It isn’t often that someone will begin a story by telling you that they were forced to go to Paris, but that is what happened to me this past week.
The Australian government has somehow failed to drag itself into the 21st Century, and lovely folks though they might be, they require a face-to-face appointment — a rendezvous — to renew a 10-year passport. My current passport was running out quickly and it’s tied to my French residency card, so the trip was planned and reservations were made.
For the last three months — April, May, and June — the railroad employees here in France have been conducting a rolling series of strikes. It was impossible to schedule a rail ticket to and from Paris as a result, so we were forced to travel by one of those big commercial buses that have wifi on board, usb plugs for your devices, and you are meant to be travelling in air-conditioned comfort for the 5.5 hour trip in each direction. In contrast, the train takes approximately 2 hours, so you can already begin to understand how inconvenient and time-wasting this was going to be. To compound matters, we are currently in the first big heat wave of the summer and the temperatures have been knee-buckling.
Our bus was quite old, the air-conditioning worked about 50% of the time, the reserved seating that we paid extra for wasn’t honoured, and the trip actually took 6 hours. I do plan to contact the company, Ouibus, and find out why the reality of their service from Rennes to Paris is nothing like their rah-rah advertising on their website.
It was after 8 PM by the time we arrived at our hotel and checked in, only to discover that my online requests through Booking.com had been completely ignored. We were not on the ground or first floor — we were up several levels of twisty-windy stairs in a hotel that had no elevator. My note had been quite specific about my current challenges with mobility and balance, but all of that was simply ignored.
In spite of what felt like a deluge of drama, we did manage to get to the Australian Embassy the next day for my scheduled appointment. The staff were charming and I should be receiving my new passport in the mail in about 2 weeks time. So if they’ll send it by post, why do you still need to make a personal appearance? Hmmm…
Here are some images from that first full day in Paris. Enjoy!
This was our view as we stepped off the 42 bus that took us straight from our hotel to this neighbourhood — the Eiffel Tower glistening in the heat against a cloudless blue sky in Paris.
The Australian Embassy in Paris has a lovely art gallery on the ground floor containing a range of works done by Australian artists.
The Bir Hakeim station which is a few blocks from both the Eiffel Tower and the Australian Embassy.
Purchasing tickets in packs of 10 allows you to ride for 90 minutes at a time for several days straight.
A peek-through view of the Eiffel Tower alongside a twisting angle of a concrete veranda section of the Australian Embassy in Paris.
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©A Wanderful Life 2007-2018
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