What a small world!

[travelingmcmahans]

This actually happened back in October, I just keep forgetting to post it.

Last August my husband and I took Noordam's Baltic cruise. When we arrived in St Petersburg, the port lecturer was a little condescending to us in his manner of questioning us about our plans. We had booked a private guide and driver, and he "acted" like he was very concerened for our well being. :rolleyes: We talked to him for several minutes while we waited for our car (we cleared immigration much faster than we expected). We explained that yes, we had visas, yes the carwas coming all the way to the port, yes the car had the permit to come to the port. However, I declined to tell him what we paid - I didn't see how it was any of his business.

After the incredible day we had, we saw him when we returned to the ship, and stopped to tell him what an amazing guide we had.
Guess he remembered us, becase fast forward 2 1/2 months...

http://home.insightbb.com/~travelingmcmahans/images/venice.jpg
My husband and I are strolling along in Venice (we flew to Italy for a week on a last minute trip when Delta had a great airfare special) and suddenly we hear a man say "Hey I know you!" :p
I turned around and my husband replied "I know you too!!"
We were thousands of miles from home on our first morning in Venice. I had no idea who he could be talking to, until he said "It's Albilio, the port lecturer". And there he was! He asked if we were boarding the next day - I guess they must have been on their southern route for fall.
We were walking in opposite directions, so that was that. But we laughed about it all day. To have remembered us out of 1200 passengers every 10 days for 10 weeks - wow!

[DFD1]

Nice story. Thanks for sharing. Thanks, too for your wonderful picture of Venice.

[Himself]

It is a small world after all. I would think you would recognise him before he recognised you. The man has good recall. I am glad he remembered you.
Himself

[travelingmcmahans]

It is a small world after all. I would think you would recognise him before he recognised you. The man has good recall. I am glad he remembered you.
Himself
I'm *terrible* with faces. Especially out of context.
What made it especially funny was we were just talking at breakfast about the fact that one day we will probably run into someone we've met traveling. Since we all cover kind of the same circuit and see so many of the same sights that is.

[bepsf]

What a cool story - Thanks for sharing!

BTW - the Venice pic is pretty cool too!

[tbroido]

I have a story in the same vein. I was in Amsterdam on business and was walking back to my car on a Sunday after visiting the amazing Rijksmuseum. As I crossed a street with a trolley island in the middle, a man on the island was waving at his girlfriend/wife to move to the left (in front of the Sweelink Conservatorium) so he could get a good picture. I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture with both of them. He thanked me and handed me the camera and crossed to join her. I took two pictures and when I handed him back the camera he said, "Don't I know you?"

I said, "No, I don't think so I am American and just visiting here."

He said, "I am Slovenian and visiting also. Aren't you in the music business?"

I replied, "Yes," somewhat startled.

He then asked, in succession, "You work for a music publisher? It's Theodore Presser Company, right?"

I answered yes to both and asked, totally taken aback at this point, "How on earth do you know that?"

He said, "My name is Zupan and I am a flautist. We met at the National Flute Association Conference in Phoenix three years ago. We talked about my recording of one of your composers."

At that point I remembered the conversation and vaguely recognized him but I stammered, "How did you recognize me?"

He answered, "Well, you look the same."

What are the chances I would pass him, stop and ask if I could take a photo, he would let me, a total stranger and then remember who I was with me 3000 miles from home and him 600 miles? I have decided that it was not randomly possible so it must have been something else, but what....enter Rod Serling with the narration.

[tomc]

Three stories.

(1) Less impressive. I was on Rotterdam V one day late in July in Alaska and Graham Sunderland, the naturalist, was in the Lido pouring himself a coffee. He looked at me and said, "You were on this trip last year." I said that I was. "But you were on a much earlier cruise, in June." Gee... I'm not one of those awful people that you remember forever and I really don't think I stand out. But I guess I must.

(2) More impressive. My mother and I were in the theater on the Rotterdam V, also in Alaska, attending Mass. The priest was originally from Pakistan and had been serving with the USAF as a chaplain. Mom, from Connecticut, said, "I know him." After Mass, she approached him and said, "I know you." He said that was not possible. She insisted. Had he ever been in Connecticut? "No," he said, although he had studied at Fordham University in The Bronx, NY. Mom said, "You used to come to St Thomas parish in East Norwalk CT once a month for lunch." He, very surprised, said, "Yes, that's right! I did!"

