There and Back Again

Pondering: I love Paris in the summer, when it sizzles. (Cole Porter)

I was scared to my wits this afternoon as I sat at the front seat of a 2-decker tour bus rushing through Paris traffic. I was on the upper deck and saw the same thing the driver of the bus was seeing, only I was elevated.

In Paris, I noticed, a lot of the streets have no driving lanes. Nor do they have a driving protocol whatsoever that I could understand. I’m sure there’s one, it just wasn’t something obvious for a tourist. Seriously, cars come from all directions and merge whenever, from wherever. Drivers, at the last minute, step on their breaks to give way to pedestrians who also don’t seem very mindful of traffic signs and pedestrian lanes. And then it got worse near Arc de Triomphe…

I swear, a couple of times my sister and I would raise our right foot and step on an imaginary break, willing the bus to stop because a mini Couper just merged on the right side and will surely get crushed. But amazingly, you see no accidents happening. No one honks their horn, no fender benders, nothing. Everyone seems to be on the same page so I guess, all is well for Parisian drivers and pedestrians.

Still, it was a hair-raising experience to watch the traffic unfold the way it did, especially for someone who regularly drive a car like I do. I wondered what these drivers would think of our Highway 280 traffic?