Place : Paris suburb - Enghien les Bains - "the Baths"
Date: Sunday Nov. 3 /2019
The festive plan for the day was to get out of Paris on a Commuter Train for a ride into a quaint suburb - Ora's childhood town by the lake, and the right setting, for celebrating her Birthday.
First bus 91 which we boarded on rue Goblin station, took us on the longest "grand tour", thought town, for about an hour to the Gare-Train Terminal.
Crossing the Seine on Pont d'austerlitz - (a bridge from the 1800) which connects the "Jardin des Plantes" on the Left bank, with the Faubourg Saint-Antoine area, and carries a big volume of transportation,
transported us to the Sein's Right Bank. Then the bus continued through place Bastille, place Republic, Gare Leon, Gar du Est all the way to its last stop and our destination terminal at Gare du Nord.
Paris Gares - 6 Central large mainline railway station terminals
This trainline Terminal of Paris–Marseille railway, is located in the 12 district on the north bank of the river Seine, in the east of Paris.
The spectacular classic station's structure was built for the World Exposition of 1900, with a large clock tower atop one corner of the station, similar in style to the clock tower of the UK Houses of Parliament, home to Big Ben. The station houses in a majestic ornately decorated setting, the "Le Train Bleu" restaurant, which has served drinks and meals to travelers since 1901, and was designated a Monument Historique in 1972. Each ornate dining room is themed to represent cities and regions of France and decorated with 41 paintings by some of the most popular artists of that time.
The Gare is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France.
The terminal is the third busiest station of France and one of the busiest of Europe, served by high-speed inter-city" rain à Grande Vitesse" (TGV) trains to south and eastern France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The station also houses regional trains and the "Réseau Express Régional" (RER) hybrid suburban commuter/rapid transit system serving Paris, and its suburbs, as well as and also the Gare de Lyon Metro station.
On 27 June 1988, in the Gare de Lyon train accident, a runaway train crashed into a stationary rush-hour train, killing 56 people and injuring a further 55
Situated in the 10th district, and designed by the architect François Duquesnay, it was built as part of the north-south axis of Paris created by Baron Haussmann. Opened in 1849 it was one of the largest and the oldest railway stations in Paris, the western terminal of the Paris–Strasbourg railway and the Paris–Mulhouse railway.
Named initially the "Strasbourg platform" it was renamed the "Gare de l'Est" in 1854, after the expansion of service to Mulhouse.
Several renovations in 1885, 1900 took place and in 1931 when the station doubled in size built symmetrically with the old part, which made the structure very distinguished, it transformed the neighborhood's surrounding significantly.
Trains arrive here from the east of France and Europe (TGV Est, ICE and TGV Lyria) and the eastern suburbs of Paris, and a Metro station.
In 1883, the Gare de l'Est saw the first departure of the "Orient Express" for Istanbul.A strategic railway network extending towards the eastern part of France, it facilitated a large mobilizations of French troops, most notably in 1914, at the beginning of World War I. captured in the monumental painting by Albert Herter, Le Départ des poilus, août 1914 dating from 1926, which illustrates the departure of these soldiers for the Western front, hung In the main-line train hall.
The station complex was designed by the French architect Jacques Hittorff and was built between 1861 and 1864. The structure's facade which bears the least impressive features among these 3 mentioned stations, was designed around a U-shape triumphal arch and used many slabs of stone. The entire surroundings are quite ugly.
Situated near Gare de l'Est in the 10th district it serves train services toward regions north of Paris, along the Paris–Lille railway. Trains depart from here to Northern France and to international destinations in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.It offers connections with several urban transport lines, including Paris Métro, RER and buses. Around 222 million travelers per year, makes this terminal the busiest railway station in Europe by total passenger numbers.
So finally, after arriving at Gare du Nord , 20 minutes fast ride in the commuter train we boarded, landed the three of us, at this quaint suburban community, situated only 13.5k away from Paris center, by the shores of a small lake Enghien.
It is especially loved and frequented in summer, by Parisian who either escape the city for stay at their second homes or by weekend visitors who come to enjoy the tranquility and spa services offered by the lake.
Enghien les Bains - "the Baths" at Val-d'Oise district
This affluent suburb community, which developed in the 19 c around the scenic lake, was once a marshland. Since 1860 it has become famous for its thermal baths of sulphurous water recognized for its beneficial properties and specializing in the treatment of osteoarthritis, ENT and respiratory disorders. Its elegant spa resorts offer medical cures, beauty treatment, as well as well-being and fitness services.
Also its large Casino, which opened in 1901 by the lake, is the only one in the vicinity and is the biggest place to gamble near Paris.
There are many splendid villas, few hotels, many restaurants, bars, Cafes and a promenade by the lake, to stroll around it, or watch the boats across it. Water sports like sailing, rowing, fishing and pedalo boating, are also popular at the lake.
The birthday dinning took place at an authentic Italian restaurant hidden from the street, named "Da Jiovanni" - 41 Rue de Malleville, 95880 Enghien-les-Bains
Ora was quite pleased when the restaurant's staff all gang up around her to sing her Happy Birthday version, in an acapella Italian style.
By the Lake
We tried to shad off the quantities of Pasta we consumed at the restaurant, by circling the Lake's promenade.
Alas, the rainy cold gloomy weather, emptied, the usually lively congested on a sunny fair weather, spa town.
The wet gloom also chased us out, and away from the lake, back to the train to Paris.
To be continued...