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The Paris Métro System Is the Best!

This morning we grabbed a picnic breakfast and caught a 9:30 train from Amsterdam to Paris.

While taking the Métro from the train station to the rue Cler neighborhood, Jules and I remembered how much we love the Métro system in Paris. It is so efficient, reliable, and affordable. It makes Seattle's public transportation system seem like a thing of the Dark Ages.

We visited the Marmottan Museum. While I walked around the big room, I realized a newfound admiration for Monet and his use of vibrant blues, greens, and oranges. There was a piano and saxophone performance going on. I felt like I was back in the end of the 19th century in the lively art scene, embracing life's beauty with all my senses.

We went to Ile St. Louis for some famous Berthillon gelato that night. At the Notre-Dame there was a strange juxtaposition: crowds of lively young people dancing, drinking, and singing, lines of cops holding big guns, and tourists gawking up at the cathedral.

In the Métro it felt like a party on this Saturday night, with everyone singing together in call-and-response fashion. I envied these Parisian teens. They take the Métro like it's as normal as riding your bike, and they hang out all around the city as if it's all their own playground.

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You are reading "The Paris Métro System Is the Best!", an entry posted on 02 July 2008 by Jackie Steves.

7 replies to this entry. Add your comment below.

Previous Entry, Conclusions on Amsterdam, posted Jun 30 2008

Next Entry, Rediscovering the Musée d’Orsay, posted Jul 03 2008

Comments [ top ]

Jackie, I'm really enjoying your travel blog. I just returned from a 2.5 month trip through Europe yesterday and was shocked to see that we had been to the same places in the last week. I was in Amsterdam from June 25-28 and Paris from June 28-July 1. I saw many of the same museums that you did in Amsterdam, and was especially touched by the Dutch Resistance Museum. Enjoy Paris and try to stop by Ulysse to get crepes to go for a great picnic under the Eiffel Tower (that was another great Rick tip that we found along the way). Have a great time, and enjoy every moment!

Posted by: Natalie - Jul 02, 2008 6:28 PM

I have to agree the Metro system in Paris is awesome. When you travel in Europe and see how efficient Metros and trains are, you realize how horrible most public transportation is in the US (there are exceptions like NYC and Chicago). Spending any time in Europe means enjoying the public transportation systems. I have enjoyed getting around in Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Prague, Barcelona, Budapest, and other cities on these metro systems and am just amazed at how efficient these systems are.

Posted by: Jeremy B - Jul 02, 2008 10:05 PM

The Metro systems in Paris and London are an efficient way to reach your destination. One thing I dislike about Paris is that too many stations have only stairs - no problem if you are hopping from sight to sight, but can be a big pain if you have a roller bag. Yes, I realize that it is one of the early subway systems, but other cities with old systems (like London) seem to have found a way to upgrade many stations.Design-wise, I think that Munich has one of the best public transportation systems. Other cities in Germany are comparable. In any case, I would love to see similar systems appear in U.S. cities, maybe the price of oil now will nudge the voters in that direction.

Posted by: Erik - Jul 03, 2008 5:41 AM

Enjoy the public mass transit! I spent three weeks in Edinburgh, Scotland last summer and fell in love with the fact that I could just hop on and hop off whenever I felt like it. It definitely cut down on feeling lost in another country. Then I came back home to the middle of an Illinois cornfield where you have to drive yourself everywhere because it's at least 12 miles to the nearest drugstore. You are not the only American who finds European transit systems something to miss when you come home.

Posted by: Ericka - Jul 05, 2008 9:50 AM

Jackie, This is one of the things I remember so fondly of Paris...the incredible Metro system. Not only is it a truly amazing and highly organized way to get around the city...but the Metro is like a world all to it's own...French language mixed with other foreign tongues, the people all hurrying about to get off the train, or to catch their next connection. As an American, when you use the Metro, you feel like a Parisian for a day..just you and thousands of other urbanites. And the music...How often do you hear an accordion playing a French classic on a bus in the States....LOL Enjoy the Rest of your Trip!!! Take lots of Pics!!!

Posted by: Bart - Jul 11, 2008 4:09 PM

After one year of living in Brussels, Belgium, our 15 year old son said it was the best year of his life. When asked why, he said because he had the freedom of public transportation to take him anywhere in the city (We lived on a street that had streetcars running down it.)No need to depend on Mom and Dad for transportation. We also had previously lived in the suburbs.

Posted by: Gerry Holley - Jul 14, 2008 12:41 PM

After a three week visit to Madrid-both business and pleasure-I was sincerely awe struck by Madrid's impressive and modern metro system.The stations at Chamartin,Nuevo Ministerios and Barajas are particularly noteworthy for their size and architecture.The Sol station in the city center,currently under construction,will be Europe's largest.Bravo Madrid!

Posted by: Frank - Feb 06, 2009 11:23 PM