Travel Relationships & Encounters
This page highlights some of the people we have met during our travels, as well as a few travel related stories. There are countless stories we could mention, but here we highlight some of the more significant ones to highlight relationships we have formed over the years and memories of places and events from our trips.

When you travel internationally, you will more than likely encounter people from your home country. Sometimes they will stand out in the crowd, while other times you may only recognize a familiar accent.  To illustrate the point, if you ran across another person that was not blending, such as in the photos below, you may be inclined to approach them, say hello and ask where they are from.

Around the Town Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple Old Town
Delhi India Delhi India Dubai UAE

When we were touring the Great Wall, a group of Chinese tourists asked if we would take a group photo of them. I took the photo, then they asked if Chris would be in a photo with them. We obviously stood out in the crowd as people from another location. They were having fun including Chris in their photo.

The Great Wall
Badaling Chinaa

When we travel, we often ask others where they are from, just as we are often asked. It seems that most people are curious about where others are from, where they have been and where they are going. This is all part of the travel experience.

Budapest Hungary / Holland

On a trip to Budapest, I decided to say in a Hostel for the experience, rather than stay in a hotel as I normally would. I stayed in a large dorm room style room have 6 sets of bunk beds, sleeping 12, with a shared bathroom. The room was very inexpensive, about $15 in US currency. This was my first experience in a hostel. It was mostly a younger crowd, with some older people (like me) as well. Everyone seemed to congregate in the common kitchen area and talked about where they have been and where they were going, and people offered advice on things to see and do. I really enjoyed this and had a lot of fun meeting people from all over.

Although most people were on a tight and strict budget, such as the two teenagers eating there can of beans for dinner, some of us went out to a local restaurant one night for dinner. I was talking with another couple who were from Holland, touring through Easter Europe. It turned out that the lady and I had art in common. I’m a struggling artist and she has runs a personal art business. Although we are miles apart, we are connected through social networks and occasionally communicate through email.
To make the most out of your travel. Be open to meeting new people, learning about different cultures and sharing your own personal stories. The more you interact with others and immerse yourself into the culture, the more you will get out of your travel adventures.
Rick Steves

Although we have never bumped into Rick on our travels, we had the opportunity to meet him at the 2020 Denver Travel and Adventure Show.  At the show, there were several stages where people gave presentations on various travel related topics. On one of the stages, Rick was talking about travel skills and traveling throughout Europe. There were probably close to 1000 people listening to him as he spoke for over 90 minutes. When he was done, he signed autographs for everyone waiting and there were over a hundred people waiting in line.

2020 Denver Travel and Adventure Show

As it was quite crowded, we waited for the crowd to thin out before asking him to sign one of his travel brochures we picked up at his booth. Due to the large crowds, he was not talking photos but only signing autographs. As we waited until the end, when most people had dispersed and there were only a few of us left, we asked if he would mind taking a photo and he politely agreed. My wife stood next to him and as I was about to take the photo when he said wait, walked over to me, took my phone and made me get into the photo as well. Rick is the one that took the selfie of all of us. I thought it was very nice of him to do that, so we were all in the photo.
We were able to have our photo taken with Rick when others did not, because we did something similar to our traveling, we stayed late and avoided the crowds.
Temples in India

When we were in India, we made it a point to visit several of the different temples and experience services the different ceremonies of the different religions. We did not understand what was being said, but it was about the experience of observing all that was going on. Some temples were open for people to go in and receive a blessing while others were filled with people singing, chanting and dancing such as in the Iskon Krishna Temple. One of the most meaningful experience for us was at the Lotus Temple, where everyone is welcome to walk in, sit down and worship in silence.

All Photos from Delhi India
Jame Masjid Muslim Mosque Shri Laxmi Naraian Hindu Temple Hindu Temple at Chhattarpur
     
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple Inside the Iskcon Krishna Temple Lotus Temple

Bratislava Slovakia

We had the opportunity to stay with a family in Bratislava Slovakia for a few nights. We traveled from England with a friend who was staying with her friends in Bratislava and they arranged for us to stay with their neighbor, rather than staying in a city hotel. Their house was located a short bus ride from the city center, so we got to experience a little bit of family life in Bratislava.

The couple did not speak English, but their daughter spoke a little. We really had a great time staying with them and doing our best to communicate. With the help of an English<->Slovak dictionary, we all got by just fine.

Bratislava Slovakia

We also spent some time with their neighbors across the street who spoke English. The husband was the editor of the Prague newspaper and traveled often between Prague and Bratislava. They told us stories of what life was like living in Bratislava and Prague during the Communist era. They also took us to the town of Devin to see the castle and walk the path by the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers. The confluence is the location where many tried to escape communism by swimming the 40 feet or so to Austria but where often gunned down by tower guards. A monument stands at the location in remembrance of all those who died while trying to escape.

