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Metro Station of the Month: Palais Royal (lines 1&7)

For once my metro station of the month will not be underground… but on earth as what is remarkable in that metro station is not the platform but the entrance which is my favourite metro entrance in Paris! It is the one of the metro station Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre, located in the first arrondissement of Paris on the Place Colette, near the Louvre and the Comédie Française which is one of the most famous theatres in the world.

This metro entrance has a name: it is called the ‘Kiosque des Noctambules’ and was imagined in 2000 by the French artist Jean Michel Othoniel to celebrate the centenary of the Parisian Metro. It looks like a candy or a jewelry box! Coloured Murano Glass beads are strung on an aluminum structure and build two domes similar to two royal crowns symbolizing the day and the night. The stairs are surrounded by an aluminum lace and the art work continues down the stairs with painted earthenware tiles and two display cases with coloured glass beads.

I like the contrast between this baroque and colourful Metro entrance and the very classical architecture of the buildings all around. It’s a shame that such a creative initiative has not been extended to other Metro entrances! I would have loved it!

Practical information : Website of the RATP

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

‘Petite Fleur Folies’: an Ephemeral Garden in Paris until 21 June

If you happen to be in Paris during the weekend I suggest you to have a walk along the Seine on the left bank next to the Pont d’Iéna. There, on both sides of the bridge at the river level (Port de Suffren westerly and Port de la Bourdonnais easterly) an extraordinary ephemeral garden has been laid for four days only.

500,000 flowers and more than one hundred varieties of plants have been displayed in colouful harmonious flower beds: white, yellow, orange, pink and purple. And among them eight eccentric metallic sculptures offer recreational activities: a slide is hidden into a cow; a tree has been converted into a merry-go-round for three kids; another cow is hiding ropes and rope ladders, … They are called the ‘Créatiles’ and invite you and your children to interact and play.

As this event has been set up by Yoplait (whose logo is a colourful little flower – ‘la petite fleur’) to celebrate its 50th anniversary, you will also be invited to taste some of their yoghurts: take one, have a seat by the water and enjoy nature sitting between the flowers and the river! I really recommend you this family walk either today or during the week-end as this event is to end on Sunday night.

And on the occasion of the ‘Fête de la Musique‘ several concerts will be given there on Saturday 20th June and Sunday 21st June by six international marching bands!

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

Practical information: Petite Fleur Folies – Port de Suffren & Port de la Bourdonnais – 75007 Paris

Metro Station of the Month: Parmentier (line 3)

The metro station Parmentier reopened yesterday after two months of renovation. Let’s discover this gem of the Parisian underground life: it is on metro line 3, in 11th arrondissement of Paris.

The station gets its name from the Avenue Parmentier, so called in 1818 in memory of Antoine Parmentier who died nearby five years earlier. Antoine Parmentier (1737-1813) was a French army pharmacist who is famous for being the one who promoted the nutritional values of potato and introduced its cultivation in France whereas it used to be forbidden due to its supposed toxicity. Anecdotally Parmentier discovered crushed potatoes in Germany where he had been taken prisoner.

The decor of the platforms celebrates potato in all its forms. The screened camber reminds the mesh of the potatoes’ net. Some objects from pre-Colombian America are displayed in glass cases and billboards tell the story of potato from America to Europe and the main uses in France for each variety of potatoes.

And do you know which is THE country for potato? It is Peru, where more than 4,000 different varieties of potatoes can be found!!

Back to earth: One can admire the metro way out with its typical Art Nouveau kiosk made by Hector Guimard. And if you have become a fan of Parmentier keep walking east in the Avenue de la République: you will arrive to the Père Lachaise Cemetery and will be able to put flowers on his grave!

Practical information : Website of the RATP

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