Exploring Paris with a Useless Norwegian Coin

My breath dissipated in a little cloud, illuminated by a Parisian streetlight, as I ascended the last few steps to a royal building of some kind that by all accounts really should have had a fountain in front of it.   It's funny how fountains are everywhere until you go looking for one.  I turned around to get my bearings as I rubbed my fingerless gloves together for warmth.  My eyes followed a revolving spotlight high in the night sky until they met the top of the Eiffel Tower and I laughed out loud.  "This is my favorite day so far" I thought to myself.  "Here I am wandering around Paris totally oblivious to the historical landmarks and cultural icons, searching desperately for a fountain just so I can fish out a single Euro."

New Years Eve morning in Central Park

The last sunset of 2013

When I flew home for Christmas I had discovered that I could save hundreds of dollars if instead of returning directly to Spain I flew into Norway first and made my way back from there on buses, trains, and domestic flights, but by the seventh day travelling around Europe I had used every cent of Christmas money and was feeling a bit peckish after accidentally sleeping through the free breakfast at my hostel.  So when I had set out that morning on the Metro I had one mission: free food.  It took me a few hours but I almost met success.  Now, next time you are in Paris and you find yourself at the Eiffel Tower, walk directly north over the bridge that crosses the Seine and just on the other side there is a small street that leads uphill to the Theatre National de Chaillot.  If you head up around 9 PM there will be a little stand on the right side that sells whatever sausages they have left from the day for a Euro a piece.  Best deal in Paris if you happen to own a Euro.  Unfortunately for me, it was just a little out of my price range.    That is how I happened upon the genius idea of searching for a fountain; so many coins just going to waste. 

Westminster Abbey with Big Ben in the background

The changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace

I shoved my cold fingers into my pockets and felt the only coin I had left, a Norwegian 20 Krone piece I had found in the change tray of a vending machine; totally useless.  Or maybe not...  A simple idea popped into my head and I headed back down the stairs at a faster pace.  Twenty minutes later I stood in front of the sausage stand and extended my open hand as the man stared sternly at the foreign currency and said something dismissive in French.  I gave him my biggest smile and kept my hand there.  His face slowly softened and finally he burst out in a laugh.  He handed me a sausage and gave my useless Norwegian coin back.  I was ecstatic.  I decided to try it out on the spiced wine stand too.  Two spiced wines, a donut, and a sausage later I sat on top of some French monument looking down at the city of Paris with a full stomach and a useless Norwegian coin.  I thought back on the last seven days, visiting the Opera in Oslo, sleeping at a train station in Manchester, standing on my tiptoes at Buckingham Palace to get a glimpse of the changing of the guard, attending a service at Westminster Abbey, taking the train through the Chunnel, and studying the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.  This was by far my favorite day.  I don't know if it was because I no longer had any decisions to worry about, or because this was a more memorable story, or maybe because  it created a sense of dependence on God, but I felt freer and happier than I had the entire week.  "Merci beaucoup God for life" "and 20 Norwegian Krone pieces."

The Louvre (I happened to be there on the first Sunday of the month - free admission!)

A tunnel of bones in the catacombs - there are literally millions of skeletons

The Eiffel Tower from the other side of the Seine

The Love Lock Bridge with Notre Dame in the background

A view of Paris from the 2,681st step of the Eiffel Tower

PS.  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated for my India mission trip!  Your generosity is staggering.  So far I am at $420 of the $3700 I need.  My visa application is in the mail so please pray that it gets approved and back to me by the end of March.  I am also in the midst of applying for a grant that could potentially provide $500 to $1000 so please pray for that too.  Thanks again!  Love you all,

- Brant