La Divina in the Metro 🚇

Before we get into my discoveries in Paris, the next few emails will feature some fragments of inspiration I drafted out during my last couple of weeks in Helsinki. 

Here's what happened when I entered the Hakaniemi metro station with a friend one calm afternoon:

We're walking toward the escalator, deep in conversation.

Ventilation units and a floor cleaning machine hummed their usual background symphony.

Then I hear something floating from the tiny ceiling speakers that makes me stop mid-sentence.

Could that be Maria Callas?

I have to walk closer to verify.

Yes – definitely Callas singing that passage just before "gioia" in La Traviata.

The moment where Violetta's voice builds toward discovering joy again.

I smile as Callas’ unmistakable voice cuts through the air like a blade.

That distinctive brassiness divides people into devoted fans or complete skeptics.

She doesn't allow neutral reactions.

You either surrender to the depth of her interpretation or find it all a bit much.

I stand there, amused that we happen to hear some 1950s operatic vibes in the middle of the day in a metro station.

But often that’s all we need to make our day better.

An unexpected encounter. Whether it be with an acquaintance, a friend, or with Maria Callas singing from the ceiling.

All the same, it makes you day.

Bisous,

Elle