Time has flown. I look at my watch and we have under an hour to travel back to the apartment, pick up my luggage and then to navigate our way by metro to Gare de Lyon, a round trip which should take about double the time we have.
Travelling by metro doesn’t really exemplify the philosophy of slow travel; that is to say, very few people board the metro for the pleasure of the journey. Passengers rarely feel present inside those rattling carriages. People check maps along the carriage to see how they can go faster than they currently are, even if the current route is quite direct enough. Then they double-check the maps, or stand by the door, or close their eyes and hold their breath, in the hope that it will speed up the train. It’s a game of exponential acceleration, and everyone is trying to beat themselves to their destination.
It’s not slow travel in itself, but I don’t think it’ll render my entire voyage invalid. Besides, the race to make one’s next connection can be quite exhilarating, albeit fairly expensive when it goes wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment