Metro-expo-resto #3
“mÉtro, Expo, Resto”
Break out of the mould of “métro, boulot, dodo” (a French expression that, translated literally, means “Métro, work, sleep”) and get ready for “Métro, expo, resto”, as Babylangues introduces you to a new way of exploring the Paris Métro system. Join us in our quest to discover the various stations dotted across the city. How did they get their name? What are the surrounding neighbourhoods like? What can be found nearby? So many questions and Babylangues has all the answers!
#3 Blanche
Tucked away in the eighteenth arrondissement, this Métro station can be found at the square of the same name, Place Blanche. Its origins are, in fact, a very literal and vivid recollection of the convoys of plaster transported from the Montmartre quarries in the seventeenth century. The debris, officially known as gypsum, would leave splatterings over Place Blanche, giving the area a noticeable whitewash glow. The square and, in turn, the Métro stop, were equally named after the Barrière Blanche, a gateway constructed for tax collection as part of the Wall of the Ferme générale, before its demolition in the nineteenth century.
What To Do Nearby?
Blanche is surrounded by some of the hallmarks of Parisian clichés, including the Café des 2 Moulins from Amélie and, of course, the Moulin Rouge. If you head southwards, you will soon come across the Musée de la Vie Romantique, once home to the Dutch-born artist, Ary Scheffer. The galleries display numerous mementos of the romantic literary figures Ernest Renan and George Sand, such as household possessions and assorted memorabilia. If you instead wander northwards towards the mount, you will find yourself on rue Lepic, one of the most famous streets in Paris, so much so that Yves Montand dedicated a song to this road in his 1974 album. A visit to the area is, however, not complete without a trip to the vibrant concert hall, Les Trois Baudets. And for just 20€ a year, you can sign up and go as many time as you like!
