Coucou! Redeux - Sacré-Cœur

More peek-a-boo this week. As you step out of the Abbesses Métro station, this is what you see: Sacré-Cœur framed by two old apartment buildings in Montmartre.

And a Very Merry Christmas from Paris!

Coucou! - From Le Métro

This one is my favorite "coucou" views of all. This photo was taken on the Métro. We were sitting there chatting and minding our own business, when we suddenly went around a corner and - BOOM! - there it was in all its glory. No matter how many times I see it, it's always a thrill!

This view of La Tour can be seen on Métro Line 6 between Passy and Bir Hakim.

Symboles de Paris - RATP

This is the logo for the RATP, an abbreviation for the RATP Group (the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens), a state-owned public transport operator headquartered in Paris, France. Formed in 1948, the group is the public transport operator for the city of Paris (including the Paris Métro). Its logo depicts the Seine, meandering through the area around Paris, as the face of a person looking up.

Symboles de Paris - 10 Francs

I  feel like I have veered off course a little bit in the last couple of weeks so this week we get back to pure Paris with the theme, "Symbols of Paris."

This, of course, is a tile reproduction of the 10 franc coin, which was used prior to the introduction of the Euro in 2002. This was one of my greatest disappointments on this trip, missing the old style French money, which was beautiful.

Le Métro - Franklin D Roosevelt

My friend Sean took this photo for me of the Franklin D Roosevelt Métro station. FDR has always been my favorite station because it smells like Paris to me. This particular platform is always hot and windy and is nothing special to look at, but I love to go there and breathe in the smell of the city.

As a happy accident, he also got a shot of me in the train's window. This is one of my favorite photographs of the whole trip.

Le Métro - Châtelet – Les Halles

This is a video I took on one of many underground automatic walkways in Châtelet – Les Halles, a major Métro hub in Paris. Every day, 750,000 travelers pass through Châtelet–Les Halles. At peak hours, the station can see 120 trains in just one hour. Five of the sixteen Métro lines run through here so chances are you will hit Châtelet – Les Halles at least once on any trip to Paris. Châtelet – Les Halles, with 5 Métro lines and three RER commuter rail lines, is the world's largest underground station.

Le Métro - Arts et Métiers

The first thing you will notice about this post is that there is no photograph. That is because, despite falling in love with our local Métro station, Arts et Métiers, I neglected to snap a photo of it before we left. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful station (some say the most beautiful of them all...) and you should see it. So, here are a couple of sites with great pictures of Le Métro Arts et Métiers. Enjoy!

My Beautiful Paris

Cool Stuff in Paris

Yelp - A review of the Arts et Métiers station

Le Métro - Concorde

The Concorde Métro station is known for its mosaic decor, spelling out the Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen), a fundamental document of the French Revolution. 

Le Métro - Tuileries

The theme Le Métro continues this week, with a look inside some of Paris' 300 Métro stations. Many of these stations are known for their unique decor.

The platform at Tuileries is decorated with a retrospective of important cultural and historical events from around the globe by decade. Above, the 1960's, commemorating the first moon landing. Below, the 1980's, commemorating the AIDS Crisis, the introduction of the Swatch and the construction of La Grande Arche de la Défense.

Le Métro - Esplanade de La Défense

 

  

The logo for Le Métro moderne. This one is at Esplanade de la Défense.  La Défense is a major business district on the outskirts of Paris.  

Le Métro - Lamarck-Caulaincourt

Another variation on the Métro sign. This station is called Lamarck-Caulaincourt and was featured in the movie Amélie. (You can see it here.) The bar you see in the background is called Bar-Tabac Le Lamarck and is a lovely spot to stop and rest over a café au lait. 

Le Métro - Abbesses

This week's theme is Le Métro. The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit system in Paris and is one of the most striking symbols of the city. All over Paris you see signs for Le Métro (there are some 300 stations in all), some Art Nouveau, some modern, each one unique and artistic.

This photo is of the exit of the Abbesses Métro station, one of the remaining stations designed in the Art Nouveau style by Hector Guimard. These beautifully designed exits and entrances always make me feel as if I am stepping into another time. 

Advert - Smells Like Team Spirit II

This one was more elusive. I first saw it from the window of a speeding Métro train and I became obsessed with photographing it. Every time I saw it, however, we were on a train or about to get on a train or across the platform. Finally, on the last day I had to settle for across the platform, which is why the quality is not as good on this one. Nonetheless I love it. "Nothing is more beautiful than team spirit," except maybe these lovely ladies.

Advert - Smells Like Team Spirit I

Two of my favorite things to do in Paris are wander around in grocery stores and read advertisements. They seem to do both so differently than we do. This week focuses on one of my favorite adverts from this trip.

This first one I saw early and snapped it immediately. The dirty faces, the somber looks, the sentiment - "nothing is more beautiful than team spirit" - I just love it.