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Published: October 19th 2006
The Group
Clockwise-ish: Eli, green jacket guy, Guillaume, orange shirt guy, Yann, Kyle, Cristophe, Sharon, Stephan, Perrine, Jamie, Camille, John, Ang, Mike, Raegan, Remé, Tahera, shell necklace guy.Hello Reader.
We would be going to meet Ang, and about forty other couchsurfers that were gathering from all over Europe, to help celebrate her birthday in Bordeaux, a city in the southeasternmost (an actual word) corner of France. I had met Ang in Toulouse, France five months prior and had kept in touch ever since. See
From Montpellier to Toulouse. Even though Mike had not met her before, all the great things I told him about her, along with the few emails they had exchanged and the fact they were both from New Zealand, led him to be just as excited to see her as I was.
Overall my five days in Bordeaux (Saturday to Wednesday) were great. I just wish I could say that my first day in Bordeaux was all smiles and no worries. Unfortunately, though it ended well, it was a really rough one. Ups and downs the whole day.
It started off simple enough. Mike and I arrived to Bordeaux by train. I had fallen asleep, as I do, for the last half-hour or so. I woke up, rushed off with Mike, and realized that the lucky bloke that occupied my seat after me would find
Bordeaux
Victoire eight euro in coins stuck between the cushions. Eight euro!? That's like... fifty bucks or something! So Mike and I parked on the pavement and waited for Angela to meet us. I pulled out my sunglasses only to find they had been crushed in my bag. In a fit of rage over my lost eight euro and my sunglass crumbs, I threw them to the ground and jumped up and down on the remaining pieces, screaming in faux-French and making a huge scene.
But it was all temporarily forgotten with a huge hug from THE legend herself.
A French couchsurfer who had seen Ang's meeting listed on the website also saw that Mike and I were looking for a host. So HE emailed US to offer up his couch for the weekend. How cool is that?! Camille seemed really nice so the three of us were juiced up to meet him for tea at a travel themed cafe after we left the station. Ang had to go meet some other CSers so Camille, Mike, and I went to drop off our stuff and get settled in to Camille's apartment before reconvening with the others.
On the way,
I stopped off at the ATM to get some money out. I punched in my PIN three times (my CORRECT PIN) and - like a starving, credit-card-eating goat - that machine ate my card without even chewing. My jaw dropped and I think I peed a little. Just then three people walked by, saw our packs, and muttered amongst themselves 'Maybe they're couchsurfers...' Our ears perked - well, not mine cause I was on the phone with God knows who in India trying to get them to push a magic button (that I knew they had!) so this cash machine would spit my card back out. Turns out the fellow couchsurfers were in town from Toulouse (a few hours east of Bordeaux) for Ang's party, too! We spoke with Mona, Sebastian, and Remé for a few minutes and agreed to meet at that travel cafe after we dropped our stuff at Camille's place and grabbed a kebab. They were just a few of the million party guests in the vicinity... I could feel them all around me... I have a CS sixth sense!
At the cafe, we met back up with Mona, Sebastian, Remé, and also Jamie - a
One of Us...
Is actually drunk, passed out, and grabbing his crotch. Oh, I'll just tell you... it's him. Kiwi with the thickest (read: thuckest) accent I've heard. He was taking a weekend break from working at Airbus in Toulouse. They also said that Perrine drove up with them from Toulouse. Perrine!!! She had been Nick's host when I stayed in Toulouse with Benny. Perrine was eating with some of her friends just across the square, so I ran over and plopped two big, juicy ones on her - then let her eat in peace. All of us (Mike, Camille, Mona, Sebastian, Remé, and Jamie went for a walk past some retail shops. I sat on the curb outside of one while the others were inside looking at clothes. I was thinking about what to do about my consumed credit card when, not forty feet to the right of me, a dog ran out in front of a car. I saw and heard the hit and, I tell you now, I won't forget that yelp for as long as I live. The dog owner rushed out kicked the car (denting it) a few times before scooping up and cradling his unconscious pet. He ran out of sight and the driver drove off.
