Steeeeriiiikkkke!

As you might have guessed from our previous post on Daylight Savings, we live under a bit of a rock here in Paris. When I recieved an email from my Wed/Sat. school saying that they would be closed today, and possibly Wed, I didn't really think much of it, except to cross my fingers for them staying closed on Wednesday.

Erik finally clued me in around noon yesterday by telling me about the transit strike and protests that were scheduled for today. It was a bit exciting. We went for a walk last night, and we were both half hoping that we wouldn't be able to make it to work. It was such nice day yesterday too, that I joked that the strikers just wanted an excuse to enjoy the weather. We went for a run this morning, and many cafes were setting up their chairs at 7am, perhaps anticipating a busier than usual Tuesday crowd (it's not just the trains that are taking a stand, schools, post offices, government offices, and banks were also supposed to be striking).

With statistics like 1 out of every 2 metro trains running, and half the RER trains in service, both Erik and I were a bit skeptical about the success of our commutes today. Erik was planning on only staying for half the day, in case it was really difficult to get back. I left the house a mere ten minutes early, not even sure if the Jardin was open.

By the time I got into the station, Erik had already sent me a texto to tell me that he was only 15 minutes late. No biggy. I got to work right on time, maybe I had to wait a bit longer than usual, and the trains were a bit more squised, but if I hadn't known there was a strike, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.

The highlight of my commute this morning was two separate people on two separate trains who complained about being pushed and squeezed. It's hard not to laugh when everyone on the train is packed in as tightly as sardines, and the fact that someone is complaining about being pushed means that they have more room than they deserve. I made sure to give them a good jostle on my way out.

Ride home at noon was equally uneventful. Saw a group of protesters march down a street near our place. I would have watched more, but it was raining, and I had to stick my head out the window to see them. So that's it. I'm still hoping for a school closure tomorrow, but the fact that I'm really excited about the possibility means I definetly won't happen.