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Metro Station of the Month : Arts et Métiers (line 11)

Every month I will make you discover one of my favourite metro stations in Paris. Indeed some of them are true gems of the underground Parisian life. Number one ranking : Arts et Métiers, on lines 11 and 3, in third arrondissement of Paris. Do not take the wrong metro line. The platform I am talking about is on line 11 direction Châtelet or Mairie des Lilas.

The station is fully covered with copper. There are gearwheels on the ceiling and portholes on the walls. The whole looks like the Nautilus, the famous submarine in Jules Verne’s novel : vingt mille lieux sous les mers. This decor was built in 1994 by Peeters and Schuitten to celebrate the bicentennial of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers located nearby and dedicated to technological innovation.

Back to earth : the Musée des Arts et Métiers, near the metro way out, was refurbished in 2000 and exhibits about 2400 inventions. It’s really worth a visit !

Practical information : Website of the RATP

Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr

Visit the Exhibition Paris Magnum before 25 April : it’s free

The Hotel de Ville organizes regularly free exhibitions on the theme of Paris. Those exhibitions take place in one of the main halls of the building and are the opportunity at once to see a quality exhibition for free and to enter the beautiful town hall of Paris.

After Doisneau in 2012 or Brassai in 2014 the current exhibition is called Paris Magnum and presents photographies taken in Paris by the photographers of the prestigious agency. It shows the history of Paris through pictures from the Popular Front in 1936 until today, all taken by famous artists as Robert Capa, Herbert List, Marc Riboud, Raymond Depardon, … The liberation of Paris in 1944 or the demonstrations in May 1968 are beautifully and copiously illustrated. In addition to that black and white portaits of André Malraux, Gérard Philippe, Serge Gainsbourg, … are really not to be missed.

The exhibition has just been extended until 25 April ; all the more reason for visiting it !

Practical information : Monday to Saturday – from 10.00 till 18.30 – 5 rue Lobau 75004 Paris – Metro Hôtel de Ville (lines 1, 11) – free admission

Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr

Last Days for Ice Skating in Front of the City Hall in Paris

Until 1st March 2015 it is still possible to go skating on the huge rink in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris. It is the most popular and the largest ice skating rink temporarily set up every winter in Paris. The location is quite simply magical especially when the sun goes down and the city lights go on : the floodlit facade of the Hotel de Ville, beautiful building from the 19th century, is amazing at night. And in the background one can see the towers of Notre Dame.

The admission is free if you bring your own skates. Otherwise it is 6€, skate rental included. Until 1st March : Monday and Thursday : 12.00 till 22.00 – Friday and Saturday : 9.30 till midnight – Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday : 9.30 till 22.00. More information (in French…)

And if you miss it, do not worry. For sure the ice skating rink will be there again next winter from mid December 2015 !

Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr