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In the mid 90's I was on a eurail pass traveling between Prague and Budapest. This sweet elderly lady paced the aisle frequently. Every time she passed my cabin she would greet me with a big smile and a wave. Suddenly the train braked really hard, she flew by the cabin in a blur. I ran out to check on her and she was on the floor trying to get up. She was still smiling but patting her head like it hurt. I kept asking is she was OK because I suspected it was a hard hit. She just smiled and bowed to me acknowledging my concern.
Another time I was in Salzburg. I happened to be there the night "Falco" (Rock me Amadeus) was giving a concert in a square. Afterwards I went out for drinks. I saw this guy in the bar who looked so familiar. Eventually I made my way over to near where he was sitting. When I heard his southern accent, I went over and introduced myself. Turns out we were from the same city. We didn't know each other but had mutual friends. Small world.
Was in Hannover, Germany for a couple of months. One evening, I caught the local train to go visit a nearby lake. The lake has a huge stadium next to it, which I had not paid any attention to during my previous visits. But this time around, I could hear loud cheers and chantings.
I realized a soccer game was in progress and soon enough the viewers started trooping out. I quickly made my way back to catch the return train to my hotel. The trains started to get mobbed by fans of both the teams. There was a fair deal of shouting match going on between the fans, even between different trains on different platforms.
I was nervous for a while but the police presence was strong and no untoward incident happened.
My DH and I were with friends and crossing into Canada by car in the 70's. I was asleep in the back seat. There was a stop at the border and some Mounties told my DH to wake me up. They made me get out of the car, checked my drivers license. Got everyone out of the car and asked a lot of questions. Came back to me and separated me from everyone and asked MORE questions. Finally a Mountie came out of a building handed my drivers license back to me and said, "Sorry M'am. Enjoy Canada."
We found out later they were looking for a German woman who was part of a terrorist group. There had been a tip that she was trying to enter Canada. Apparently I matched her description pretty closely.
I can so relate to this scenario...Something similar happened to me
in 1978...I was stationed in Germany at the time and on vacation
with my then soon to be husband (now ex)...His car had broken down in Vicenza,Italy
and we were returning to Germany via train. At the border crossing
in Austria we had to show our passports, which I didn't realize I had
left mine in the glovebox of the car that was in Italy at a repair shop...
If it weren't for my fiance's fast talking or persuasive personality or
whatever he said that convinced the border people that I wasn't a criminal I could have
found myself in jail, because it seems that I too looked similar to
a woman who was part of a group called the "BONHOFFER GANG"
To add to the situation, I am of german decent, but American born
and bred. That was one scary situation and one I'll remember for
the rest of my life...(pheww)wiping sweat from my brow!
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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One more from me, and as a matter of fact, it happened at the same day we helped that *Texan*.
So we are sitting in this train (first class section) and waiting for it to get going, when at the last moment, a Nun comes in, lugging a rather large suitcase. Uhuh ... , *lugging* because she really was, so I got up and took over for her and *tried* to put it up on the luggage rack above the seats. I mention *tried* because it was bloody heavy. We, it took my friend to help me, got it up there and we took off. We found out that she spoke perfect English, but she was definitively Spanish. About 20 minutes later, she asked us to take the suitcase down ...
You can imagine what went thru our minds, but we accommodated her.
She then opened the suitcase and what we saw, made our chins drop to the floor.
There were about 5 bottles of wine, sausages as big as baseball bats and some of them as hard, and a couple of loafs of bread and all kinds of other goodies, all edible, all neatly packaged, besides the stuff we thought was everything she owned in this world. !! There were even half a dozen drinking cups !
Needless to say we had quite a wonderful meal with her. Maybe not funny or scary, but truly *unusual* !!
She was rather middle-aged, and we kept in contact with her until her death, and we still exchange Christmas cards with her Family.
When I moved the Family to Europe years later, I introduced my Family to her and she kind of became the Spanish Abuela of our kids, but they called her Omi.
One more from me, and as a matter of fact, it happened at the same day we helped that *Texan*.
So we are sitting in this train (first class section) and waiting for it to get going, when at the last moment, a Nun comes in, lugging a rather large suitcase. Uhuh ... , *lugging* because she really was, so I got up and took over for her and *tried* to put it up on the luggage rack above the seats. I mention *tried* because it was bloody heavy. We, it took my friend to help me, got it up there and we took off. We found out that she spoke perfect English, but she was definitively Spanish. About 20 minutes later, she asked us to take the suitcase down ...
You can imagine what went thru our minds, but we accommodated her.
She then opened the suitcase and what we saw, made our chins drop to the floor.
There were about 5 bottles of wine, sausages as big as baseball bats and some of them as hard, and a couple of loafs of bread and all kinds of other goodies, all edible, all neatly packaged, besides the stuff we thought was everything she owned in this world. !! There were even half a dozen drinking cups !
Needless to say we had quite a wonderful meal with her. Maybe not funny or scary, but truly *unusual* !!
She was rather middle-aged, and we kept in contact with her until her death, and we still exchange Christmas cards with her Family.
When I moved the Family to Europe years later, I introduced my Family to her and she kind of became the Spanish Abuela of our kids, but they called her Omi.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,855,132 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southbel
That's a really wonderful story!
Thank you !!
As a matter of fact, after we got out in Madrid (we were traveling from Barcelona) and helped her into a waiting taxi, we looked at each other, and my friend said, *you think God rewarded us for helping that Texan, and send this Nun to us ?*.
As a matter of fact, after we got out in Madrid (we were traveling from Barcelona) and helped her into a waiting taxi, we looked at each other, and my friend said, *you think God rewarded us for helping that Texan, and send this Nun to us ?*.
I was in a remote part in vietnam on vacation with a ton of other tourist. We rode in this van and was fitted like sardines. So the bus was full and this man was picked up on the side of the road. He went in the bus and had a huge bag and I thought it was food or some random items.
Next thing you know, it smelled like chicken poop and yes, there was livestock inside. So for about an hour I had to suffer the smell and the noises. But it was the funniest thing I ever encountered while traveling.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shocktop
there was livestock inside.
Is that not the *norm* in those parts of this wonderful world ???
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