Metro Mishaps

Alright, as promised, the rest of my story of arrival. It will be accompanied by somewhat random photos of my first day of adventures. Let's start with this one:

The view of the Pantheon dome while climbing Rue de la Montagne Ste Genvieve

Now for the story. So after hopping on the right train, I follow the directions I wrote in my notebook (diligently copying every detail to make sure I wouldn't get lost), but I can't see the sign to make the switch to the M10 line. Not wanting to stand around looking like a dumbfounded tourist, I decided to follow the stream of traffic up the stairs and see if maybe the interchange was on a different level. Luckily, this station has escalators (something I found out was not always the case) and I make quick work of the trip up. After climbing the second flight, I'm greeted my nothing but an exit turnstyle. Crap.

I turn around a bit looking for any other corridors or signs before I walk out. I see the sign pointing to the M10 line, in the exact opposite direction I had just walked. I turn around go back down the two flights of escalators and see if I missed a sign or a corridor. Nope, I didn't miss a thing. I was led back to the exact same spot I got off the RER. No signs. No other directions to the M10. So I turn around and march back up the escalators to see if maybe there's another station that I have to exit to get to.

Crypte du Paruis sits just outside Notre-Dame, by the Metro station

As I exit the Metro, I'm greeted by the full majesty of Notre-Dame. I glance quickly, but I'm more interested in dropping off my 80 some-odd pounds of luggage. I decided to circumvent the block to look for another station, without realizing this block goes around a large palace-turned-government-building. After huffing and puffing my way around the block, I still can't find a Metro station, and decide to descend back into the Saint-Michel station to find the interchange. Unfortunately this means I have to buy another ticket. This time there's a machine that takes Euro bills and has a clear English option. Heaven was smiling on me, or so it seemed... After finishing all the options, I discovered that the machine's bill eater (very technical term...) was out of order. I tried looking at the other machines, but neither of them had a place for bills, so I cancelled the transaction. I wasn't going to use my card for a 1€75 Metro ticket. I fired up a new transaction to buy a ticket book of 10 tickets for 12€75 and swiped my card through. The machine was processing before declaring that there was an error and the transaction didn't go through.

I moved over to the next machine and did the same transaction. My card went through and I opened the door for the tickets. Nothing there. I waited another minute. No whirring of printers or dispensers, no error screen, absolutely nothing. Awesome. Getting irritated, I moved on to the third and final machine and purchased a single ticket. Finally, it worked, and I was on my way back into the underground. I decide to go to the opposite platform from where I came in and see if there's anything else pointing me in the right direction, and there, on the side of the quai, were arrows pointing me to the M10 interchange. So I start following them to a corridor at the far, far end of the platform, only to be greeted by more stairs. This time, no escalators.

Rue Descartes by the Pantheon. Had to snap a photo for my sister.

After another maze of stairs and corridors, and I find the entrance to M10. Finally. I hop on the train after a congenial but awkward encounter with a young Frenchmen, and look up at the map above the train door. I have to go exactly... 1 stop. Seriously? 1 stop, that's it? Whatever, I just want to get there. I take the next stop, climb out of the metro station (sans escaliers mechanique), and locate the nearest street map. After a few seconds of staring and almost finding the street I needed, a kind older gentlemen popped around the side. «Quel rue est-ce vous cherchez?» he asks quietly. «Éxcusez-moi, monsieur?» I ask back, doing my best to use my closest accent, but clearly sounding foreign. «Quel rue est-ce vous cherchez?» he asked again, much more slowly and pronounced. «Ah, Je cherche pour Rue des Bernardins.» I replied, showing him the address written in my notebook. «Rue des Bernardins? Allez jusqu'a deuxieme crossiment, tournez à droit.» he replied, using hand motions to ensure I understood. Thank you Herr B for the speed sentence in the French 1 directions unit. «Merci, monsiuer.» I say quickly before grabbing my luggage and trotting off for the hostel.

After reaching the hostel and dropping off my luggage, I decided to take a little adventure and walk around for some photos. After about 5 minutes, I stood at the bank of the Seine, staring at Notre-Dame. I felt like screaming to the sky, "ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?" I could have walked to the hostel and easily saved at least 15 minutes, over 14€, and at least 100 steps (not including all the damn stairs). I had to start laughing. Only I could make the "most delightful, easy to use Metro in the world" this difficult. Oh well, it was a great learning experience.

One last photo before I leave:

The view from the Pantheon. You can see the Tour Effiel rising over the skyline.

My next couple days are really free, but then I start my language intensive course, so I'm going to try and build up a backlog of photos and stories to share over the next few days. For now, it's good night, and I'll be back tomorrow, or, as they say here, à demain!