Exiled in Paris
FRANCE | Friday, 9 May 2014 | Views [203] | Scholarship Entry
It is 9 AM; I am inside a Parisian black cab listening to "Walk" of Ludovico Einaudi. Half asleep, my eyes were switching between the windows from where I could see a new city for the first time and the counter that was moving by Euros and not MAD, yet my mind was still thinking about how I ended up here!
By riding the taxi and closing the door, I felt myself in another world. The driver’s forehead lines could say that he is in his 50’s. He kept his smile despite the heavy traffic of a metropolitan city at a Monday morning and with it he kept his silence. In my country, a taxi driver would never let you go before he shares with you his life stories and even if you don't follow his talks he will keep speaking as if it is part of the service.
My soul was flying out of my body and the unique sound I was hearing was of piano. I was in a nirvana state of mind and high naturally after two sleepless and homeless nights.
33 hours before, I was packing my luggage to get ready for my next travel. After visiting the state of Thuringia, I was heading to the Bavarian capital as I received an invitation from my childhood friend to spend a week with her. Everything was settled; I even booked my flight back home from Munich. However, the night before going to her place, she didn’t pick my call. It is the 33's time I am calling her and still no response, my adrenaline jumped up as I worried for her. At midnight, I received a message from her where she says "Sorry I can't receive you, something serious happened, forgive me please!".
Plan B? I have none; as a result I remained homeless and lost. A bohemian inside the desert of my thoughts, all I could see was a dust storm coming toward me. But, suddenly an oasis of hope appeared. A voice inside of me was calling "Be positive dear, not having a plan B doesn't mean you are lost but means all the destinations are yours now". At that right moment, my Egyptian friend showed in the scene of my reflection, we were planning to go to the train station together as he was going to Frankfurt and then to Paris.
I decided to go to the city of lights and we spent the rest of the night checking for transportation, but nothing was available. I didn’t lose hope and chose to go to Frankfurt and look for my way to Paris there. I was fortunate to book one of the two remaining tickets in a bus to Paris.
The trip was scheduled for 9 PM so I enjoyed the rest of the day walking around the financial icon of Germany and my story got a happy ending.
Tags: 2014 Travel Writing Scholarship - Euro Roadtrip
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