Provins unseen (by kerouac2)
Feb 16, 2015 20:43:35 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2015 20:43:35 GMT
As we all know, things do not always turn about as planned, and today was a prime example. This morning in Paris the weather was decent, sun forecasted, so I decided to take advantage of my "dezoned" transportation pass. Even when you have only paid for central Paris, during 2 months in the summer and during all school holidays as well as every Saturday and Sunday, you can go anywhere in the Paris metropolitan area without paying anything extra. Actually this is all coming to an end, because as of September 1, 2015, the zones are being abolished and everybody will pay the same amount for monthly/yearly transportation and be able to go anywhere without paying a supplement. Sounds like a fantastic deal, right? Well, it would be if human nature were not what it is. I would guess that less than 5% the number inside Paris who will go roaming through the region because of this. And while the people from the outer suburbs will probably come to Paris more often, they were paying a higher price for most of their transit passes anyway.
Okay, so I got on a train to Provins this morning, which is about as far as you can go before you leave "zone 5." In fact, it takes almost an hour and a half to get there on the most direct train available. I shudder to think of the commuters who live there and work in Paris. However, going out there at the beginning of the morning, the train was almost empty since the traffic was in the opposite direction. One good thing to know in case anybody else ever goes there: there is a train from Paris-Est every hour at :48 and there is a train coming back from there every hour at :48 so it is perhaps the easiest schedule to remember that I have ever found in the suburbs.
So I took the train at 7:48 which was actually before dawn and arrived in Provins a bit after 9am in total pea soup fog. In fact the fog had begun about 5 kilometres from Paris (which is apparently under a protective glass dome which also stops snow from ever blanketing the city). Provins is about 9Zkm from Paris.
It didn't seem quite so bad at first.
imageshack.com/a/img537/6626/R7PK2Z.jpg
In front of the station, it was already looking a bit worse, especially since I didn't know where to go.
imageshack.com/a/img910/5683/fZxNUy.jpg
I determined where the city was and crossed a couple of bridges.
imageshack.com/a/img538/9370/WCr2BD.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img909/6673/y1eTB9.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img538/6958/7OgmYt.jpg
This place apparently used to lodge both visitors on foot and also on horseback. Practical.
imageshack.com/a/img633/7028/2UXFBG.jpg
The old buildings were all half timbered.
imageshack.com/a/img901/7171/eeIbtY.jpg
Okay, so I got on a train to Provins this morning, which is about as far as you can go before you leave "zone 5." In fact, it takes almost an hour and a half to get there on the most direct train available. I shudder to think of the commuters who live there and work in Paris. However, going out there at the beginning of the morning, the train was almost empty since the traffic was in the opposite direction. One good thing to know in case anybody else ever goes there: there is a train from Paris-Est every hour at :48 and there is a train coming back from there every hour at :48 so it is perhaps the easiest schedule to remember that I have ever found in the suburbs.
So I took the train at 7:48 which was actually before dawn and arrived in Provins a bit after 9am in total pea soup fog. In fact the fog had begun about 5 kilometres from Paris (which is apparently under a protective glass dome which also stops snow from ever blanketing the city). Provins is about 9Zkm from Paris.
It didn't seem quite so bad at first.
imageshack.com/a/img537/6626/R7PK2Z.jpg
In front of the station, it was already looking a bit worse, especially since I didn't know where to go.
imageshack.com/a/img910/5683/fZxNUy.jpg
I determined where the city was and crossed a couple of bridges.
imageshack.com/a/img538/9370/WCr2BD.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img909/6673/y1eTB9.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img538/6958/7OgmYt.jpg
This place apparently used to lodge both visitors on foot and also on horseback. Practical.
imageshack.com/a/img633/7028/2UXFBG.jpg
The old buildings were all half timbered.
imageshack.com/a/img901/7171/eeIbtY.jpg
