People Watching
When visiting Paris for the first time - or any country I should imagine - the best tactic is to stand back and watch when you’re not sure about something. This proved to be an invaluable strategy on the Metro, where everything was confusing for the first time. For example, in London you have to validate your ticket when you enter and when you leave stations; in Paris, you only validate on the way in. When you leave, you’re faced with tall metal doors and I had no clue what the deal was with getting through them. All I could do was stand back and watch what everyone else did, and of course it was simple - the doors are automatic and you just walk through.
Unfortunately, my strategy didn’t work quite so well tonight. So far, all the Metro trains that I’ve used have been of the sparkly new variety, but when I got one to the Seine, it was an old train with manual handles - like the old slam-door trains we used to have in the UK. I was fine getting on, I just made sure that I stood by someone else on the platform and tried to watch how they opened the doors. Alas, I obviously picked an expert illusionist because I didn’t see a thing. I only had to travel two stops and all the while I was appraising the door, trying to figure out how the horribly complex-looking latch is released. When my stop came, nobody else in the carriage moved to get off; maybe they were all foreign tourists, trying to work out how the bloody doors worked. I couldn’t bring myself to be the idiot who tried, so I continued to the next stop… and STILL nobody got off. I was travelling further and further into the city and further away from the Seine. Finally, I had no choice but to pluck up the courage and, having gone five stops further than I wanted, I took a deep breath and tried the latch - and it opened! For anyone who’s curious, errrr, just pull the handle up.
When I did make it to the Seine, I was disappointed; I obviously found the only bit that hasn’t been prettied up! However, I did stumble upon a little restaurant that proved a great success. The waiter was lovely (something of a rarity) and, while I was determined to speak French, he was determined to speak English. There were only a handful of people in the restaurant and I’m guessing that one was the owner as all the waiters were buzzing about him, and he ordered a bottle of champagne to drink on his own. How decadent.
Tonight I have eaten very, very well for about £15, including wine. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the place, just that it was very near the Musee D’Orsay.