I can’t lie—after having used the London, Tokyo, and Singapore metros, the one in Paris just doesn’t do it for me. First off, I hate having to touch things in public transport spaces, especially if it’s metal—and a lot of the entryways are not automated; yes, you have to push open these metal slats once you’ve validated your ticket or Navigo pass (and upon leaving, as well). And—unless you have the Navigo pass, which has its own issues to be addressed another time—these are paper tickets. They accumulate in your pockets, your purse; you see them littered across Paris. (I’m no engineer but one would think Paris of all places could implement a different system.) My backpack was filled with used tickets, which I often couldn’t differentiate from tickets yet to be used, so I started throwing them away immediately upon validating them (as they are not used to exit). WELL, lucky me, I did this and and then encountered transport police as I was exiting the station. Since I didn’t have my ticket, I was charged a fifty-euro fine. (This wouldn’t have happened if I could have just used the tap function on my card, but I digress!). I was understandably upset and felt like a fool, but there’s the lesson, I suppose: no matter how much you’ve traveled, you’ll always end up making stupid little mistakes. This wasn’t the first time, and will definitely not be the last…
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