The Boum in Bordeaux

It's the weekend, I had arrived, it had to be celebrated. During an evening walk, I took in the night-illuminated Bordeaux. There was bustling activity in the cafés and bars. A casual beer in a bar and I was right in the middle of it. American pop music and French pop songs set the mood.
'Let it go' from Frozen in French, Kesha, and even 'Eye of the Tiger' encouraged a follow-up beer. Around me, the other guests were chatting in French. The barmaid poured shots and encouraged the audience to join in. My ears perked up when I caught snippets of English next to me.
Dimitri from Bordeaux, Chris from New York, a friend from Los Angeles, and Oleg from Kazakhstan were stranded here just like me. We started chatting, we understood each other. After all, as Dimitri pointed out, if Germans and French can’t get along, then Marine Le Pen would have won. Bien sûr! The colorful group of locals and visitors had come from a picnic and were happy to meet the tourist from Berlin. At 2 AM, closing time arrived, all the bars shut down. What to do next?
Club or home, continue on or return to the hostel. For the following day, I had a city tour scheduled at 10 AM. Let's continue!, we agreed. Dimitri led us through deserted streets and alleys to the 'Ultra Club.' Nervousness at the entrance, me in shorts, our companions in summer sandals.
The entrance fee included free drinks and the stage show of a Rihanna performer. The approximately 300 guests were having fun, the excitement was contagious. Good conversations, familiarity, drinks at the bar, an echo chamber where I could share my vacation plans. Berlin was more than 1,000 km behind me.
I didn’t think about the next day, my hostel was booked for three nights, and I had two weeks of vacation ahead of me, away from everyday life and routine. On the way home, contacts were exchanged, and my hostel bed welcomed me without detours.