Great subject. I first came to France in 1980 and remember knowing a little about this system and that it still existed. I didn't know what the communication actually looked like, though. As for writing in the margins, at the time you could buy "aerogrammes" to send overseas and I remember it being economical, so sometimes I would write in the margins on those.
Well you caught me out there‼️I knew nothing about that and immediately looked it up in an old Baedecker’s Guide to Paris, published 1907, which I posess. I attach the relevant entry…. Thanks, that was fun‼️
Fascinating article! Imagine teens waiting around for a message from your crush to come in the tubes instead of staring at the phone. At some point you would have to get on with your lives. I wonder if anticipation was better or worse back in those days.
The word "pneu" for tires has more to do with the air inside than the rubber casing. There are other pneu words in use - pneumonia for example.
Great subject. I first came to France in 1980 and remember knowing a little about this system and that it still existed. I didn't know what the communication actually looked like, though. As for writing in the margins, at the time you could buy "aerogrammes" to send overseas and I remember it being economical, so sometimes I would write in the margins on those.
Petit bleus! Too cute. Pneumatic systems are such a cool part of history. They were really the way of the future at the time.
Saint-Exupéry apparently didn't waste paper 😄
He wasn’t the only one to write in the margin sideways - which is hard to read because he wrote over his other writing! 🤷♀️
Well you caught me out there‼️I knew nothing about that and immediately looked it up in an old Baedecker’s Guide to Paris, published 1907, which I posess. I attach the relevant entry…. Thanks, that was fun‼️
I don’t seen an attachment- send again! I loved writing about this. So fascinating!!
No, Substack didn’t let me attach a photo so I replied it to one of your recent posts - about the tubes pneumatique…
Ah ok, I’ll have a look!
Fascinating article! Imagine teens waiting around for a message from your crush to come in the tubes instead of staring at the phone. At some point you would have to get on with your lives. I wonder if anticipation was better or worse back in those days.
The word "pneu" for tires has more to do with the air inside than the rubber casing. There are other pneu words in use - pneumonia for example.