It is Friday night, my friends are in town, staying for the weekend. After revelling in fond memories of the past, we set out to explore the charms of the city. The glow of the streetlights is reflected in shop windows, as we stroll past Gründerzeit buildings which bear testimony to the past grandeur of imperial times.
Few cities boast such wealth of architectural masterpieces, which tickle the curiosity of the visitor, luring them around the next corner with the promise of yet more illustrous splendor.
The evening air brushes over the rooftops, carrying a gentle breeze with it.
We decide to take the streetcar to get downtown and continue our cheerful chatter at a cozy downtown restaurant. Greg asks me where to buy a ticket and I point to the ticket vending machine. He asks me if I need one too, and I just respond we need two. Assuming two more, in addition to the one he just bought, he buys an extra ticket and hands it to me.
“Oh, no, you bought one for me too? I already have a ticket. I meant only for the two of you,” I apologise for the confusion. But he tells me not to worry.
At the next stop an Asian couple gets on the train.
“Here you go,” Greg hands the ticket to the man.
“What is this?”
“It’s for you. We bought one extra ticket”
“Oh, no, no. Ho much is it? I will pay you for it,” the man takes out his wallet, fishing for a few euro coins, which he hands to my friend.
I strike up a conversation with the woman and she tells me they just arrived from Singapore and are going downtown to see some of the sights. I am delighted and tell her that I just returned from a short vacation to London, where I had stayed with someone from Singapore and a lively conversation about travel, Europe, and the beautiful airport in Singapore ensues. As the train approaches the final stop, they ask me for directions and I beckon them to follow me, since we are all heading in the same direction.
As our small group of people made up of four different nationalities continues along, I can’t help but smile about this colourful formation.
Sometimes we run into unexpected chance encounters even outside our own doorstep….
