Broke As a Joke In the City of Light

Thursday, June 5 --- After the amazing night at Champs de Mars, I awoke the next morning to get my financial affairs in order. Up to this point, the only cash I had to my name was 30 cents – as you all recall, I misplaced my bank card a few days earlier. I was now in desperate need of cash. The hostel I was staying at accepted cash only, and after losing my card I didn’t have enough on me to pay for my 3^rd and last night there. If I didn’t come up with cash within two hours, I was homeless. Luckily, my brother had sent me a moneygram of 100 euro that needed to be picked up in the city, so Amy (my new Canadian roommate) came along to translate if need be. Her family is French-Canadian so she’s studied and can understand it pretty well. I hadn’t mentioned this, but I tried to pick up the moneygram the night before, and the person working didn’t speak a lick of English, and kept repeating “The computer is down.” I’m not sure if I bought that, but I thought if I started arguing with the woman in another language she would freak out and call the cops, and spending the night in a French prison isn’t on my itinerary. Luckily, this time, the person spoke English, so no translation was required. I got my much-needed cash, and headed back to the hostel.

On the way home, I was very wary as to whether I would be able to secure my room for another night. The hostel was booked solid (I checked the night before) and there was no guarantee whatsoever. Basically, it all came down to whether someone had cancelled in the last 12 hours. After some deliberation on the metro ride back, I concluded that if no bed was available and I indeed was homeless, that I was going to spend the night on the Champs de Mars, by the Eiffel Tower. Amy said she’d smuggle me a blanket and pillow, and liked the idea so much that she was considering it herself. I know, I know… it probably sounds crazy… but how many people can say they’ve woken up to the sun rising on the Eiffel Tower, and didn’t pay a dime for it? However, to my surprise and probably my parents’ relief as they read this, the hostel did have a bed available, and I wouldn’t have to spend the night as a vagrant. With my financials in good shape and a room secured for that night, Amy and I were ready to hit the city again. It was about 10am or so at this point. My next post should be up in a few hours, and it will go over what I did for the rest of this day.