The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: August seventh, reporting on a place not to be in Paris when it drizzles. 

The sewers of Paris are a curious utilitarian network to which virtually every building in the city is connected. Twelve hundred miles of vaulted stone tunnels wind their way under the City of Lights.  Constructed over the last 1000 years, these splendidly engineered  tunnels have figured prominently in the city's history and literature. Who can forget Jean Valjean's exciting escape to safety through Paris' labyrinthine sewers in Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Miserables? 

Parisians proudly refer to their sewers as "the city beneath the city" and some consider these tunnels as much a historical monument as the Louvre. In fact, a portion of the sewers are open for guided tours every Monday and Wednesday afternoon from two to five, except when it's raining. The entrance is located on the Quai d'Orsay at the Pont de l'Alma, just across the Seine from where one boards the Bateaux-mouches river boats. The entrance fee is about $3.00.

A short climb down the spiral metal staircase takes you to the heart of the sewers. Expect to be surprised. At least in this area, the sewers of Paris are amazingly clean. Rather than being a home for rats and gloom, they're a fascinating, well-lit, network of stone vaults, and one of the few tourist attractions in Paris with signs that have English translations. In fact, apart from a faint and slightly moldy odor, you might think you were in a vast wine cellar. So, if you're looking for a uniquely different perspective of Paris, a tour of the sewers will be an afternoon well spent under the beaten path.

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