73404/Gare-Saint-Lazare

There you go folks, a memorable  Gare Saint Lazare train station indeed, full of nice memorable moments and good cheers. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I

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

I ,again, need to expand on a previous post relating to the école military of Paris  It gave the opportunity to tell you a bit more on this grand institution with the history of France. In my walks of Paris I come to see many nice buildings, the école militaire has always caught my eyes. It was near my old HQ office so even visiting now takes extra time around there.  You can always look up my other post with more pictures and description of it, For now ,hope you enjoy the view of the Ecole Militaire of Paris !! as I.

The realization of the Ecole Militaire is due to the architect Ange Jacques Gabriel built between 1751 and 1768 in the plain of Grenelle during the reign of Louis XV. The main entrance is on avenue de la Motte piquet, facing the Champ de Mars with the Eiffel Tower at the other end. In 1751, King Louis XIV asked Ange-Jacques Gabriel to draw the plans for a larger and more grandiose building than the Hôtel des Invalides, (see post) already built by Louis XIV. In 1878, the Superior School of War was opened, in 1911 sets up the center for advanced military studies.

The War of the Austrian Succession finally ended and France, although victorious, counted and mourned its dead. The Marshal of Saxe, on the strength of his experience in combat, encouraged King Louis XV to create a veritable royal military school intended to to train 500 young boys, poor and wealthy alike, in an imposing and richly decorated military school in which the best officers in the country will be trained… In short, a tremendous testimony to the superiority of the reign of Louis XV. Work began on September 13, 1751 with the digging of the great well. The numerous wars waged by Louis XV completely emptied the banks and the architect struggled to raise the necessary funds to continue the work. In order not to have to give up on the opening of the school, it was chosen to welcome only a limited number of students and to accommodate them in the service buildings temporarily converted into dormitories and classrooms. In 1756, the institution finally opened its doors to 200 young men. The project got bogged down and finally, in 1760, the king gave up on building the institution as he had dreamed of with Gabriel. It was then decided that it would be divided between the école militaire and the Royal College of La Flèche. On July 5, 1768, the king himself laid the first stone of the chapel in the shape of a cross and twelve years later, the work was finally completed. Throughout the duration of the project, the school has already welcomed hundreds of cadets to train them in military professions. The most famous of them answered to the famous name of Napoléon Bonaparte.

Seven years after the end of the works, the école militaire closed its doors. Abandoned, the buildings were completely looted during the French revolution of 1789. For many years, the old institution served in turn as a depot, then as a barracks and was enlarged to finally take on the appearance that we knows it today. It will be necessary to wait until the end of the 19C for the building to finally regain its primary vocation which had been torn from it: military training. Since then, the institution has continued to train officers.

The École de guerre or War School prepares the best senior officers of the French armies, friends and allies to become the military leaders of tomorrow, Webpage :https://ecoledeguerre.paris/presentation/

Access to the Strategic Research Institute of the Military School (IRSEM) located within the grounds of the école militaire, a large complex of buildings in the perspective of the Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. Various ministerial and interministerial organizations are located there. Visitors are welcomed at n°1, place Joffre 7éme. The presentation of a valid identity document is mandatory. Webpage: https://www.irsem.fr/en/index.html

The official école militaire place of memory :https://ecole-militaire-lieu-de-memoire.fr/

The Paris tourist office on the école militaire: https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71338/Ecole-Militaire

There you go folks, another dandy in my eternal Paris, This is a must on heritage day or the visit to the IRSEM indeed worth it, The école Militaire is a monument to French history right in the heart of Paris, and glad to be by there on visits and business around the corner, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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