It may not look so, but this photo was pretty hard to take due to the size of this magnificent train station.. It's called La gare du nord (north station) and quite logically all trains that leave from there go up north (including the suburbs, northern France, England, Belgium, The Netherlands...). It was inaugurated in 1846, then was rebuilt and/or renovated several times since then, especially by architect Jacques Hittorff who gave it this roman look. It was also featured in many movies, including The Bourne Identity, Ocean's Twelve and others.
Wow! I simply can't believe that train station can look like that. If you saw train stations in Poland ...
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I've never visited this one. I"m partial to Gare de Lyon et le Train Bleu!!! I'll put this on my list though.
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Almost had a heart attack when I saw it all cleaned up, like that. And they renovated the inside, too. Now if only the trains were on time ... but let's not be too demanding, now! ;)
ReplyDeleteI like it
ReplyDeleteIt looks so different now!
ReplyDeleteSo clean! And, yes, so big, impressed that you got it in one piece and with nothing to hide it!
ReplyDeleteI almost didn't recognize it although I used to be there quite often when coming from my North.
BTW did you know that the former facade of the gare du Nord was removed stone by stone around 1870 and rebuilt in Lille to make the "gare Lille-Frandres" ?
A gorgeous building!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Eric!
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the beautiful buildings in Paris. They knew how to build train stations! Just have a look at the Gare d' Orsay!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, the Estacio del Nord here in Barcelona looks a lot like the Parisian one.
I have been there. Your photo of the Gare du Nord brings back wonderful memories of Paris for me, thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteOk Eric it's wonderful of course (just ask Roniece), but now we want you to go take a photo of the people hanging out around Gare de Nord. I dare you! I'll even go photograph you photographING!
ReplyDeleteVery impressive! I love the architecture. It's hard to believe it is a train station.
ReplyDelete@Magdalena " If you saw train stations in Poland ..." Really? I would have thought they would look nice actually.
ReplyDelete@Viriginia " I"m partial to Gare de Lyon et le Train Bleu!!!" Ahhhh Le Train Bleu !
@Tomate "And they renovated the inside, too" Yep! All new... And almost on time...
@Marylène "BTW did you know that the former facade of the gare du Nord was removed stone by stone around 1870 and rebuilt in Lille to make the "gare Lille-Frandres" ?" No, not at all. It must be in Wikipedia, but the article is so long and I was so in a rush to go to bed when I posted the photo that I did not read everything!
@Rob and Mandy " They knew how to build train stations! Just have a look at the Gare d' Orsay!" True. Well at that time trains was like the Internet... A new Web that was expanding; quite logical it would attract investors!
@Tamera " Your photo of the Gare du Nord brings back wonderful memories of Paris for me, thanks for posting it!" You're welcome ;-)
@Michael ", but now we want you to go take a photo of the people hanging out around Gare de Nord." LOOOOOOL Well I did. Look at all the people in this photo... About close up, I'm not sure! (For everybody'w information, Michael is saying this because the Gare du nord is note necessarily the safest place in Paris - not too bad, but not the safest - and we even had riots there in 2007).
@Kris "It's hard to believe it is a train station." I do agree!
:-) of course it's wonderful Michael! no, wait, it's my Mr Wonderful who's wonderful! :-) Great shot Eric it looks so shiny and new again!
ReplyDelete@Roniece. It is and the just removed the scaffolding; especially for you!
ReplyDelete@Eric. Clearly the whole of Paris is expecting me then! LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget the RER B comes here from CDG. Then the Metro 4. This is my way into the city.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of trains from an airport into a city, anyone in the Chicago area want to meet up over Labor Day weekend? I'm going to the jazz festival, and will spend a day in the Art Institute. Maybe an Architecture Foundation boat tour. (Sort of like les Batoux Mouches!) I'll be staying downtown.
Hi Erice, This is a beautiful photograph!! Well done and thank-you so much for your effort. So pleasing to look at. Blessings always, C-Marie
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I wouldn't want to go there to leave though, because that would mean leaving Paris. :)
ReplyDeletesuper shot!
ReplyDeleteLOOOOL, Michael! Yeah, I'm sure there would be interesting reactions on PDP (that is, if the picture ever makes it on PDP ;)
ReplyDeleteNasty Tomate Farcie
Eric, you might be interested to know that the original 1846 building (or at least the façade of it) is now the Lille-Flandres train station, in Lille.
ReplyDelete@Nasty GG Thank you, but you have un train de retard! Marylène said that already ;-))
ReplyDelete(Nasty ET!)