My horrible commute!
Am I the Only Person Not Waiting for the 2018 World Cup Champions “Les Bleus” to Return to Paris?🇫🇷
Now don’t get me wrong, we cheered for France (where we currently live) during the World Cup. We were thrilled to see them win on Sunday (July 15) and I was mighty tired on Monday morning when my first English class began at 8:00 am. Little did I know what my day would entail.
#1: My 1st indication that the day bring nothing but travel trouble. The train I usually take is under construction so off I went to my back up route. My first train was cancelled. The next seem to be on it’s way…but then apparently got lost along the way. 3 minutes came and went as more and more people crowded onto the platform. after 20 minutes we all squished on and I knew I’d be late and contacted my student. Luckily, she is very kind and understood. Parisians tend to be forgiving about the train schedules.
#2: My 2nd clue should have been the ongoing clean up from the all night party after the world cup victory. My student is 5 minutes from the Arc de Triomf and boy was it a mess! The sanitation workers were diligently doing their duty after a night of celebration!
After my day was done, I happily went to my usual metro station. Unfortunately, I work by the Champs-Élysées, which unbeknownst to me, was teeming with people. I didn’t realize France’s new heroes would be doing their victory lap and waving at their joyous and appreciative fans along the famous avenue.
#3: The 3rd bit of evidence which should have tipped me off was the crowds of people piling up and casually sitting at the metro stations. This is Franklin Roosevelt station and as you can see, there’s no indication that it’s closed. Only after you walk down and ask does someone say that all of the stations along the Champs-Élysées are closed. I asked which metro station nearby was still open and I hit the road.
#4: The 4th proof that commuting was a bad idea…but I was still overly optimistic (oh, silly me!). Luckily, it’s a close walk from Franklin Roosevelt to Saint-Philippe-du-Roule. (Why so many hyphens in Saint-Philippe-du-Roule? Who knows.) Once I arrived at the station it was absolute chaos! People were packed in like sardines. They were only letting a few people through the turnstiles a time because the platform was so full. It was crazy! I squeezed my way out and thought I’d walk to the next station (away from the Champs-Élysées). Fresh air was better than crowds.
#5: My 5th inkling that the universe was trying to warn me that my bad commuting story was not over revealed itself at the next station. I thought I was clever indeed and walked over to the next closest station, Miromesnil. Even though they were further from the Champs-Élysées, it was completely closed. While thousands of people were going to the Champs-Élysées,
#6: The 6th tip that this day would suck was realizing I had to keep going north and away from the Champs-Élysées. At this point, I just wanted to get the hell out of Paris. At least once I got to Parc Monceau, there were trees and shade! It was so hot by this point, I needed to cool off. When I finally made it across to reach another metro line from Monceau station. I figured I could take this metro to my train and finally be on my way south (I lived near Versailles, south of Paris). I was sorely mistaken. I must have been OUT OF MY MIND!
A couple of pics of Parc Monceau. I would have taken more, but I was trying to get the hell out of Paris and go home.
#7: 7th telltale sign that I am hopelessly naive or just plain ol’ dumb. I knew the station was not allowing people to enter, but I thought that if you’re already on the metro, you could transfer at Charles de Gaulle–Étoile (Arc de Triomf). I am seriously, senselessly thick in the head! The metro skipped over Charles de Gaulle–Étoile station. I just shook my head. I got off at Victor Hugo and went the other way, passed Monceau and to Place de Clichy so I could finally take a train going south. What a day!!
A commute from hell!
What normally takes about 45 minutes took over 2 hours! Not the kind of story you think about when talking about the thousands of people in Paris welcoming the World Cup team home for their victory parade. It’s too bad they didn’t have better signs or traffic police or someone there to help people get around. Such is life in the City of Lights.
My advice to everyone? During big events, unless you want to be part of the crowd, stay out of Paris!