Moral of the story for #2: Even if you are a priest from Pakistan working for the USAF on a cruise in Alaska, don't try to get away with anything 'cuz the parish secretary might be on the same cruise. :)

(3) Just plain weird. I was doing my news shift and, at that point, giving a few things that happened on that day in history. One of them was that the accordion was patented. I then mentioned having seen an accordionist on a recent HAL cruise on the Rotterdam V "whose name was ...hmmm... Bobby something ... uh, Raye ... yeah, Bobby Raye. Great guy," etc. Talked for about 30 seconds about how good he was. A few minutes later, the phone rang; it was Bobby Raye. He said, "What do you think the odds are that I will be driving in your part of the country, flipping the dial on the car radio and hear you talking about me?"

[Himself]

TOMC:

Moral of the story is don't go on the radio--someone will recognise you or not like what you say--even though they are not from your part of the country.
Himself

[thulewx]

I was on a Princess Ocean cruise out of San Juan one Winter and met a guy from Amsterdam, had a few conversations and exchanged cards - no big deal. Had no plans for future trips at the time. Fast Forward..
The next Summer, on a small beach at Mykonos, I look up and he's walking down the beach! Instant recognition! No plans discussed. :p
That night, we ran in to each other in town, walking down the street - hmmm - no plans discussed. :cool:
Next year, in Amsterdam, walking down the street I run in to him AGAIN - (cue the soundtrack to Outer Limits...) :eek:

Another, non-cruise related incident. I'm living at Thule Air Base, Greenland, chatting with a woman about home - hers is Farmington New Mexico - "Oh, I used to live in New Mexico, too." "Where?" About this time, the base commander walks by as I say, "Lordsburg (population 200)" The base commander stops in his tracks - "Where?" "Lordsburg." When?" "1958-59" "What address?" "501 Lutes street" "O-my-God - we used to go play in the mud flats together when we were 4 years old! I was your next door neighbor!"
What are the chances of meeting a former child-playmate from 40 years previous, from a small town in New Mexico, while living in Northern Greenland?!?

And another. (Thule is only 600 people, mostly Danish) I'm at the club, minding my own business and there are some Canadian Air Force pilots behind me. I glanced at them and noticed one looked extremely Persian (I used to live in Iran - I know I'm sterotyping but it was shortly after 9/11). I heard him mention something about Iran to a co-pilot, and I turned and said in Persian/Farsi, "Hi. How are you this evening." He nearly dropped his drink. I explained how I knew it and he asked where I lived then - turns out he lived around the corner, his older brother was a good friend who used to come to our bar all the time - mind-blowing! :eek: in Greenland!

[tbroido]

Wow. I thought I had a good one, but those last three!!!


I can't believe you ran into the Amsterdam guy that many times and didn't do something together, like dinner or a drink. It seems as though you were being put together for some reason. Maybe you would have solved all the world's problems-OR-maybe something opposite and incredibly evil. On second thought, it is probably good you just kept passing each other.

[Orcrone]

OK, I have a couple.

1. Two years ago during spring break we went on a Carnival cruise. Our tablemates were a family of three, and the son's friend, from Buffalo NY. The following spring break my daughter went with her HS chorus to Orlando Florida, where they performed and went to the theme parks. While in Seaworld she ran into the four of them, down in Orlando for vacation.

2. I sold my house in Massachusetts. A year later I took a job transfer and moved to Virginia. About two years later a person who used to work in Virginia and took a transfer back to Massachusetts came back to Virginia to visit. He told us what town in lived in, so I asked him where in town and he said "off of Hosmer Street". So I then asked him what street. When he replied I asked him what street number. He had bought my old house from the people I had sold it to. No one believed me until I told him exactly where it was located (second block, second house on the left) and described the house.

[wander]

About one month after moving to a new community we went on a 30+ day trip around South America. We had just boarded and were settling into our cabin when the Steward stopped by. As he was leaving the cabin I thanked him for something and then I heard a woman's voice in the hall say to him - are those people named XXXXXXX? We were, so I dashed out into the hall to see our neighbors from across the street of our new home. They were also on the cruise with a cabin second door from ours.

[RuthC]

On the final voyage of the ss Rotterdam the piano player from the orchestra covered in the Tropic Bar for one hour only.

A year later I was leaving a hotel in Montreal when I hear a voice call my name.
Same musician. :)

Never did figure out what made him find me memorable. :confused:
Could it have been having him play Three Blind Mice in the style of various classical composers? ;)

[Orcrone]

Could it have been having him play Three Blind Mice in the style of various classical composers? ;) I think it was tipping him with chocolate.:D

[momqat]

OK, I have a couple.

