Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have done when I started my blog way back in Nov’2010 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and reduce the non essentials and leave the 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 metro or subway or tube underground is all about. Of course, remember, this is my take condense information there is a book on the metro !! Therefore, here is my take on the Metro de Paris , part III !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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 you above ground is better but anyway here is the metro of Paris, It has 16 metro lines so far.

I will talk about line 6 of the Paris metro. This line open in 1900 to  1906. It is 13,6 kms long with 6,1 kms above ground, with pneumatic equipement since 1974, and one of the nicest lines in the Paris metro, me think.   We begin our ride at Trocadero, this is when Chaillot was still a village and a palace of Spanish mudejar style was built inspired by the Giralda of Sevilla ,it was replaced by todays Palais de Chaillot in 1937, and it was here that the Declaration of Human Rights was signed on December 10 1948, and on 1985 the square was named the Parvis des Droits de l’Homme. The first attraction is the Palais de Chaillot,where many museums such as the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, musée national de la Marine, musée de l’Homme et Chaillot -Théâtre national de la Danse. all at 17 pl du Trocadero. You can be seen at the Esplanade du Trocadero with a great view of the Eiffel tower, and the Jardins du Trocadero all the way to the Seine river. There is a nice aquarium of Paris, 2 avenue des Nations Unis.

You now stop at Passy, in the old village of Passy annexed to Paris in 1860. The station was opened in 1903, with a viaduc done in 1903-1906 to connect with Bir-Hakeim. This is walkable Paris at its best, take rue des Eaux to come to Rue Raynouard, building falling into the Seine, at No 47 the Maison Balzac, also live there Maupassant and where stayed Benjamin Franklin, narrow streets like rue Berton where Balzac loves to walk too, see the Théatre du Ranelagh and a bit further the carrefour de la Muette,where a castle once stood , and go on to have a sip and history at the Musée du Vin, 5 square Charles Dickens, Move on to nearby Bir-Hakeim, that open in 1906 under the name Grenelle while taken the current name in 1949. Here you see the magnificent Tour Eiffel, enough said. The Pont Bir-Hakeim many times walk over and drive over, as my office is just around the corner for meetings in Paris, and it is wonderful, (see post) ,it was here that the Le Dernier Tango à Paris (and one reason for the name in my blog…) was filmed, the bridge was rebuilt in 1905, and was name in 1848 after the battle of Bir-Hakeim, by quai de Grenelle. The mysterious Île aux Cygnes host since 1889 a replica of the Statue of Liberty, take the stairs at the level of the bridge, We move away to another area ,Edgar Quinet, open from 1906, in the Montparnasse , where you can see the famous Cimetiere de Montparnasse with final resting of Samuel Beckett,Charles Baudelaire, etc. at 3 blvd Edgar Quinet , Move over to Corvisart, open in 1906, after the personal doctor of Napoleon Ier ,in the village of Gentilly ,annexed of Paris in 1860. Here you see the pool or piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles, done in 1924,and one of the oldest in Paris. We have arrive at that other gare, Bercy, also annexed to Paris in 1860; the station opened in 1909. the viaduc of the metro with a lenght of 171 meters was done with metallic tablet in 41 arcades, the train station Bercy is attached to line 14 when it opened in 1998. The parc de Bercy, with 14 hectares is one of the biggest in Paris right next to Bercy Village. The wonderful passarelle simone de Beauvoir linking the parc de Bercy with the Bibliothéque Nationale.

I will talk about line 7 of the Paris metro. This line has 18,6 kms, took 70 years to do all stations and is completely underground. It criss cross Paris from north east to south east with 38 stations, the first station was done in 1910 from porte de la Villette to Opéra. It has two directional segments at Mairie d’Ivry and Villejuif-Aragon. We start our ride at Gare de l’Est, emblematic because when I first came to know what would be my wife Martine, we met here on her way to her home then in Meaux. Many memories now she has passed away. 30/04/2018,. It was first named Gare de le’Est-Verdun; where it is richly ornated with Verdun and Strasbourg,  main parvis at Rue du 8 mai 1945.

You come more into central Paris at Pyramides, opened in 1916, after the victory of Napoleon over the mamelouks at Mourad Bey in 1798. The nice Church Saint-Roch at 296 rue Saint-Honoré, done in 1655  by Louis XIV and Anne of Austria who put the first stone.It is the parrish of artists where Le Notre, Corneille, and Diderot were enterred. Admiral (Count) Grasse who helped block the harbor then of Yorktown and help US independance has his heart here in a column of this church, See the wonderful Théatre du Palais Royal where Moliére play from 1662 to 1673, the theater wanted by Richelieu, it has a magnificent stairs done in 1880, at 38 rue de Montpensier. Moving over the river to Pont-Neuf, opened in 1926 at the foot of the Samaritaine. It is a like a small museum inside the station. The oldest bridge in Paris done in 1607. But even before in 1578 this site was where Henri III was in mourning and cry here so the bridge was call the bridge of cries. The bridge eventually became the first bridge without houses on it in Paris. You see the equestrian statue of Henri IV done in 1604 in Italy the statue sank in the mediterranean , rescue, did not arrive in Paris until 1614 while Henri IV was no longer living. It was destroyed during the French revolution, and brought back in metal by king Louis XVIII, during the renovation in 2004 they found 7 cedar boxes in the horses shoes! ,It is at place Pont-Neuf.

