French Friday: Le Métro

March 24, 2017 (083/365) Ligne 6

« La vie, c'est comme le métro, lorsqu'une porte s'ouvre il faut foncer. »

The best way to get around Paris is always à pied -- on foot. I certainly got my exercise in a week, walking 45 miles and climbing 99 flights of stairs (that's about 1188 steps). Most of those stairs were in the Paris Métro. When the weather was bad or I was in a hurry or simply exhausted, I would take the Métro. It's such an efficient way to navigate Paris. Some people prefer the bus because you can see where you're going, but I have a hard time figuring out the bus routes. Besides, almost half of "my line" (3.8 miles), Line 6, is above ground with gorgeous views of Haussmannian apartments in the 16th arrondissement and several Paris' most famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower as it crosses over the Pont Bir-Hakeim. Though the Métro is convenient, I also love the Art Nouveau details of some of the original entrances designed by Hector Guimard, as well as more modern interpretations like the Kiosque des noctambules at the Palais Royal. Some of the underground stations, such as Abbesses (12), Arts et Métiers (3, 11),  Cité (4), and Concorde(1, 8, 12) are also fascinating. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt - Champs-Élysées (1, 9)

Guimard lamp posts and signage

Art Nouveau details 

Kléber (6)

Le Kiosque des noctambules, Place Colette

Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (1, 7)

Cité (4) - exterior

Cité (4) - interior

Abbesses (12) - exterior

Abbesses (12) - interior (deepest line - 118 feet below ground)

Attention! « Tu risques te faire pincer très fort! »

The view from Line 6 on a rainy night

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