Last weekend, I got lost. I decided to take a trip to Versailles to see the palace. After spending two hours marveling at the decadent living conditions on Louis XIV, I felt like it was time to take the RER back to my house. This was the start to a journey that lasted twice as long as my time in the palace.
My first issue was my unfamiliarity with the RER. I winded up in a small town with train station with no idea which train would take me back to Paris. I did not mind waiting for the next train, but I ended up spending two hours at the station because I was afraid to go on trains that the RATP app did not recommend. It did not seem like the train I trusted the most was coming anytime soon when I finally got on a train that I hoped would take me to Paris.
It turned out that it did lead to Paris. Thinking I was safe, I relaxed until the train halted midway between stops. I got off after 30 minutes and ran into an unfamiliar part of the city. To make matters worse, I had low phone battery. Luckily, I found a metro stop. While the stop was not on the line that I used to get home, I had become familiar enough with the metro to connect to the sixth and get home. While it was a daunting experience, I felt a sense in accomplishment when I realized how familiar I have become with the metro.
I took this photo on the Metro right before my battery died.