My Birthday in Paris V "The Strike" (Mini Series)

It is our last day in this cultured city of love. We spend our last hours packing and enjoying one last meal before we have to get to the train station and make our way back to Switzerland. It really has been an amazing adventure of historical sites, bus tours, metro rides, delicious food, and French champagne. I am overly happy to be leaving this country an engaged woman, the bond between Beni and I undeniably stronger. I am excited to return home to the pristine country I have called my home the last two months.

Packed and ready we take what we assume to be our last metro ride to the train station. We have about fifteen minutes until the scheduled train departure. We find our assigned track and discover dozens of passengers gathered about waiting to board the train. There is at first confusion as to why no one is allowed to get on. I glance at the ancient clock hanging above and a little panic runs through me as I see the time before departure getting nearer. What is going on? Too many people are in front of us, we cannot see what the hold up is. To my left I see a woman with a large camera cutting through the crowd to the front. She sets up and starts to film us. Another man is near the trains holding a smart phone recording the crowds.  Suspicion comes over me and I start to feel concern for our situation.

The hands of the large clock tick closer and closer to boarding time. There is no way we could all board this train in time for departure. Panic starts to hit the group of traveling people. I look to Beni and he is frustrated, he doesn't have a clue either why no one can get aboard. More and more people are behind us intending on taking this train to Zurich. It is Sunday afternoon, many people like Beni have to get home to work the following Monday. Voices of concern soon turn to voices of outrage as we are running out of minutes. People shouting in languages I do not speak are raising arms to shake their tickets at the train employees.

I can see to the front now. A row of red-vested train employees stand with emotionless faces towards the crowd. A barricade separates the workers from the passengers. A few security guards stand next to the employees. There is no concern from these individuals as they stare back at us and tell us we cannot board, it is not their fault they do not know what is going on. There is a push from behind and I look to see persons with rage struck faces trying to make their way through the front. There is pushing from behind me and a push back from in front of me. I am standing behind Beni clinging to his backpack for dear life. Fear runs over me as I have no idea how this will turn out. At one point I have been pushed so much I almost fall over and if that happens I will for sure be trampled. To my right a frightened mother stands holding an infant baby. She covers his head as chaos forms around her. The train employees start to tell us we can take the later train and this sends outrage through the crowd. One German speaking man becomes over turned with fury as he yells and puts his middle in finger every train worker's face. The security guards come in to action and make him back off. Everyone is angry and wanting to board this train. They have travel plans and places to be.

I watch as the hands of the clock hit out departure time and the train takes off, leaving all of the passengers behind. There is a lot of screaming and angry words being said as all of us are ushered away from the track and in to an area marked with a white line. We are told to wait here for three hours until the next train. This is impossible, we all have tickets and the later train will for sure be full. Beni and I have no idea what is going on or why we were just treated that way. I felt like I was in another world and time. Beni makes some phone calls to his family back in Switzerland. We find out from them that the French train employees were on strike and would not allow us to board this train. That these people were striking for higher salary in turn for ruining hundreds of people's days. I would never imagine that such a thing could be possible.

It is uncertain when and if we could get a train ride back to our country so we have to book a flight instead. The flight will not take off until the following day so we must get a hotel room. Beni's family quickly books these for us while we are still at the train station. The hotel is located near the airport so we must take a subway there. Once again we get on board an underground train car. Crammed shoulder to shoulder with other passengers we start to move forward. After a few minutes the car starts slowing down. I can see the graffiti on the cement walls more clearly as the train comes to a complete stop. We aren't to the designated stop yet, why have we stopped here underground? Panic rushes over me as I fear this train too is on strike. What would happen if we were trapped in this humid car full of frustrated people?

After a few minutes the train starts up again and we finally make it to the hotel. After a few hours travel and much frustration we find ourselves in a hotel room again. This time it's not a rustic love room, but a more generic travel hotel. We make our way downstairs for  a quick dinner before we fall asleep. A television in the restaurant shows the news of the train strike, displaying the hundreds of angry passengers who had no way home that day. People forced to get another hotel room, a flight home, and make other arrangements. I hope that everyone was as fortunate as us.

We wake up the next day more than ready to leave France. Beni is really upset with what happened as something like this would never happen in Switzerland. He kept his cool the entire time even though at some points I thought he would lose it. He really is a true Swiss gentleman. We are more than relieved when we finally arrive back in the safety of the Swiss Alps. I almost want to kiss the ground I am so thankful to be back in the clean streets of Chur where people are courteous and polite. I have truly become spoiled living here Switzerland and my expectations of humans has grown since I've experienced the culture here.

Like many other things in life there always has to be a balance. Nothing is for free, and if it's worth it, it won't always be easy. Even though the last day was frustrating in Paris, I knew that we had experienced so much good and we are very fortunate in so many ways, that this little hiccup was  a reminder to stay grateful for all that we have. To be grateful for the convenience of everyday luxuries. Paris was a wonderful trip even if it made us pay a little in the end.

To read the full series of My Birthday in Paris, click Here.

To read how Beni and I met, click Here.