Paris - The Arc de Triomphe - 7me

Plate LXVIII - The Arc de Ttriomphe…

I believe that two images most strongly define Paris in the eyes of the world - the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

Perhaps through having seen in my schooldays those fractured, aging 1945 newreels of the victorious Charles de Gaulle entering a newly liberated city; or perhaps because of a lifelong fascination with Napoleon and his military prowess - this was the one particular sight I had waited for so many years to see.

For whatever reason, to me this is Paris, and Paris is the Arc de Triomphe. Prepared for disappointment by previous visits to many other celebrated world sights and landmarks, which always seem smaller than their reputation would have you expect, could the Arc de Triomphe be all that I needed it to be?

Having arranged these images by arrondissements they are not in the sequence I visited them. After time at La Défense I had taken the RER from Nanterre to Etoile. Rising through this underground mystery, that was still so new to me, to the midway Metro station and then not sure which exit to take, I fortuitously selected the escalators that rise to the very foot of this magnificent landmark. The hairs on my arms began to rise as I caught my first glimpse of the stonework carvings that decorate the Arc. Little by little, more and more was revealed – seemingly as if in slow motion. And then … there it was!

A giant Tricolore suspended in the centre of the arch greeted my arrival in Paris.

I was here at last, and I was most definitely NOT disappointed.

Paris - The Paris Métro - 4me

Plate XLII - The Paris Metro Trains…

For my trip to France I had obtained an international drivers license. I was being optimistic, brave or foolish – perhaps all three for I would not dare take on Parisian drivers – to start with they drive on the wrong side of the road.

Fortunately Paris has one of the most advanced public transport systems I have encountered anywhere in the world. There is no question - every site featured in this blog would have been less accessible without the marvelous Métropolitain underground transportation system or simply the Métro.  There are 16 major lines with fast and frequent trains throughout the day, and much of the night. The renowned Métro map or Plan de Métro, each line colour coded, and freely (in both senses of the word) available throughout the city has become a model for underground systems elsewhere in the world. Although somewhat stylized (and not a perfectly scaled representation of the surface position of its stops) it is intuitive to read and extremely user friendly. The Métro service is augmented by the Réseau Express Régional or RER which extends beyond Greater Paris into Parisian suburbs, and the two services are extremely well integrated with transfer points at major stations.

If all roads are said to lead to Rome, all lines it would seem lead to Châtelet–Les-Halles, said to be the busiest underground station in the world. Perhaps my previously mentioned routing faux pas on day one can therefore be excused. State owned, and already subsidized by the French government, a variety of short to longer-term tickets, such as the Carte Hebdomadaire, or Carte Orange (which also include the use of bus services), make travel on the Métro possibly the best value for money available in the city. Ask about them. Along with a reported five million other users every day, I loved the trains – one whiff of that distinctive scent of ‘Eau de Métro’ and you’ll know you’re in Paris.

Paris - Les Halles - 1er

Plate XXI - The old Les Halles ...

Les Halles has unintentionally come to be an important centre of my visits to Paris; somehow whenever I am lost (it fortunately still happens) I seem to land up here – and then again I know where I am. The main Metro and RER station serving the area is Chatelet–Les-Halles. It was here that I needed to make my first train changeover on my arrival from Orly, and where I stupidly took a line bound for Boissy instead of Poissy hoping to get myself to Nanterre. It was here too that my life was (figuratively) saved during a subsequent visit to Paris for the biannual Paris Motor Show (the Salon Mondiale at Porte de Versailles). My camera battery (I was by then using reasonably decent digital kit) had gone dead overnight and the only agent I could find in the city carrying spares was in the centre at the Forum des Halles. It is not the Parisians’ favourite landmark apparently, but I love the constant buzz around the Forum.

This area is named for the original site of the large wholesale market established here. I always think of it (possibly wrongly) as Paris’ answer to London’s Covent Garden, but with a richer life. The old market was sadly demolished in 1971, but this iron and glass arch reminds the visitor of what was here before. Originally established in the time of King Philippe Auguste II in 1183 Les Halles was known as ‘le trou (the hole) des Halles’ and also as ‘the stomach of Paris’. The design of the new forum was controversial (stop me if you’ve heard that before) and there are perpetual discussions about remodeling the area. Considering it’s proximity to the Centre Pompidou I personally find its design rather pleasing as well as complementary to that centre.

Behind the arch to the image left is the knave of the church of Saint-Eustache.

Paris - La Défense - La Défense

Plate I - La Defense

I had flown into Orly airport at around midday, and taken the Orlyval and various metro or RER trains to reach my hotel, only a stone’s throw from the RER stop at Nanterre Préfecture. I will confess to having been so overconfident that I could navigate the city like a native Parisian that I hadn’t noticed that two opposing direction metro lines terminated at either Boissy or Poissy (of course I could have confused myself even further had I known there was another headed for Roissy).  Clearly remembering only the ‘oissy part of where I was going (and assuming there was only one), I followed the signs at Chatelet to the Boissy option and nervously realised I was headed in the wrong direction for La Défense only some four station stops later. Who cared … I was in Paris (or under it). Having had glimpses of parts of the city when the train ran above ground, I could not wait to start discovering this destination I had so long dreamed of visiting. 

My hotel was indeed a very short walk from the RER (it was in fact built immediately above the underground rail tracks and at night the rumble of the trains either kept you awake … or lulled you into sleep). I deposited my baggage in my room, and without even pausing to refresh myself from the long overnight flight from South Africa, I set out to discover as much about the city as I could on day one. I could not wait as long as it would take to reach Etoile, and started my familiarisation with La Defense.

Coming up to ground level a carousel was operating in the large public space between the office blocks and shopping centres of La Défense. Activity was brisk … and it appeared that an ambulance was on hand to cater for any heart stoppages I may have experienced as I finally got my first real glimpse of Paris. I knew immediately I was going to love the place.