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My name is Anna and you're listening to week 26, day five, of Your English Five -a -Day, the second season.
With this series, I am on a mission to help you to expand your English vocabulary so that over time in a relaxed and enjoyable way you increase your active vocabulary and start to feel more comfortable and confident when using English.
All you have to do is make English listening a regular habit which is why these podcast episodes go out every day of the working week from Monday to Friday.
I'm committed to being here for you.
All you have to do is tune in.
And if you'd like access to the database of all the vocabulary that we have covered so far in the series and everything we do into the future, then you can access that for free.
The Vocabulary vault, it's called, and I'll leave the link in the show notes.
But now it's a Friday, so we will be recapping all of the vocabulary from this week in one big story, the 20 -franc fortune.
Sometimes the best stories begin with the worst weather.
February in Geneva Geneva is not exactly what you'd call inviting.
Bitter winds sweep across Lake Geneva, creating waves that crash against the shoreline like frozen thunder.
My partner and I had travelled to this expensive Swiss city for one reason to see At The Drive -In, a legendary post -hardcore core band that had recently reformed after years of silence.
At the drive -in wasn't just any band.
They had burst onto the music scene in 1994 with their explosive sound and chaotic energy, only to split up in 2001 at the height of their fame.
Like many fans, we thought that That was the end.
Then, miraculously, they reunited in 2012.
By 2018, we knew their touring days were numbered.
They were already talking about an indefinite hiatus, which in band language usually means goodbye forever.
Forever. So, there we were in Geneva, shivering as we explored the city during the day.
Being carless in a foreign city, we relied on public transport and walking to get around.
I remember the taxi ride from our hotel to the city centre, Watching the road signs with their distinctive chevron markings warning of sharp bends as we wound through the Swiss streets.
The lake, normally a picture -perfect tourist attraction, looked angry and unwelcoming under the grey February sky.
The wind was so fierce it seemed to cut right through our winter coats.
But we hadn't come for sightseeing.
We were counting down the hours until the concert.
The venue was called Luzine.
The factory in French. And it lived up to its industrial name.
Inside, the atmosphere was electric with anticipation.
word had spread that this might be one of the last chances to see the band live which seemed to accelerate people's urgency to get tickets the place was absolutely packed, bodies pressed together from wall to wall if you've never seen At The Drive -In perform you can't imagine the energy they bring to a stage Cedric, their singer, doesn't just sing.
He transforms into something wild and unpredictable.
He swings his microphone like a weapon, launches himself into the air and moves with the kind of manic intensity that makes you wonder if he might actually take flight.
light. Omar, the guitarist, matches his energy with his own acrobatic performance, fingers flying across the strings whilst his body contorts to the rhythm.
Their raw energy was clearly the driving force behind the crowd's excitement.
From the very first chord, the The entire crowd became one massive, writhing organism.
There was no standing still, no choice in the matter.
The music grabbed everyone and pulled them into its gravitational force.
Bodies moved left and right, forward and back, in a human tide that swept you along whether you wanted to go or not.
I remember trying to remove my jumper halfway through the set.
Despite the February cold outside, inside the venue it was sweltering.
But taking off a piece of clothing whilst being constantly jostled by hundreds of other people proved nearly impossible.
possible. Every time I lifted my arms, someone would bump into me, sending me stumbling into someone else.
It was like trying to change clothes in a washing machine.
The dancing never stopped.
Song after song. The crowd maintained its frenzied energy.
Sweat dripped from the ceiling, feeling whether from the heating system or from the collective exertion of everyone inside I couldn't tell my feet barely touched the ground for more than a few seconds at a time it was exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure this episode is brought to you by progressive insurance fiscally responsible financial geniuses monetary magicians these are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds because progressive offers discounts for paying in full owning a home and more plus you can count on their great customer
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When the final song ended and the band left the stage, the spell was broken.
People began to stumble towards the exits.
Conversations resumed and reality slowly crept back in.
Some concert goers were rushing hell for leather towards the coat check, eager to beat the crowds and get home.
As the crowd thinned out, the aftermath of the evening became visible.
The floor was a disaster zone.
Plastic beer cups lay scattered everywhere, some crushed flat, others still containing dregs of lager.
The floor itself was sticky with spilled drinks, creating a tacky surface that grabbed at your shoes with every step.
Cigarette ends, despite the non -smoking rules, had somehow found their way onto the ground.
It looked like the aftermath of a very successful party or a very unsuccessful cleaning operation.
I was surveying this chaos, partly amazed by the destruction and partly calculating how long it would take the venue staff to clean up, when something caught my eye.
There, among the debris and sticky patches, lay a crisp 20 Swiss franc note.
note. Twenty francs might not sound like much but in Switzerland, one of the world's most expensive countries, it represented a small fortune.
A decent meal, several cups of coffee or enough for two people to grab a late night kebab after a concert.
The note must have fallen from someone's pocket during all that wild dancing.
With hundreds of people jumping Jumping around for nearly two hours, it was hardly surprising that loose items had gone flying.
Someone, somewhere, was probably already discovering their loss.
But what was I supposed to do?
Turn around and shout to a departing crowd, Has anyone lost 20 francs?
Half the room would have claimed it was theirs.
There was no realistic way to return it to its rightful owner.
So, I picked it up.
Finders keepers, as they say.
That 20 -franc note turned a great night into a perfect one.
My partner and I found a kebab shop still open despite the late hour and we enjoyed what felt like a feast, paid for by the music gods themselves.
It was the kind of unexpected bonus that makes a good story even better.
I found money on the ground before, the occasional coin or crumpled note, but it's becoming increasingly rare in our digital age.
in 2018 contactless payments were already taking over and now just a few years later many people carry no cash at all the chances of finding a physical banknote at a concert today are probably close to zero so thank you unknown swiss concert goer for carrying cash that night thank you at the drive -in for creating the kind of chaotic atmosphere where money can literally fly out of people's pockets and thank you Geneva for being expensive enough to make 20 francs feel like winning the lottery sometimes the best souvenirs aren't the ones you buy they're the the ones you stumble upon quite literally
on a sticky venue floor after the most unforgettable concert of your life.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode and to the end of week 26.
I do hope that you found it useful and until next week take very good care and goodbye
