Yet another entry in the annuals of “Carla Talks to Strangers”….
While waiting for my Bolt Bus back to New York this afternoon, I took one of the few seats near the terminal gate. An older gentleman was already sitting there, so I took a spot a little closer to the door. Fearful he might think I was jumping line, I assured him I would be moving after I ate my snack.
He smiled and then communicated — in very broken English — that he was going to Niagara Falls from another gate.
I could have let it go at that, but I was curious about his accent. Turns out he was German, and we were soon in deep discussion about our German family names, my brother Kent’s tour-of-duty in Germany and the cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest that our families both owned. (He actually lives near the Black Forest today.)
Mr. Klamm — that’s his name — is on a three-month journey across the United States and South America, most of it via bus so he can get a good look at the countryside. He will also be visiting Peru, where he lived and worked for 20 years.
It was a fascinating conversation. Forty minutes flew by, and I was almost sad to board my bus and leave him there at the gate.
But I have a feeling Mr. Klamm will make many more friends along the way.
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill
