The RATP Race

Your getting two blogs tonight; it's Friday; I felt generous :-)

'The RATP Race' and 'Light' Enjoy.

I know, the title's a joke! Like the 'Rat Race' but RATP are the public transport people of Paris, the souls I entrust my life to every morning to make sure I get to work on time!

Today I entrusted my life to me. I took the car. I took a deep breath and went for it. Well not just any car; Sophia. My mum's lovely purple Peugeot 307.

Having left the house as if I would if I was getting the metro, the RATP Race was on!

After four or five manoeuvres trying to get Sophia out of the pigeon holed underground car park of my flat, we were off, onto the streets together. And what a surprise. Nothing. No traffic.

I let Sophia stretch her legs as we went towards Porte St Cloud. She was enjoying it. Over Pont de Sevres, past the bus, rammed as normal; me in my purple cocoon, temperature set just so, the melodic tones of Alex Parks (Fame academy circa 2003?) bouncing around the car.

My automotive girlfriend sat patiently waiting for me in the underground car park of the office for my return. She knew it was Friday; it was Paris and it was rush hour. The smile had gone from her face.

We trundled back down the motorway, car and driver casually singing along to 5ive. Porte St Cloud approached once more. No signposts. Sophia and I looked at each other. We chose the 3rd of 4 exits. Immediately we regretted it. We'd hit the Peripherique. On a Friday. At rush hour.

Sophia's French sophistication and charm let us into gaps we really shouldn't have been let into. She'd become a Parisian girl! We moved through lanes, getting the occasional horn blast; we replied with a typical Parisian shrug of indifference. And finally we got out.

We pulled up at a junction a few minutes later with no traffic lights. Just wait for the people the other side of the road to stop and then go for it.

A white van man pulled up our inside; a businessman in a BMW the other side; us in the middle. I looked at Sophia as if to say 'we've been defeated; I'm sorry.' She didn't say anything, just grinned back at me. Game on.

The lights turned green. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. We'd gone. Left everyone for dead. BMW man looked baffled; white van man, gutted. My girl and me; victorious.

I think I won the RATP Race. But more than that, Sophia and I had a great Parisian adventure!