I'm at the kiosk, valiantly waiting to print out my E-ticket (which is called an E-billet here). It's probably pronounced E-biyyeyh but I hate butchering languages so I may never know haha.
"This is my first train ride on this trip," I ponder while looking slightly dorky.
Because I'm a preparedness geek, I visited the station one day earlier to gauge the walking time. And scope out the kiosks. Check out the buttons, see if they look pressable. Haha.
Really though I came to see what language barriers are between Paul and his E-billet.
There are two kiosks. A woman is using one. Rather than push her aside in true American style, I quietly approached the free one.
The opening screen greets me. Eight options appear. All in French. The suspenceful background music of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" plays, haha.
I take out my iPod and snap a picture. Yeah I'm a dork. I can go back to the hotel and using the semi-reliable wifi, type these words in Google Translator. Let's do this thing!
I'm gonna figure out as much as I can without resorting to asking the service peeps in broken French for help -I'd feel like such a tourist and giving Americans a bad name. Not today. Watch me.
Back at the hotel, the translations come back as if an alien wrote them:
"Edition de confirmations et memos"
Edit confirmations and memos
"Justificatif de voyage (voyage effectue)"
Proof of travel (travel)
"Depart immediat"
Immediate start
"Autres departs"
Other departures
"Retrait de dossiers et de billets electroniques"
Withdrawal of records and electronic tickets
"Echange de billets"
Ticket Exchange
"Renouvellements d'abonnements"
Renewals
Proof of travel? What is this, a jury process?
Withdrawal of records and electronic tickets...that sounds like the one. "I just hope when I get there I can decipher the next screen." I gulp dramatically, then pause for a commercial.
Saturday arrives. I wander downstairs for a croissant, cereal, and yogurt. I pack and head out, beginning my hour-and-a-half journey to the station.
It's a nice walk. The sea is farther out than it usually is in the morning; the tides must be changing.
I come to the rock ledge that goes straight out to sea, before ending in a clump of rocky goodness where the water lurks and splashes, like a dog wanting to play.
"I want to say goodbye to Saint Malo, wait here," I say to no one on particular.
With my Osprey pack on my back and Carrefour grocery bag in my hand I walk the ledge, the sand and seaweed below on either side waving goodbye. Now that's dorky, on both our parts.
I get to the end and see the rock face I climbed up my first day here. I'd better not climb down now, for the water would happily greet me but I'm not in the mood for freezing liquid hugs (I walked on the French H20 along the beach yesterday, it's chillerific).
I see the clouds drift by. The waves come. The waves go. Everything is in cycles. And so am I. I arrived here, now I'm saying goodbye.
It's time to go. I continue walking.
At the station..
I slickly select "Retrait de dossiers et de billets."
The kiosk laughs at me as it displays three new options. All starting with "Retrait par carte" with a different ending.
I try the first one. It asks for a credit card. I try the second one. Same. I try the third, as it has a keyboard screen! I type in my reference number, then another screen appears with an entry for 'Nom'
I type in my first and last name. A symbol with an exclamation point and red letters tells me there's an error. I start the process again.
I get to 'Nom' hmm I've seen screens before asking you for nom and surnom, which is last name, separately. So I type in 'Paul.'
Error.
I start again. What is this a computer game? Solving puzzles by trial-and-error? Perhaps those skills will do me good in France. Haha.
I type in my reference number. Now the Nom screen is staring at me..
I enter my last name.
A screen pops up with my itinerary. success! One step closer.
Now there are two buttons. The left one says something and has a checkmark. The right one is yellow and says, "Retrait" and has a checkmark. I think about asking the guy next to me what they mean. I'm so close.
Retrait...I feel like that's "retrieve" or something. Maybe "print." But why is it in yellow?
The left button has been "back" or "cancel" on this process, so here's hoping good interface usability practices were implemented in this kiosk design..
I press "Retrait"
I hear noises. It sounds like the ticket is printing! It slides out and my hand grabs it enthusiastically.
I pump my fist. I do a dance.
I'm no tourist!
...Now where are the restrooms?
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