You,also, see the square du Vert-Galant, name after the lover Henri IV, now it offers a romantic view over the Louvre and the hotel de la monnaie. Another wonderful square is Place Dauphine, done in 1584 by Henri III, , in 1601 Henri IV continues the work and name as it is today in honor of the dauphine ; Louis XIII in turn gives away the land to the parliament president and 32 houses are built identical in white stone and brick, today if you are careful you can see the two remaining houses angles at the point. We arrive at Pont Marie, open in 1926, a bridge to link the rive droite with the Île de Saint Louis in 1614 and finish in 1635. The place goes back to Louis IX convent of carmelites in 1234!!! It passes later on to the Celestins in 1352!!!. You can see here the Hotel de Sens, home since 1528 to the Cardinal Antoine Duprat, that reunites the council of Sens, in Burgundy. the comdenation of the heresy of Luther and the home of the repuditation of the queen margot.  today its a wonderful library  Forney dedicated to the decorative arts. 1 rue du Figuier. The wonderful Church of Saint Gervais-Saint Protais, 6C with mirrors of the 15C, it has the oldest organ in Paris dating from 1628,at pl Saint-Gervais. You wandered thru and by Île Saint Louis, it will take pages to describe it, just to tell you its magical !!

We moved on to Jussieu, an University neighborhood. station opened in 1931. First it was called Jussieu-Halle-aux-Vins, the wine market close during Napoleon it just remained Jussieu. Wine because since 1622 it came to Paris by here from all parts of France. It became an university area as today from 1957 with the tour Zamansky that was finally demolished in 2000. The Jussieu were three brothers, one left for South America,and two others created the gardens of the Jardin des Plantes! this venerable institution is a fun place for all ,from an idea of Louis XIII in 1633 , open to the public since 1640 !!! and the natural history museum or Musée National d’histoire since 1793. The parc ecologiques ,the labyrinthe there since 1640,just wonderful entrance by 57 rue Cuvier, 2 rue Buffon, and 36 rue Geoffrey Saint HIlaire (my favorite entrance), and place Valhubert. The unique Institut du Monde Arabe, the history and education of Islam at 1 rue des Fossés-Saint Bernard. Moving right alone to Place Monge,  opened in 1930, the enlargement of line 10. see the magnificent les Arénes de Lutéce, end of 1C AD at a time in Roman period the city was called Lutéce,you reach them by 49 rue Monge, rue des Arénes, or square Capitan.

Censier-Daubenton, is the next station that from 2010 is under a research green, as the first in the world to be dotted with diodes for lighting. The station opened in 1930. Come to see the Mosquée de Paris or Paris mosque, began in 1922, its construction rend tribute to the muslim fallen during the WWI conflict; during WWII it helped refuge many jews seeking shelter.see at 2bis place du Puits de l’Ermite. We go now to the Les Gobelins, open in 1930 at the corner of arrondissements 5 and 13. The inmense Manufacture et Galerie des Gobelins, the tapestries of France! Created by Colbert from 1662, today they do it to cover the government buildings of France,see it at 42 avenue des Gobelins. See the unique Chateau de la Reine-Blanche, at 4 rue Gustave Geffroy, built in the 16C leyend has it that here took place the dance or val des Ardents where Charles VI lost his mind for ever. The Auberge Etchegorry is my favorite basque restaurant in Paris, at 41 rue Croulebarbe; in the 18C the place was rented to Victor Hugo, and it later was frequented by Chateaubriand, when it was the Cabaret de la mére Gregoire , there is a plaque by the front door now.

There is also, Line 7bis of the Paris metro, located almost entirely in the 19éme arrondissement or district, it links the Louis Blanc station in the west to Pré-Saint-Gervais station in the east. After line 3bis, it is the shortest and least traveled line on the metro network of Paris. It was authorised in 1911 as a branch of line 7, but it was not until 1967 that this section was isolated to form an independent line.  It was named 7bis, on December 3, 1967. The line measures 3.066 km (bit over 3 km) long for eight stations entirely underground. The stations in the line 7bis are Louis Blanc, Jàures, Bolivar, Buttes Chaumont, Botzaris, Danube, Place des Fêtes, and Pré Saint Gervais.  The line 7bis serves in particular the Stalingrad quariter, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and the Place des Fêtes, Canal Saint-Martin, Bassin de la Villette ; Rotonde de la Villette, Church Saint-François d´Assise, and the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge.

The official RATP Paris metro : https://www.ratp.fr/en/plan-metro

There you go folks , my dear readers, we have a wonderful metro network overall They take you to all these wonderful spots in my eternal Paris, even if as I said, above ground is better ::) Just for the curious and visitors who dare go underground in the most beautiful city in the world, Paris !!! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I

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