Or, in truth, parts of the Paris Metro that us ordinary punters will never see.
Because it was a site made by someone who is into "urban exploration", fearlessly exploring those bits of the city that some official or other would rather you stayed out of...
... often, it must be said, because they have a solicitous attitude to your safety, but sometimes just because it's more convenient to keep you out.
Our fearless Urbanaut will have none of that, and he sees nothing wrong in diving into tunnels where trains are operating over the live rails and where there is no room for them to squeeze past him unless he can reach, in time, a tiny alcove.
And, provided he's a sane person taking measured decisions, and that he's there to explore not to interfere, I have to say I don't think I could argue he should not be able to do so.
And the fact that he's treated the rest of us to these delightful images merely confirms my own selfish support for him. Let me know if you want the link. And my thanks, again, to my generous reader.
4 comments:
Some of those photo look kind of spooky.
Although I can see what looks like two tripods and some baggage in one of them. Which makes me think maybe he is a professional with special access, or possibly an engineer?
That's actually the last thing he is!
He's an enthusiastic and vaguely anarchic youth who gets his kicks from exploring places that are "off limits" (his site includes records of his forays up half-built towers as well as his descents into the Metro). And from taking beautiful photographs.
Many of his shots record the vast quantities of graffiti in even some of the apparently most inaccessible parts of the system, showing that others have gone before him.
That last picture is particularly disturbing! Is one train leaving the single track section as the the other one is arriving? Surely, they can't both be arriving or both be leaving? It seems impossible to tell the front of the train from the rear of the train. What gives, LeDuc?
They are both displaying red lights, so I take it they're both moving away (or have moved away). A number of things could be going on, including:
(1) this is a loop or passing place, enabling express trains to overtake slower ones. Except I don't think they do that on the Paris Metro (they don't on the Underground, either).
(2) one or both of these is a storage siding (one train has two red lights, the other only one; perhaps one has been parked, the other is being parked; or one is parked and the other is in service).
(3) the route splits here, and one train has been signalled to go left then held at a stop sign, but sufficiently clear of the junction to enable the other to be signalled to go right.
Yep, obviously I'm as unclear as you -- though I suspect the last explanation under (2) is most likely.
Are there any Metro experts reading this who can help us?
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