Tuesday, January 09, 2007

New year's wishes from the public transport!


Look! This morning, the Paris public transportation company (RATP) wished me (and all the other voyagers) much Amour (love) for the new year... Isn't that sweet? I did a little research on their site and I found out that they have made posters, postcards and even metro tickets for the occasion, expressing not only love but also generosity, serenity, friendship, health, happiness... Click here for a complete list then click on Téléchargez ce voeu collector once you're on the site. You'll be able to print all this material locally, if you wish.

48 comments:

  1. It's funny, I didn't notice any of this today. I'll have to look out for it tomorrow to see if the money they spent was worth it! (cynical, eh?)

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  2. P.S. Lynn and Ame...your taxi service has some competition from the RATP it seems!

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  3. Well, how very fitting - the French are known for l'amour the world over!

    (although chez RATP, the price of love is getting higher and higher...)

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  4. how sweet, hearts in January! metro entrance yesterday, ratp today. is tomorrow's dp going to be of a train?

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  5. How cute. I guess they might want to keep the signs and show them off the days they go on strike...

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  6. Very cute. I just may be coming to "Par ree" in a few weeks...so I'll have a chance to see it myself!

    How's the weather right now? Raining a lot. Will you please ask it to stay clear at the end of the month? Merci!

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  7. It's a nice touch, but "serenity," in the Paris subway, are you sure? ;)

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  8. Thats really sweet of them. what Photo Software do you use to edit your photos?

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  9. Competition from them Michael? I think not... ;) lol. I am confident you know the best ride to take don't you. he he this could run and run.

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  10. Oh, this was really cool. I'm wondering if it's just for January? Or will they still be doing it when I come in March?

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  11. Hey Susan! Since you're going to Paris this month I figure you found an interesting hotel to stay? Are you going to stay in rive gauche like the other time you mentioned?
    You know I'm looking for a hotel myself...!

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  12. Pink metro tickets with hearts printed on them? It's very romantic!

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  13. Sorry Eric, but have to put a plug in for one of your regular readers Ujima! She just posted photos of something uniquely Philadelphia - the Mummers Parade. Be sure to check these crazy guys out HERE

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  14. its very nice of them...and it seems they have a sense of humor:)

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  15. Oh my gosh - I just clicked on the link - these are sooo cute! Unfortunately, 5 years of French classes never taught me the meaning of the verb "telecharger," (it was before computers) so I thought I might be able to buy some of the carte postales... No worries though, as I learned a new word, and downloaded some of the tickets & post cards for my Parisian scrapbooks! Merci, Eric!

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  16. Uh-oooooooooooh...there goes Lynn, talking about RIDES again! Michael...I'm with HER! ;) And ERIC! YOU'RE TOO MUCH...after the advertiser in me...and I wanted to do my new do for my avatar but once I shrunk it down small enuff you couldn't even SEE the darn thing! LOL! Guess I'll have to re-DO it! ;) So loooooooooove on the bus? Or train? Just "RATPturous!" HECK, I TRIED!

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  17. Although it isn't February, the heart is in keeping with the stores. All the St. Valentine's Day promotional stuff is on full display. Holidays are always in the grand commercial race. Strange but it doesn't bother me anymore. I even am used to Christmas promotion in July.

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  18. Let's see if it works Eric! Yes? No? Voila! ;)

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  19. NOOOOOOO! WAAAAAAAAH! Oh well, think I'll give up for NOW! LOL! ;)I was posting to see if my new pic would show up...it DIDN'T! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Sigh~ Back to the drawing board! ;)

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  20. One more try? Pretty please? It's only a SMALL Blogger favor I ask...abra-cadabra! Third time's the charm? Eric...just SHOOT me if this doesn't work, LOL! ;)

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  21. Those are soooo cute! Once again I curse my teenaged self for never paying attention in French-class.

