Today was the first rainy day that we've experienced in quite some time - since July 15, in fact - and so, I can't complain too much about how I feel about dark skies. I do have to laugh at the expression used as our American equivalent of it's raining cats and dogs: il pleut comme une vache qui pisse. I saw cows doing exactly that this past summer over at Appleton Farms, and yes, today was one of those days. I'm not alone in my opinion, I think: judging by people's faces, it seems clear that Parisians like the rain as much as DC residents over the age of 10 like snow.
Riding the bus when the skies have just opened up is somewhat of a chore, probably because the thousands of people that normally walk or ride Velib bikes have decided that the wait for a bus beats dodging raindrops and slick streets. It becomes difficult to find a handhold (other than a neighbor's shoulder) to grab onto when the bus suddenly accelerates or goes around a corner. There are drippy umbrellas and raincoats that soil newly polished shoes; ears are deafened by babies screaming because, I imagine, they were recently rudely awakened by large drops of water falling from the bus roof onto their sweet faces; papers stick together, even if contained in waterproof backpacks... but perhaps the most perfidious action is that normally kind bus drivers turn into honking maniacs behind the wheel, barely stopping at every stop (but nonetheless advancing at a speed somewhat akin to a tortoise due to the crazed drivers blocking the bus lanes.) It is far too easy to get to the bus stop a second too late (because you have been standing in a doorway nearby, trying to stay dry-ish ) - only to stare at the rear lights as the bus pulls out towards its next stop. An easy way to become late for the afternoon appointment.
The metro is, of course, somewhat less problematic simply because there is a corridor to dry off in when walking from the entrance turnstile to the train side. And the regular schedule, free from the above-ground complications of rude and incompetent drivers means that it's much easier to calculate one's journey time from point a to point b: 3 minutes per station, and 5 extra if you have to switch lines. However, I learned a new phrase today: "grace a un incident technique sur la ligne, le metro est au rallenti." Our driver was kind enough to let us know that this un-named technical problem would keep us at the station for a good 10 minutes. By the time that he shut the doors and we were able to continue on our journey, we were barely able to move (I was channelling the Hong Kong metro at this point.) and at every stop, the faces of those waiting visibly fell as they realized that their long wait was to continue.
I'm hoping that this doesn't happen every time it rains. We're in for a very long fall if it does.
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