The weekend streets of Paris are busy, Sunday is quieter where local flâneurs step out.
Lovers stroll hand in hand, pet owners walk their dogs and families take their children to the park, all the while, enjoying their city.
The Lawyer had told me about a charming area located in the 19th arrondissement surrounding Rue de Mouzaïa.
Unsure of how I would spend my Sunday, I was playing around with the idea of visiting a few metro stations that I would like to photograph, as luck would have it Place des Fêtes metro station was a stones throw from Rue de Mouzaïa. That cemented my plan.
Hotel de Ville on the main metro was void of the usual tourists and commuters, which was a welcome beginning to my quiet Sunday stroll.
Armed with a fist full of metro tickets I headed off for Place des Fêtes the art deco metro station.
Place des Fêtes, situated on the shortest metro line number 11 and one of the deepest in Paris at 22 metres underground, due to the gypsum mining that took place here, opened in 1911 to serve the working class of the 19th arrondissement.
I was relieved to discover the steep exit had an escalator.
Emerging from the underground a vibrant Sunday Market surrounded the station.
Reaching one of the many narrow cobbled alleys, that branch off from Rue de Mouzaïa, I was completely delighted. Not a soul around except for the odd local resident and a few well feed, very affectionate cats. No traffic, no sirens no tourists.
Weaving back and forth through each and every alley way, observing a few locals, pop out of their gorgeous cottages to feed their cats, talk across their gate to their neighbour and keep a watchful eye on me.
Camera in hand, I noticed that my memory card’s space was getting low, at any wonder after I ended up taking over 80 photos.
This charming area was designed in the 1840’s for the local workers. Quaint cottages covered in creeping vines, each with their own unique character, painted shutters, cottage gardens and colourful façades.
Seduced by the charm of the tiny streets, I barely noticed the ugly concrete towers that flank the little Parisian village. If I had been lead there blindfolded with no idea where I was, I would have been forgiven to have thought I was in country France.
My fingers were getting so cold that I reluctantly decided to leave the utterly charming and adorable residential area of the 19th arrondissement and head across to the other side of Paris.
With my memory card getting low, I pretended I was using film, in a way to convince myself to control my desire to photograph each and everything I saw.
I needed space on the card for the next metro façade, Porte Dauphine is exceptional and probably the prettiest metro entrance in Paris.
The well preserved, Art Nouveau, Hector Guimard designed metro entrance is beautifully placed in a small pretty park.
Porte Dauphine, named after Marie Antionette, is at the end of line 2, which has it’s original circular turning loop. By the time I reached the station, only a few of the well heeled commuters were on board, and me.
Grateful of leaving space on my card, I probably took more photos than I needed, every angle, every detail. I hope you agree it is simply stunning.
My final Metro Entrance to discover for the day was Vaneau, situated on the Left Bank and opened in 1923.
I was probably a couple of kilometres from my apartment but I had had enough of metro stations for the time being.
With no real idea where I was, I sensed to head in a particular direction and thankfully, as I started to recognise street names and landmarks, I knew I was on my way home.
Although it was starting to get dark and the wind was quite chilly and dinner at Jim’s was approaching, I still had enough time to walk and admire the left bank as night fell upon it.
