Riding the Metro

Our primary form of transportation in Paris is the Metro. It quickly gets you to just about anywhere in 10-30 minutes. We'll use it fairly regularly to go places, particularly when we want to get out and see a bit of the city.

While it is fast and convenient, it can also be quite crowded. This was a concern for us even before arriving in Paris and was the biggest factor in deciding to pick an apartment within walking distance of the school.

One of the first things we did upon arriving was talk to the kids about what to do in the event that we somehow became separated on the Metro -- for example, if not all of us was able to get on or off in time. The plan is really quite simple. Whoever is on the Metro rides to the next stop, gets off, and stands on the platform. The other(s) then catch the very next train. They ride it to the next stop and when the doors open there will be rest of us. While it is simple, I'm sure the 2-4 minutes in between trains will seem like a terribly long wait for all of us if one or both of the kids get separated.

Fortunately, we haven't had to use this plan but last week we came close. Most trains all exit on the right side  doors. A few will alternate right and left depending upon the station. But one that we ride fairly regularly has doors open on both sides at the stop we use to transfer. This is a very unusual layout. We first discovered it very early on when we got off on the wrong side and couldn't find the connection to our next train back home. When I finally sorted it out we had to wait for a train to arrive then all dash across the train to the other side.

So last week we were at this stop and all headed towards the next train. As I was walking I noticed that Clay wasn't with me. I sped up a little to see if he had scooted up toward Erin and Paige, who were a little ahead of me with a few people in between. I didn't see him there so made a very quick decision to head back against traffic to the train.

At each stop the trains will have their doors open for about 30 seconds. When I got back to the train I saw the doors still open and Clay standing alone on the other side. We had gone one way and he the other. I should have kept a much closer eye on him, especially at that station. But I'd grown a bit too comfortable.

Fortunately Clay was able to dart across the train to my side before the doors closed -- another 5-10 seconds later. It was a good reminder for us.