Transport commun (public transportation)
So, what is it like for this California girl to ride le transport commun everyday...?
Well, I have learned one must listen to all announcements and disregard postings even when it looks like it is the right listing! Announcements are the last word!
I was in Paris last weekend and I felt like I was in a movie. I got to one of the major stations for connections and there were posters saying the metro 11 I wanted to take (and the only one that goes to my friend's apartment) had several stations closed. This means one must take a shuttle bus on the surface streets...translation...Paris traffic! So I jumped in planning to transfer right before the shuttles to another metro line. While in the Metro 11, there came an announcement that there was a pedestrian ahead on the tracks therefore we had to vacate the metro and transfer to another metro line. So, now people are grumbling and saying other stuff and trying to find quickly what lines go to where they want to go. I get in another metro line and "crackle....due to a suspicious bag at one of the stations this train will not be making all the stops...crackle, crackle"! so now everyone on this metro is also now grumbling and confused. Then, our train comes to a stop and again "crackle..due to the suspicious bag all service is now discontinued please vacate and switch to another line...crackle". OK! Now, I am in a wave of people who are grumpy, confused, lost, and walking as fast as possible down long corridors trying to make a connection to somewhere that will take them somehow closer to where they would like to go. I finally found a line that took me for a little ride around Paris and dropped me off with a 10 minute walk to my friend's apartment PHEW! What a way to spend the last weekend of vacation! An adventure...one for the books!
THEN, hee hee, I ride the train to work everyday right...well, yesterday I get to the station where I transfer to the train that takes me home. "crackle, crackle... (oh no, I am thinking not again!)..due to a tree falling on the electrical wires at Boissy, all service is dicontinued between station X and station Y...crackle". I thought well, I can take the next train to the nearest station with a bus to Boissy so I wait on that platform with everyone else who is also thinking the same thing. All of the sudden our train posting disappears and then, here it is again "crackle...due to further complications with the tree at Boissy, this train will not be going to Pointoise anymore. Service terminates at Eragny....crackle". There are now about 50 people staring with me at the speakers like are you kidding! Plan B: I quickly called one of my colleagues who lives in Eragny to see if there was a bus to Boissy. He said no, but wanted me to keep him posted in case I get stuck somewhere and need a lift. Plan C: take a train to the next station that transfers me to another train. This train takes me to a station where there is a bus to Boissy. Voilà Plan C worked. I found the bus and got home in under 2 hours....I usually get home in 30-45 minutes.
Needless to say...I DO miss my beautiful car! But, I would take these little mayhems hands down instead of traffic, traffic, traffic...the mayhem keeps life interesting and keeps me on my toes!
So there is a little taste of life from Paris. I am still teaching and will be until the 30th of June. I fly home in July so can't wait to see y'all and catch up in person!
Love from Paris,
Grace
Well, I have learned one must listen to all announcements and disregard postings even when it looks like it is the right listing! Announcements are the last word!
I was in Paris last weekend and I felt like I was in a movie. I got to one of the major stations for connections and there were posters saying the metro 11 I wanted to take (and the only one that goes to my friend's apartment) had several stations closed. This means one must take a shuttle bus on the surface streets...translation...Paris traffic! So I jumped in planning to transfer right before the shuttles to another metro line. While in the Metro 11, there came an announcement that there was a pedestrian ahead on the tracks therefore we had to vacate the metro and transfer to another metro line. So, now people are grumbling and saying other stuff and trying to find quickly what lines go to where they want to go. I get in another metro line and "crackle....due to a suspicious bag at one of the stations this train will not be making all the stops...crackle, crackle"! so now everyone on this metro is also now grumbling and confused. Then, our train comes to a stop and again "crackle..due to the suspicious bag all service is now discontinued please vacate and switch to another line...crackle". OK! Now, I am in a wave of people who are grumpy, confused, lost, and walking as fast as possible down long corridors trying to make a connection to somewhere that will take them somehow closer to where they would like to go. I finally found a line that took me for a little ride around Paris and dropped me off with a 10 minute walk to my friend's apartment PHEW! What a way to spend the last weekend of vacation! An adventure...one for the books!
THEN, hee hee, I ride the train to work everyday right...well, yesterday I get to the station where I transfer to the train that takes me home. "crackle, crackle... (oh no, I am thinking not again!)..due to a tree falling on the electrical wires at Boissy, all service is dicontinued between station X and station Y...crackle". I thought well, I can take the next train to the nearest station with a bus to Boissy so I wait on that platform with everyone else who is also thinking the same thing. All of the sudden our train posting disappears and then, here it is again "crackle...due to further complications with the tree at Boissy, this train will not be going to Pointoise anymore. Service terminates at Eragny....crackle". There are now about 50 people staring with me at the speakers like are you kidding! Plan B: I quickly called one of my colleagues who lives in Eragny to see if there was a bus to Boissy. He said no, but wanted me to keep him posted in case I get stuck somewhere and need a lift. Plan C: take a train to the next station that transfers me to another train. This train takes me to a station where there is a bus to Boissy. Voilà Plan C worked. I found the bus and got home in under 2 hours....I usually get home in 30-45 minutes.
Needless to say...I DO miss my beautiful car! But, I would take these little mayhems hands down instead of traffic, traffic, traffic...the mayhem keeps life interesting and keeps me on my toes!
So there is a little taste of life from Paris. I am still teaching and will be until the 30th of June. I fly home in July so can't wait to see y'all and catch up in person!
Love from Paris,
Grace
posted by gracy at 12:39 PM
1 Comments:
I've had those days. It sounds like you handled it better than I do sometimes.
I know what you mean about traffic. One thing I'm really glad for is that I don't deal with it right now. For many years of living in the L.A./OC area I've managed to avoid it, and I love doing that.
You're losing your tourist sheen! You know your way around the multiple train lines and sound kind of like NYCers do about the subways and the ways to get from X to Y.
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