LOCKED OUT OF THE EXCHANGE HOME!

So there we were, in the pouring rain, with two tired kids, fiddling with the door of the home exchange house.  The lock would not budge. Our swap partners were in Europe.  The swap home was in Montreal, where our cell phones did not work and where surprisingly few people are fluent in English.  

I speak some French, but my high school French teacher, dear Madame Gnassia, had neglected to drill us on the vocabulary associated with locksmithing.

This problem would never arise during a hotel stay.  But it could certainly pop up at my own home.  For me, home exchange is no different than caring for my own home.  If I would be willing to deal with a locksmith at my own home I should do the same for the swap home.

Of course, at my place the locksmiths speak English.  What to do?