I couldn't stop replaying the incident
Just for Ang
I just wrote on like fifteen percent of all the shirts I have, she best have been happy! in my mind for at least an hour. I felt sick.
The group split up and Mike and I met up with Mike's old friend from Valencia, Guillaume, and his Valencian girlfriend, Almu. Guillaume didn't know Angela and was not a couchsurfer - it was pure coincidence that he lived in the same city the party was taking place. He is from Bordeaux originally and worked at the hostel with Mike in the fall of two-thousand and five. He and his girlfriend are both artists, have unique personalities, and are good conversationalists. The four of us were joined by Perrine for my third cup of tea of the day.
Guillaume and his girlfriend parted, and Mike, Perrine, and I went to meet up with even MORE couchsurfers in Plaza Victoiore. Everyone I have mentioned so far were there plus the addition of Raegan, a girl from Canada who reminded me a lot of myself, Sharon, Ang's good friend from Ireland who cursed a lot, and Yann, my good buddy from Toulouse. As usual, Yann was the meeting's official photographer and carried with him at all times his monster camera that could fit a family of four into the
Rhinos
Rose thorns are fun. lens alone. I drank Drain-o that the cafe was disguising as a refreshing, minty beverage and I let Ang write 'I (heart) Ang' on one of my three 'white' undershirts.
We headed back to James's house. James lived with his girlfriend Stephanie and his flatmate Stephan. (Don't get those two confused.) James was a friend of Ang and was surprisingly NOT an official couchsurfer. This was surprising because James's house became THE main headquarters for the weekend, housing upwards of thirty people at a time. James is originally from The Isle of Whyte in England, his girlfriend and Stephan are both from France. Warmest, most accommodating people to whom we are all eternally grateful.
More and more people arrived as we all relaxed in James's backyard. There was Laurance from Bordeaux, who sounded Scottish when she spoke. Cristophe from Bordeaux, Ang's good friend. Charlotte from Bordeaux who spoke perfect Korean, French, and English - and I heard she is a wiz on a piano. Guillaume Bois, a fellow chocolate lover from Quebec who could sing/write songs in both French and English. Tahera, a smiley girl from the north of England who really liked my blue checkered shirt (loved
Ain't She a Keeper?
Camille, Eli's hand, Mike, Aphrodite, Kyle, Yann calling it a tablecloth). Marii from Estonia who was living in Toulouse also and whom I had also met in Toulouse at the CS get-together when I was there in November. But one of the most highly anticipated guests (at least by Mike and me who knew him personally) was Kyle Tatrault, the red-headed hero himself. He had met up with his friend John from the States and the two of them had been traveling all around Europe together. John is also from Oaklahoma and is a talented guitar player I came to find out.
Unfortunately, none of my Barcelona family were able to make it. Monica, Gerard, Nick (who had moved to Barcelona for a few months), and Becks were scheduled to make an appearance. A few timing issues came up and it just wasn't a possibility. Mike and I sent a text message to Becks to see if they were trying to pull the ole 'Eli onesie-twosie' on Ang and surprise her anyway - offering ourselves up for the roll of 'the insiders'... Wishful thinking, but it turned out that they were really not coming.
(I know this is a lot to take in. Take a
deep breath. Don't worry, there won't be a test on all these people... this time.)
With the crowd growing and growing, Mike and I sped back to Camille's apartment to shower before joining the party at The Houses of Parliament, Angela's favorite bar. I should mention that Camille lived in a cozy studio-like apartment on the third floor of a nice building in a perfect location. The only thing was that the ceiling of the apartment slanted down at a dangerous incline, (we showered on our knees). We cleaned up and stormed The Houses. By the time we got there, Ang had already opened her birthday present - a large, purple vibrator. Despite all the laughs it got, no one was really sure if it was a gag gift or a real one.
