D1 pt 1: Bad Karma in Bordeaux
After spending a month in the country side of France, my Eurotrip begins back in Bordeaux. The shock of the noise of the city compared to the peaceful yoga retreat was more than slightly overwhelming. I arrived before check-in at the hostel, so I dropped my large bag off and then strolled around the city.
Since I’d already spent a day and a half in Bordeaux, I didn’t have any must-sees while in town. A basketball court caught my eye on the drive in and I felt that itch to go see if I could play a pick up game. No dice on finding a game but I did manage to shoot around for about half an hour. I made my first three shots and then was humbled by missing my next 20!
On my walk back to the hostel, riot police were set up around town just in case a group of protestors demonstrating against the Pass Sanitaire, the French law requiring citizens to be vaccinated to enter bars/restaurants & use public transportation, turned ugly. Nothing happened but it was fun to watch; however… the French policeman did not find my curiosity funny though and we shooed me away. Maybe this was the bad karma I was about to paid back for….
At check-in, the lady looks at me curiously, “Are you sure you registered under Brad Hartman?”. Replying “yes”, I pulled open my confirmation email. I groan and say a few choice words. My reservation is for the next night and unfortunately, this hostel is sold out for the night. Frustrated, I sit down to search for another hostel to stay at and I’m in luck at a place on the opposite side of town.
I walk the 5 minutes to catch a tram. Getting out my wallet to pay for the ticket, my heart jumps to my throat and I say a few more choice words. My credit card is gone. I damn near run back to the hostel in hopes of finding it laying on the ground but no luck. The card is gone. I quickly log onto the Capital One app to freeze my card, and just two minutes later I receive a notification saying my card was declined at a grocery store a mile from the hostel. Bastards.
Yoga training immediately helped as I find my breath to calm myself down. I am disappointed in myself, but objectively losing my card isn’t the end of the world since I have enough cash on hand and a back up debit card. Plus, my parents are meeting me in Europe in a week and can bring a replacement card.
I walk back to the train station slightly dejected and head off to Whoo Hostel. It’s still early afternoon and so much more happens on this day. I’ll save the rest for another entry.