Paris
This is a very long story, but I'll try to make it short.

I was in Paris after a lovely weekend, walking around the town with my friend, making some time to go to the airport, back to Manchester.

Then, some kids stole my wallet. I almost didn't see them. I couldn't run after them as I had all my luggage with me. They took the British wallet, full of pounds they can't use, with my credit cards and, most important, my ID card, which I needed to get into the plane.

I went to the police, and they gave me a letter explaining in bad English-Spanish-French that it was enough to take the plane. I knew it wasn't, but she insisted so much I finally gave up complaining.

We went to the airport and, obviusly, they didn't let me take the plane. I wasn't very nice with the staff, to be honest, but I was there, without money, without means to go back home, without a place to stay. And I started crying and shouting that the police had told me that paper was enough. No way. I then calmed down and asked what I had to do. Their answer:

Stupid woman: "Nothing, without passport you can't fly"
Me: "OK, I know, but how do I solve it? Where am I suppose to go. What can I do?"
Stupid woman: "Nothing, without passport you can't fly"
And repeat until you're tired.

So, no very nice up to now, is it?

First nice thing is what my friend did. She couldn't stay with me as her parents were going to Manchester next day, but she gave me her debit card so I didn't have to worry about money. Helped me to find a hotel (I was too stressed to think) and while I had to stay in Paris sorting a new passport, she would keep my phone topped up.

Second nice thing: another friend of mine found me tickets to flight back to England the same day I got the passport. He paid for them and, as the plane was going to Leeds, arranged a taxi to pick me up at the airport and take me to the train station, so I could take the train.

Things were looking brighter, but I wasn't safe yet.

The plane was delayed. Not incredible delayed, but as it was a late night flight, it was delayed enough as to know, before we had departed, that the last train to Manchester was gone.

I couldn't cope anymore, and cried like a baby. A lot. In the lounge, before getting into the plane. I asked the aircrew if they could ask if someone was going near Manchester and could give me a lift, but they replied it wasn't their job.

I know it might sound as if I was making things too bad. I could have stayed at the airport until the morning. Or go to a hotel. But I was a student, one of my first travels out, on my own, without money and very very scared.

Then, this nice old lady asked what happened. I'm not going to explain with detail how she conforted me all the travel, taking my mind out of my problems (correcting my English all the time). And then, when we got to the airport and the taxi driver came to pick me, she paid for the 2 hours he'd been waiting, and asked her husband to drive me all the way to Manchester, at I don't know what time in the morning.

The story is longer, and full of more bad things that make me not want to go back to Paris again. But this old couple drove me to my front door and didn't want anything from me. After insisting, I gave them the money for the petrol (or so they say, around £10 I think) and never asked for anything.

Next morning I called them to make sure they got home alright and say thank you again.

I've never been so grateful, and this post doesn't express a bit of what I feel for this couple.
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Tue 7 Oct 2008, 13:07, 2 replies)

*hugs*
Out of a shitty experience, you had a nice one. :)

I vaguely remember keeping the contact details for the British embassy/consulate/whateverit'scalled in case that sort of thing happened.
(Musuko, Tue 7 Oct 2008, 13:58, closed)

Since that day
I don't go anywhere without the Spanish Embassy/Consulate address and phone number. It would have made the post much longer, but finding the Consulate asking proud Parisians who wouldn't try English and didn't know Spanish wasn't nice.

Thanks for the hug.
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Tue 7 Oct 2008, 14:04, closed)