Train Stations

Sitting on the ground inside the Montparnasse Hall, the station buzzes with motion. Two lovers embrace and the worry of time apart dissolves like sugar in a hot cup of tea. A man sits at a piano playing Yann Tiersen's theme from Amelie. A dog collapses and let's his owner drag him by his leash as he slides across the granite floor like a mop. The smell of steel, coffee and bread float around. This is Paris.

Too often train stations and airports are inconveniences to me - something I must pass through to do my job - and rarely do I stop, sit and listen. It's a distraction from my tasks. Don't be late. Don't forget that email. Don't react to people who are triggered. Say the right thing. Do the right thing. And somehow the noise within my head crowds out the beautiful symphony of noise outside my head. Today I choose to listen...to Montparnasse.Read more