Saturday, 3/09/2011, Paris

Paris: Cite' Universitaire
3/09/2011

Tackled all of my demons today: the RER station was completely straightforward. I used the vending machine that took cash and had the option of "English". The recharge of the Navigo card for a week, 5-11 September, cost 18.85 Euro and two single tickets cost 3.40 Euro. Reasonably quite in the station by chance, so I was lucky. Normally it is bedlam.

I had already "virtual toured" the trip to the "Boutique Orange" (128 rue de Rennes) on Google Map, so walked to the d'Orleans Metro station from Cite' and set-off to the Saint-Placide Metro station, closest to the Boutique. Short walk from the Metro to the store but a confusing conjunction of streets (? five to eight street intersection). Usual wait in a long que to see the reception in the Orange Store, then directed downstairs to the technicians, where there was another long que. I reached a techie but he spoke little English, however he made the effort and finally understood the problem with the Mobicarte and the Internet Max option.

Part of the answer was to remove the battery from the phone, which apparently reset the defaults, then start from scratch. 300 or so key presses later the phone recognized the Internet Max option and I had Google maps back on my HTC smart phone! I also had Google.com and therefore Gmail. Not sure if that is allowed on Internet Max (there is an additional option for mail, and an additional cost) but it worked. I used the Google map "location" option to get me back to the Metro station; easy as.

The assistant in the first Orange Store (where I had bought my Mobicarte originally) had been right, although why he/they could not have done the job there and then is anyone's guess. I think they are just too busy with new contracts for customer service to be cost effective for them. Hence a central "trouble shooting" Boutique.

All my "demons" slain in one highly-productive morning! Although the cost of the phone "repair" was one weeks lost internet access (only 3 weeks left on Internet Max) and 3.40 Euro in travel. It was an interesting experience, however, and did have some entertainment value.
   
I celebrated my "win" by buying myself a late "Petit Dejenure" at a cafe on campus at Cite'. The new students are arriving and all the "eateries" are re-opening. I bought supplies from the supermarket (and a french bread-stick "Sandwich" for lunch). Late lunch in the park opposite, which I explored in the afternoon.  A very large park, deceptively so from its frontage opposite Cite' Universitaire. The "front entrance" is on one of the side streets and is quite grand.

Tomorrow I start gathering my thoughts and references for the first draft of a literature review.