Petite Ceinture du 15e (PC 15)

This guide to the Petite Ceinture du 15e in Paris follows the rise and fall of the circular railway that once carried a hundred thousand Parisians a day around the edge of the city. It traces the line's forty-year construction in the 1850s and 60s, its slow decline as the Metro took over, and the last train that ran in 1934. From there the guide turns to what's grown in its place: over two hundred wild plant species, foxes, and quiet gardeners tending plots behind the fences. Walk the old ballast slowly and listen for birdsong where trains once ran every few minutes.