Metro Life – Paris, France

I shot photos inside the metro, not necessarily for street photography, but to document its clean and vibrant environment. The cars were modern, and the signage was simple enough to follow for foreigners. Announcements in French were made for each station though I could never fathom what station they were referring to, even if I saw it written out.

French seems perplexing to me. Many letters aren’t pronounced, so what looks like a normal word (in English) sounds totally different in French. Indeed, it’s not as straightforward as Spanish or Italian. If they’re not going to pronounce the letter, why have it? Call it Pari instead of Paris. But I know that’s my ignorant American coming through — I’m sure they have their reasons. I know English is rife with inconsistencies too.

The metro was a dream, and I enjoyed taking different lines where each seemed different — some were ultra-modern, and some were classic. I could compare it to the New York City subway system, but that would be depressing.

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