“In a Station of the Metro”

I’ve used the underground systems of several great European cities so far – Vienna, Berlin, Munich – and even that in Moscow, and I have to say they always made me uneasy. For some reason, Paris’ Métro doesn’t. And it’s not that it’s vastly different from any other underground system in the world. It’s not. You will read the same safety rules for the Métro as for any other underground system: “Keep your belongings close, don’t use the Métro alone at night, and avoid certain stops”. Still, it only took me about a day and a half to feel at ease when taking one of the trains.

On my second day in Paris, when I had to get from the CROUS office to my accommodation, I was already settling down and reading (Le Marque de Windfield by Ken Follett (english title: A Dangerous Fortune)).

The Métro was the first part of Paris I ever saw (well, except for the platform at the Gare de l’Est that my TGV arrived at). And after this promising beginning, the city’s famous underground system was quickly integrated into my day-to-day life. I thankfully do not need it to get to University and back, but it’s still the easiest way of getting somewhere that’s not in walking distance. And on top of that, Métro stations also serve as terrific points of orientation when traversing Paris on foot. My tourist guide even offers a section that explains how you can explore the Métro, its history, its future, and the artistic design of stations such as Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre and Concorde.

Paris’ Métro was opened on July 19, 1900 just in time for the world exhibition, under the full name Chemin de Fer Métropolitain. Thus, it can be considered a cousin of the Eiffel Tower, which was put up for the same occasion. This does not mean, however, that all Métro routes and trains are old and battered. Some of them surely are, but the city also keeps investing and building new lines, like line 14, which is the newest and fastest Métro line at the moment.