Last week I went out for dinner with John and Janet (husband of boss and boss). We took my first ever tram ride out toward their house and found a restaurant. When we were done, they told me I just had to hop on the tram (which runs on rails like a train and uses electricity) outside the door, ride back into town two stops, and then hop on the 19 tram out to where I'm staying. No problem. Janet walked me out to the tram (which stops in the middle of the street, so it feels a bit tricky to get on), and waved me off. She looked concerned. I thought, "how hard can this be?"
I made it back to where John, Janet and I started out with ease and hopped off the tram. While I was waiting for the next tram, I thought, "Well, I could walk home from here, but it's about time I learn how to do this tram thing. I'll download that cool app John and Janet have to track the trams while I'm waiting." So I'm tinkering with my phone, and the tram comes, and I hop on. Now it's a straight shot from that station up to where I'm staying. The train goes two stops and then takes a big left turn and heads out into the night. It's 10:30. I've been in town for 9 days. The trams don't say anything inside them to give any indication of which tram you're on (should you happen to be one of those folks who apparently got on the wrong tram), or to tell you what the next stop is, so you can look at the map inside the tram and figure it out. Fortunately, I had figured out the map function on my phone, so I pulled it up, found the little blue arrow that was me, and figured out I could hop out at the next stop and walk home 8 blocks or so. It was a lovely night, and a quiet neighborhood, and I just made sure that little blue arrow on my phone stayed headed for home.
Since then, I have waited on the wrong side of tram stop (because they go the opposite direction, just like traffic) at least once a day. A nice woman on the tram showed me how to get the card reader to see my card when she watched me fiddling around for 2 minutes (at least there wasn't a line behind me). I have gotten on the wrong tram 3-4 times because I forgot to look at the tram number, or didn't remember which number I needed. I keep trying to go to house inspections and missing them because I miscalculate how long it will take, or get on the wrong tram, or get off the tram and then go the wrong direction. The blue arrow is not always helpful. And so far the only life I've put at risk has been my own - which definitely would not have been the case if I were driving.I have gotten to see a lot of the city, though.
By the time I get visitors, I should have this figured out. Well, maybe by the next visitors after Jean...
Still, sounds easier than the Paris Metro!
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