I sold my house in Massachusetts..."off of Hosmer Street".

01752?

[Orcrone]

01752?That's the zip, in Marlborough, MA. Lived in Massachusetts for 10 years, most of them time in Marlborough, with a little in Hopkington and Upton.

[Sea Island Lady]

We were, so I dashed out into the hall to see our neighbors from across the street of our new home. They were also on the cruise with a cabin second door from ours.
I sure hope you liked your neighbors! :eek: I would die if I heard my neighbors in the stateroom next door. I would be spending the entire cruise trying to dodge them. :D Thankfully, they are the Sandals type and don't cruise. They are really nice people, but not someone that I would like to spend my vacation with.

Not as great as the other stories, but just goes to show you that we do live in a small world!...

Years ago, my DH and I took a trip to California. We were checking into our hotel room in San Fransico when we noticed that the bellman had a southern accent. We asked him where he was from and he replied, "oh, you have never heard of the town, it is a drive-thru in SC with no stop light and no mayor." We told him that we were from SC and asked for the name of the town. He said "even though you are from SC, I know you have never heard of my little town, Frogmore." "Frogmore!" we said in surprise. At the time, we lived on Fripp Island and had to drive through Frogmore to get to the island. His town was less than 15 minutes down the road from us and did take just two minutes to drive through it. ;) .

[ekerr19]

This thread is awesome! Thanks for sharing everyone, I've enjoyed reading your experiences - nothing like this has ever happen to me, yet...

[obriendan]

My wife and I were on a crossing on the QE2 in September, 2003. We were seated in the main theater waiting for the beginning of a lecture by P.D. James. I heard a young man behind me mention that he was from Austin, TX. I turned around and mentioned that we were from Bryan. The young gentleman next to him then said to my wife "Yes, I thought I recognized you. Didn’t you teach me Chemistry 101 at Texas A&M in 1992?" And, sure enough, she had!

[wander]

We got along just fine and are still great friends, even cruised together again for a 64 day trip. On board ships our lives are quite different so we actually had to make appointments to see each other for lunch once in awhile. We also took a couple of shore excursions together. Other than that our days werre very different. They eat breakfast late, we eat early. They like early sitting for dinner, we like late sitting, so we are not even tempted to eat together. They send many hours a day, particularly on sea days, in the exercise facilities while my husband reads and I play Trivia and and participate in other activities that allow for meeting folks and socializing. At home our lives are just as different except that we are all addicted travelers. So, when we occassional get together socially it is to share trip experiences. It worked out fine in this case.

[dakrewser]

My wife and I were on a crossing on the QE2 in September, 2003. We were seated in the main theater waiting for the beginning of a lecture by P.D. James. I heard a young man behind me mention that he was from Austin, TX.

We were cruising the western Med in 1999 on Renaissance (which had open seating in the DR). The first night we were seated with one other couple. We lived in Austin at the time, they were from Round Rock. The next night, we were seated with two couples - one from Dripping Springs and one from Taylor. The third night we joked with the Maitre d' that we'd like to meet someone who wasn't from Texas. He obliged by seating us with a couple from Phoenix - where they'd just moved after 20 years in Austin!

:) -dave

[teencruiser18]

My aunt and now eleven year old cousin sailed on the Zuiderdam a year and a half ago. My cousin made several friends his own age. This past November, on the first day of a cruise on the Norwegian Spirit, they saw someone running by that looked familiar. Sure enough, it was one of the kids he met on the Zuiderdam!

[anniecat]

a girlfriend and her DH were at the airport in China, returning with their newly adopted daughter. DH sat with the baby and waited while my friend got some food. A woman sat next to him (Chinese-American from Chicago and in China on business) and spoke with them when my friend returned...and long story short: the woman was the long-lost god-daughter of our mutual friend (who had been searching for this woman as the god-mother was very ill) ... and Yes they had a reunion before the god mother passed away.
weird world we live in

[momqat]

Orcrone, seems like you and I were "neighbors" at one time -- I live down the street, just over the town line.

Small world, indeed! :cool: :D

[Orcrone]

Orcrone, seems like you and I were "neighbors" at one time -- I live down the street, just over the town line.

Small world, indeed! :cool: :DI haven't lived there in over 10 years, but if memory serves me correctly if you stay on Hosmer Street you go over to Hudson. I lived on Crestwood Lane, at the very top of the hill.

[momqat]

Yup! :D