After all these years, one of my most vivid memories of Paris is listening to a beautiful, Black street performer sing Early Morning Rain in the caverns of Le Métro. Her strong voice soared like an angel. Holy vibrations of her guitar captured the spirit of the city.

A celebration of great glory, Le Métro opened on this day in 1900 for the Paris World Fair. Chief engineer Fulgence Bienvenée, lovingly called "Father Metro," coordinated the tunnel digging and solved the massive challenges of building a subway in the heart of Paris.

Victor Hugo said, "To breathe Paris is to preserve one's soul."

Architect Hector Guimard infused art nouveau magic into the system's design. His iconic green iron gates with curling leaves and blossoms turned ordinary entrances into portals of imagination. "Do not the branches of trees furnish us with models?" he asked.

French history lives in the subway. The Bastille station honors the Revolution. The Varenne station features Rodin. The Louvre station showcases art from the museum above. Each stop, a cultural chapter.

With over 380 stations and 131 miles of track, Le Métro remains a model of urban efficiency. Its rubber wheels hum quietly so talented buskers can fill tunnels with music.

"Riding the metro is a journey in accompanied solitude, a voyage through space and a kind of geographically mapped collective unconscious," wrote John Sears.