    I have a question for you Michael: Obviously you grew up in the US. I assume you learned how to drive and got a license and all, since most people do (though having learned in Florida I'm not too confident with your driving skills! ;). Anyway, when you moved to Paris did you learn driving the French way, get a French license and all that, or did you decide to not even bother for all the various rasons that many people in Paris do not drive? Of course if you ever do drive I'd hop on your taxi anyday (for a sight-seeing tour only, of course!).

    Anyways, good day!

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  22. > Eric : parce que tu prends le Métro toi, maintenant ? et tu vantes les les services publics à la française ? Décidemment, on croyait avoir tout vu en 2006 mais 2007 nous réserve aussi de sacrées surprises !!!

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  23. Ahhh...a company with heart!

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  24. Has everyone voted, yet?
    Eric: What's your take on several peices of artwork from the Louvre being rented out to Dubai? In particular, the Mona Lisa!

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  25. Dear Eric,
    I love your blog...really..
    but I believe that sometimes you are too much CORNY!
    The RATP enterprise is very stupid and with no sense!
    When I wake up in the morning I feel very bad... no job, no money no love affair...
    so I don't like to see stupid posters like these when I take the subway!
    Eric...do you know what happening in the world?

    Only stupid guy like the blogger endulabbe should say that the pink tickets are romantic!!

    I hate this fake sweetness!!!

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  26. It's a very good question you ask Soosha.

    Yes, I did learn to drive in South Florida, and if you don't think that's preparation enough to drive in Paris, you're wrong! ;-)

    Anyhow, before I came to Paris the first time in 1992, I was living in South Carolina. At the time, there were only 3 U.S. States that had a programme with France to reciprocate drivers licenses. South Carolina happened to be one of them. So, I exchanged my drivers license for a French one, but don't drive in Paris very often. Only in the countryside, where there's less stress.

    Today there are several more States that have agreements with France:

    - Arkansas
    - South Carolina
    - Colorado
    - Connecticut
    - Delaware
    - Florida
    - Illinois
    - Kansas
    - Kentucky
    - Michigan
    - New Hampshire
    - Ohio
    - Virginia
    - Pennsylvania

    I presume that was more than you wanted to know...

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  27. Michael,
    So that means when I come for a visit, I can rent a car and drive in France? I think I will take streetcars and trains instead! When I was in Germany I loved not having a car!
    Deb

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  28. We get International Driving licenses at AAA each year before we go to France. Dave does all the driving, Thank God! We haven't attempted driving in Paris except to escape from DeGaulle. (airport that is). Just from walking and riding the buses, we have observed the insanity of driving in Paris. My fear outweighs my attempts, even to cross the streets. The good news: Paris has marvelous mass transportation.

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  29. I recall driving through Paris and around Paris, in a left hand drive car of course which was alien to me, and on the wrong side of the road (oh see those comments fly in now! lol) it was also my Swiss boyfriend's BMW and not my own car, when i was just 20. He liked to challenge me, push me a little further each time (he was older) and i rose to it amongst his gentle teasing and digging. We did have such fun though on our trip from Geneva where we were living at the time. Wonderful memories.

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  30. Actually no i was 19. Ahhh Paris... i'm back there now in my mind, looking for apartments, eating in pavement cafes, shopping at markets, stepping in dog poo...

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  31. I love the Metro, pink hearts or no.

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  32. markmark, take it easy, man! Most people who comment on this blog have a big case of "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome (including me, for sure).

    We look at things over in Paris with an outsider's (and in some cases somewhat innocent and /or perhaps irritating) view point, but seen from here, pink subway tickets are kind of cute and a nice touch.

    Keep in mind that all of us leaving in "dream cities" have much harsher realities. Everybody now and then says something silly (shoot, I know I do and only realize it much later!) but calling someone silly? tsk, tsk, tsk... take it easy on the guests, dude. Please :-)

    PS. For the records, I don't disagree with you about the RATP, it's just, well comme disait Jacques Brel, "Y'a la manière..." Allez, bye for now and good luck with your job search and all. Hang in there, man. We've all been through it!