The festivities played out swimmingly. We tried to talk to as many people as possible. Tahera informed me that Mike and I were kind of an icon there - our arrival in Bordeaux was eagerly awaited by people we hadn't even met yet. That made me feel good. Ang introduced us to all her friends. One of which was the brother of the guy who
starred in Amile (and looked just like him). Guillaume Bois and I really connected over chocolate and traveling. Yann had brought a friend of his along and we chatted for a while. Marii and I caught up. The funniest was Perrine who Mike and I would make laugh til she cried by guessing how to say a word in French and, when we got one right, would proclaim ourselves 'French Experts' - (in French).
Mike had taught me the Haka. The Haka is a dance done by Maori warriors before battle. (Maori is what the natives of New Zealand are called.) This loud, pump-you-up chant and dance is also done by the All Blacks, the Kiwi rugby team, before beating all their opponents (which is usually the case). After a successful execution by Ang, Mike, and Jamie (the only three real Kiwis) and I - and roaring applause from the entire bar - I was dubbed an honorary Kiwi. A proud moment in the life of Eli.
After everyone made friendly-like, we all exited to the street where Guillaume Bois, John Elkins (Kyle's friend), and Mike turned a couple of trash bins into percussion instruments. The beats echoed
Sock Auction
No sock is safe... (Mike, Ang, me, Kyle, and John on the side) through the alleyways and everyone danced along. The group emerged onto a square with a fountain in the middle. Ang lifted up her skirt, hopped in and gave a speech thanking all of us (we were around thirty or so at that point) for coming from all corners of the earth for her on her birthday. She really was touched. Truthfully, so would I be if all these people came just for me.
The mob moved toward a karaoke club. Along the way, we did the Haka again to keep the group vibe at a high. Then, of all things to come across, we find a box of socks. All the mismatched socks had been strewn over the side of the road. Mike and I dove right in. We picked up the socks and began auctioning them off to the people walking by - 'fourforadollarherewegottwogreyandablackforthepriceofonewhitedoIhearabidforthekneehighovertherecanIgetashoutoutforthestripedpinkishone'. Soon, Kyle and John joined in. We were laughing so hard, I threw up in my mouth just a little.
We made it to the karaoke joint finally. We all sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. And she sang 'Like a Virgin' to us... what a strange time for me to mention she named
her dildo Rod.
The crowd wound down as our numbers dropped. I looked over and saw Yann sitting next to a sleeping guy drooling on the couch - (I thought that was really funny, for some reason). That was my signal that it was time to leave. We found ourselves back on the street eventually. Marii had her purse stolen while we were inside and she was in tears, poor girl. I really felt bad. Mike, Camille, and I said our goodbyes. As soon as my head hit the pillow, around five in the morning, I fell asleep.
It's hard to believe I packed so much into just one day. One day!! While there were some downs, I didn't hang on to them. It just made me appreciate the ups so much more. Eight euro, broken sunglasses, a lost credit card, a dog hit by a car, and Marii getting her purse stolen was no match for meeting tons of new friends, seeing old good ones again, and auctioning off socks in the street. It was an amazing birthday party. This was probably my most full day (socially) I had during my entire time in Europe. I'm exhausted
just writing about. I would stay in Bordeaux until Wednesday and, if you can believe it, the days following the party were just as exciting.
(Many of the pictures here were taken by Yann Pasquier - Photographer Extraordinaire.)
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KiwiAngela
Angela-Marie Desmarais
Magical Memories
What a party aye... and it was made so much more special by your presence Eli. I just returned from a weekend in Bordeaux and everyone asked after you! Thankyou for the memories i will forever hold in my heart. Those photos make me laugh oh so much... but wheres the one of Rod down your pants?!? (he pines for you ya know) and come back up to BCN asap!!!! WE LOVE YOU! arohanui