The subway, Le Metro, is a masterpiece of engineering. It is a stark and wonderful contrast to much of french life which lacks any sense of logic and order - like the language! Construction began on Le Metro in 1898, just a few years after the Eiffel Tour was completed. The first line opened during the 1900 World Exposition. By 1930, virtually all of the 14 lines were complete, and each one continues in operation today. On a typical day 4,160,000 riders ride 700 trains to 302 stations, crisscrossing under a city roughly the size of Washington DC and dissected by a major waterway, the Seine River.
I love this underground world, which exists much today as it did 119 years ago. The walls and arched ceilings of the platforms, tunnels, and endless stairways are covered in polished white tiles. The florescent light literally bounces in all directions, so that it is always "sunny" below, even when so much of Paris is perpetually overcast and grey. Almost every one of the 14 metro lines intersect with the other lines at some station along its route, allowing riders to easily transfer trains. Some of the connecting stations are virtual cities, like République where five lines intersect. The wide corridors are filled with bakeries, small grocery shops, clothing boutiques and flower stalls. Some of my favorite treasures have been purchased from metro vendors.
Ron and I transfer trains twice a day at République on our way to and from class. It is ordered chaos as literally millions of riders converge and traverse through the tunnels. Today, like many mornings, a musician plays a familiar French melody, violin case open to accept offerings of loose change. The caverns of white tile supply the acoustics of an opera house. The music can be heard for miles. Paris....
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