I can’t think of anything to help you for the guy running through the turnstiles with you. It’s happened to me a couple of times…I shot dirty looks at the guys, they shot dirty looks back and started to act agressively. Then I suddenly realized that they were beasts and that they had no idea how awful the thing they had done.

My other pet peeve about the metro is how even if you get the privileged seats, you have to probably jostle knee space with the person just across with you. Those benches are just too close together.

Thirdly, why are there always mosquitoes in the metro, even in the dead of winter?

Finally, lived in Lille for a short time. If you want a real glauque metro experience, go there. There’s no conductors or operators, it’s all computerized, occasionally some guy in orange with the word security will be parked at the door of your carriage, there are only three carriages, and they are all very narrow with fluorescent lighting. After 6pm, you don’t want to ride this if you’re a single white girl. Trust me. Makes the Metro in Paris seem like the Orient Express.

Et pour les gens bizarres, comme je le dis, si dans 6 millions de personnes, il n’y a pas quelques tarés, c’est la ville qui serait vraiment bizarre ;).

Because there will be a next time. Probably this week.

Turnstile jumping is barely impossible now that the RATP has been improving its doors. I remember once having answered a basic “No! Buy a ticket !” to someone asking for “cooperative entrance”. The man just stood here, quite amazed… But usually I admit being too coward to say something.

Linca – okay you got me, those barriers are pretty jumpproof. Even for an athlete such as myself.