A Moment in the Métro
It is early morning and I’m standing, sleepy, on the platform of the Paris Métro, heading toward the 14th arrondissement for another day of sightseeing. The Parisians, however, crowds of them, are heading the opposite direction, toward the city center. I don’t think much of it at first. After all, it’s a beautiful summer day outside.
I find a spot on the platform to wait for my train to arrive. Soon, I notice the people on the opposite platform shifting and bunching, making room for new arrivals behind them. Strangely, no one appears grumpy in the early morning crush.
Yesterday was Bastille Day, or French National Day, with a parade on the Champs-Élysées and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. Celebrations lasted late into the night. Perhaps these are partyers just now going home?
But, the energy in the crowd hints at something more going on. One man starts a chant that several others pick up. I don’t understand the words. After that, someone else starts singing. The tune swells as more voices down the entire length of the platform join in. The music echoes off the tiled station walls and sends goosebumps up my arms. The air is vibrating with joy.
I ask the young woman standing next to me, “What is happening?”
She smiles, her eyes laughing at my American ignorance. “France is in the World Cup Final. Today we go against Croatia.” Her gaze drifts across the station and I see yearning there. She wants to be with that crowd.
A thrill moves through me. I don’t follow soccer. I don’t even follow American football, or basketball, or any other sport. But there is a lot to be said for how an event such as this one can bring together an entire city, an entire country.
Sure, there were protests earlier in the week. The French are great at standing up to injustices done against them. But, today, every voice is raised in joy and hope. They are joined together to root for their team and it is beautiful to witness.
My train arrives and I board, my heart full. There is so much that tears humans apart from each other. Today, in the Métro tunnels and on the streets of Paris, everyone is one big family.
*From my France Collection. July 15, 2018.