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  33. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. I was actually gonna jump on Lynnn... now, missy, who drives on the wrong side of the road?!!!! (rolling eyes)


    ;)

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  34. I have a California driver's license and a Washington (state) license. Neither state has an agreement with France? How annoying!

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  35. lol Tomate! I wondered who would be first... lol only kidding. Though we have been doing it on the left for longer than you've been doing it on the right... ? erm.. ooh it's a toughie.

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  36. You've been doing it longer? We, in America, have been driving on the left side since the invention of the car...so how can you have been doing it longer?

    You've got to admit, you guys are the ones that are out of sync as most countries drive on the left! I think Britain just likes to be different...another example is the GBP instead of Euro...lol! At least that is what your neighbors in the Netherlands say.

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  37. And where is Eric's post for today? Must have been another wild night.

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  38. Nope Susan! Nope!! I am working on the final touch of the DP portal !! It's 2 am here - good I'm still jet lagged!!!

    Off to bed now...

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  39. LOL, Lynn! Yeah, I'm surprised I got to it first, honestly, with Blogger being done most of the day for us poor slobs with the "older" version...

    Though we have been doing it on the left for longer than you've been doing it on the right.

    Now, now, if this is gonna turn into a "left v. right" debate, then, ahem... I don't know, maybe I ought to sit that one out ;)
    Seriously, I vaguely recall that everybody used to drive on the left side of the road until Napoleon... Maybe Haxo or someone could straighten that one out!

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  40. ah, lovely eric...all we need is LOVE (hey, where've i heard that before?)

    cheers mate

    barbara

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  41. More information then I asked for, Michael, but not more information then I wanted to know! I am information hungry and you seem to be an endless supply of either knowledge or knowing the right place on the 'net to find the knowledge. Is it a wonder I like ya so much? Please, any time I ask you something like that, go into far more detail then you think is necessary! I'm sure everyone else would agree.

    It's just as well Missouri doesn't have that agreement. I'm a very very (very) nervous driver. I think I'd probably have a heart attack within 5 seconds of getting on the road in Paris. (Perhaps 3? My heart's not so good to begin with.) Best stick to the Metro, I think. Oh perhaps have a handsome taxi driver shuttle me around, as long as he's a good driver!

    Hey lynn, so that time in Paris you're getting all nostalgic about was, what, 5 years ago? Perhaps 4?

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  42. lol Soosha, hilarious, you're too kind! he he i wish. It was in the eighties let's just say that, but i feel just about the same as i did then really. Until i pass a mirror that is, when i gasp "who the hell's that?" LOL.

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  43. Aw, that is so sweet! I have only had the pleasure of visiting Paris once, but it is little touches like this that make it so beautiful. Hopefully I will be able to return soon, but in the meantime, thank you for all your lovely photos!

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  44. Ora viva!

    Não me consigo conter!
    Tenho de partilhar esta opinião.

    É por estas e por outras que já disse que qualquer viagem na Air France é um dos passos mais simpáticos que se podem dar numa relação!

    Só escrevo em português porque sei que os portugueses chegam a todo o lado no mundo.
    E que quando chegam a um café em Paris, na mesa de trás vão ouvir falar português.

    Na minha opinião é apenas uma carga cultural que suportamos desde Os Descobrimentos!

    Bem Haja!
    Vira Vento.

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  45. I was interested to see what the above comment by SCS said in Portugese so did a Google translation...I at least get the drift:

    However alive! I do not obtain myself to contain! I have of partilhar this opinion. It is for these and for that already it said that any trip in the Air France is one of the steps more likeable than if they can give in a relation! I only write in Portuguese because I know that the Portuguese all arrive the side in the world. E that when they arrive at a coffee in Paris, in the behind table goes to hear to say Portuguese. In my opinion it is only one cultural load that we support since the Discoveries! It has well! It turns Wind.

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  46. Can you get them to do something like that in San Francisco. Better yet, skip the love and just get the buses and trains running on time.

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