remote cards

Paris is one of those old cities, one of those sprawling cities. One
of those cities which is a monster, inevitably eating time. I arrive
from Beauvais, and like every time I do I swear I’ll never travel that
route again. Landed about 5, its closer to 9 by the time I check in to
the hotel. The train station, from hard earned experience is close to
the bus station, even if I got totally thrown off by following a bunch
of lazy tourists to the nearest taxi rank the 1st time I tried this
out. But even once in the station its that trick of deciphering the
ticket machine, I’m sure it was clearer the last time I was here, I am
sure I managed to do it myself. Eventually I have to give in, stumble
through a conversation with the guy at the ticket desk. Even then,
ticket in hand, its one of those layered stations, where you need to
spiral down the labyrinth, go through tunnels before you get to the
platform you actually want. And somewhere along that trip down,
through gateways, my ticket gets all glitchy, there is a massive queue
at the ticket machine here (how did they get to this level without
one?), and no one at this ticket desk. Fortunately someone appears,
and I try to explain the problem, he lets me through, and it seems to
be solved from there. For my next trick I get on the line and go the
wrong way, now that is a first, I guess flustered by the ticket
incident I got turned around, or something. I have to get off as soon
as I realise, and cross over, and board again, and back again. And of
course, somewhere along the way, change to another line, a different
colour, a different number.

At last I arrive at the station that is nearest the hotel that I am
looking for, stagger into the street with a bag which seems to have
tripled in weight since I packed it that morning. I come to the corner
and already I’m wandering if booking almost the cheapest room I can
get, since I’m only here a night, has actually been a bad idea. There
are a lot of men standing around, groups of men, loitering, smoking,
looking around, watching everyone, as though waiting for something to
happen. Something I have no idea about. Weaving through, I get up a
side street and find the hotel easily. It actually looks ok from the
outside, but then appearances, and all that. I get checked in, and
have four flights of stairs to climb. The room is basic, serviceable,
I drop my bag, but my first question is – where are the power points?
I’d gotten half way to the airport before realising my phone needed
charged, it had been a busy week, and I hadn’t really thought how much
I’d used the thing. However, there aren’t any power points. I’m moving
furniture around with an increasing incredulity. Not a single power
point! This isn’t good. I perhaps have friends to meet tonight, or if
not then we are certainly meeting in the morning. I recall spotting a
power point on the stair well, on the landing, at the opposite end
from where my room is. I get into my luggage, I get out the charger,
and adaptor. I open the door, and I listen, trying to gauge whether
anyone is about, who is in rooms, what movement can I hear, what
conversation? I creep across the landing and plug in the phone.
Charging. Well. That’s something. But I can’t leave it here, in the
middle of the corridor, and I can’t wait here, not long enough to get
a full charge. Its one of those places where the lights go off after a
while, where the one switch lights up the entire stair well. So either
the light is on, and everyone knows about it, or I’m standing in
darkness, and someone gets a hell of a fright when they come out their
room.

I decide I’ll try the toilet. Its one of those places with a communal
toilet on each stair well, yes, I really broke the bank here. I push
my phone into the corner, trying to make it as unobvious as possible
for the quick moment. I close the door, and turn around, and around,
there is no light. The toilet is tiny, there is no light, but hey,
there is a window, with no glass, so its open to the outside, in
December. Great. Through the course of the night I steal moments of
electricity. Five minutes at a time, standing in the dark. And this
way my phone carries on long enough to send some messages, to take
some calls and to get me up in the morning. And that lets me get out
for a while.

I’m just along the road from Montmartre, Sacre Couer, that kind of
thing, I figure I’ll take a walk along, see how it is at night, maybe
take some pictures. Along the street, more strange groups loitering.
Clubs opening, gigs starting, night life of a Thursday night getting
lively. Find the street that leads up, I can see the lit up building
up there, little shops along the way, tourist things, nick nacks.
Another thing I realised, while waiting for the train to the airport,
wind blowing, I’d forgotten my hat. So when I spot a shop selling red
woolly hats I check them out. Maybe. I continue up the way, glancing
at other shops. At the end of the street I find myself disappointed,
the gates are closed to the grass and stairs, and the place is
deserted. I take a couple pictures and turn back. I stop at the first
shop again, a red woolly hat, for only 3 euro, to play substitute for
the duration of the trip. Deal. I wander in, pleased the place is
still open, while others are pulling down shutters. A handful of
Italian girls buy trinkets before I get served, I hand over the coins,
and thank him, then my sleeve catches on a box of lighters and sends
them crashing to the floor. We agree that I’ll let him deal with them,
and leave with my apologies, watching my feet as I go, knowing that it
is definitely ones of those days.

I decide to head further along, beyond Anvers, towards Pigalle,
conscious as I do of its reputation. The thought in my head at the
same time that I really should eat something, when a menu outside a
café bar catches my eye – its in English, which is an immediate help,
since, of course, I also forgot to bring one of my phrase books
(though at least I had my map!). The duck with blueberries and
potatoes catches me eye, so I go in and that’s what I order. I sit and
read the book I’ve been carrying with me all day, Chris Beckett’s
“Marcher”, and eat the duck, thinly sliced, smothered in the brown
sauce which has the little berries in it, with a generous portion of
thinly sliced potatoes, cooked in garlic butter, with a side of green
beans. There are groups of 20 somethings sat outside, with cool
haircuts, cigarettes, little jugs of wine, and blankets. There is a
couple at the next table who return after a cigarette, surprised to
see my appearance since they went out, and as far as I can tell
looking at my food with a jealousy that quickly makes them order their
own. There is tall waiter, long dark hair, receding at the front, tied
at the back, two waitresses – one 20 something the other 30 something,
the difference showing in more than years - hair styles and clothes.
After dinner I have a coffee, forgetting that it’ll be one of those
absurd tiny cups that won’t last me a page, let alone a chapter, but
shrug when it arrives. And the phone rings, and it’s at that point I
realise just how loud the place is, the background chatter, the low
hum of music. So I leave my stuff at the table and step outside,
having to retreat a little up the side street before I can actually
hear. The call I’ve been waiting for, we arrange to meet at the
station nearest to them, a place I know from past trips. I return, I
pay, I leave.

Back into the underground once more. Pocket map out of the pocket,
tracing coloured lines for intersections Pigalle to Grenelle. When I
emerge at the other end, on this so familiar cross roads, its raining.
We spent New Year here, a group of us, a few years before, there is a
café here, one across the road, we spent several mornings in those,
including a solemn New Year’s Day. I can’t see them, start to text
while standing under the awning, but they spot me first, them having
gone unseen with their hoods up to shelter against the weather. Its
late, we’re all tired from travels, but we go in here, remembering
when we last here, who was here that last time, and we order 3 pots of
tea and chatter for an hour or so. Form plans for the morning, out to
the airport to pick up arrivals, have lunch, then hit the road. And we
call it a night, retracing my route back to Pigalle, might as well
walk rather than change line again for two stops. Another 10 minutes
in the corridor charging, then into bed, the room is fine enough, for
what it is, and I’ll be out early come morning.

Labels: paris, travel