Devin Castle At the Confluence of the
  Danube and Morova Rivers

The family arranged a private tour for us at the Slovakia National Gallery with artist Rudolf Sikora. Rudolf was an anticommunist underground artist during the communist era. It was very interesting to have him explain the symbolism and meaning of his art and why at the time he could have been arrested for it.

 Slovakia National Gallery
Rudolf Sikora

On this same trip, while walking around the town with our friend Patsy, we stumbled onto the open house at the Mayor's Offices. During this time, anyone could walk in to see the main floor of the building. It was not crowded and as we were walking around, we came upon a large staircase to the second floor. We walked up the stairs and into a large office room where we were met by the receptionist. She spoke English and told us the area was off limits during the open house. Right then, a man approached and introduced himself as the Mayor of Bratislava. He said not to worry and talked with us for a while and even posed for a photo with us as shown below. We probably missed a sign or something saying not to enter the second floor, but everything turned out fine and we got to meet the Mayor…or should I say, he got to meet us.

Mayor's Offices Myself, Chris and Patsy
  with the Mayor of Bratislava

Various European Trips

We mostly travel as a couple but have planned and taken several vacations with others. While living in England, we would occasionally have friends and family come to visit.  We would play tour guide, planning then taking extended trips to various locations throughout Europe.  When we get together, we often talk about the places we went and things that happened along the way.
 
Stonehenge Tower Bridge Windmills
Salisbury England London England Mykonos Island Greece
     
Temple of Hephaistos Gondolas Sacre Coeur Basilica
Athens Greece Venice Italy Paris France
     
Weindorf Biergarten Eiffel Tower Burg Gate
Koblenz Germany Paris France Rothenburg Germany

Dublin Ireland

Living in England it was of course very easy to take a long weekend trip to some European location. Occasionally we would travel with others from work and on this trip, several of us flew to Dublin for an extended weekend getaway.  We met some others from our Dublin office who were based in Dublin for an evening pub crawl.  We were also able to visit the sites around town as well as Monasterboice, Newgrange and others places close by. 
 
The Cross of Muiredach Guiness Storehouse Drinking Guinness in an Irish Pub
Monasterboice Ireland Dublin Ireland Dublin Ireland

Windsor England

If you ever have the opportunity to live abroad, don't pass it up. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to live and work in England for three years.  It was a big decision with a lot to consider, but we knew this was our chance and if we did not take advantage of it, we would regret it for the rest of our lives.  We made some great friends and had a wonderful experience.  It was one of the best times of our lives, especially being able to travel around Europe and other places so easily and inexpensively.

The interesting thing is, in 2004, we visited Windsor England and while walking around, talked about how it may be fun to live there. We had no idea how it would ever be possible, but in Dec of 2005, we were actually able to move there. The company I worked for was based in Langley England, just outside of London and about a 10-minute drive from Windsor.  This was a corporate move where they packed us up and moved us over.  We lived in Windsor for three years before we were moved back to the States.  The company was a travel related, providing data and processing for travel agencies and and websites such as Orbitz and Cheap Tickets.  I worked as an international product manager for the areas of Europe, The Middle East and Africa.
 
Temporary Furniture   Unpacking
     
Our Flat on Trinity Place in Windsor England
Unpacked   Garden

We chose to live in a flat rather than a more modern apartment or house in the country.  Windsor was more expensive as it's a major tourist town, but we decided to live there for several reasons.  There is a direct train to London and another train to Slough where you can connect to other locations. Although we had a car, the trains made it very easy to get around without having to drive.  In addition to the castle, there are many other attractions.  We would often walk 'The Long Walk' from Windsor Castle, stroll along the Thames river path and cycle through Windsor Great Park. The town has many shops, pubs and international restaurants so you can have just about any type of food you may be in the mood for.

On the Long Walk The Royal Oak Pub Windsor-Eton Bridge
Windsor Castle   over the Thames

Chris joined the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club and learned to row. She rowed and sculled in singles, quads and eights. Rowing was Chris’s sport, and after I got to know the other rowers and coaches, I would often go out in the coach’s boat alongside the crew as they were training.


We could not have been more fortunate to have lived in Windsor and meet the people we did. One of our neighbors Patsy worked at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Working in the chapel, she had access to different areas in the castle.  She took us through areas of the castle where tourists are not allowed and would often invite us to 'Royal Events'.

We went to Frogmore to see Queen Victoria's mausoleum, attended employee day at Buckingham Palace without the tourist crowds, but the most amazing thing we ever attended was Garter Day at Windsor Castle. In fact, we were able to attend three consecutive years while we lived there.

Garter Day at Windsor Castle
   
The Queen
     
Military Band Household Cavalry Yeomen Warders (Beefeaters)

Garter day is the procession and service held each year at Windsor Castle for the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a chivalric order founded by Edward III. The Order is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry. New appointments to the Order are announced on St George's day (23rd April), but are installed on Garter Day, which takes place on the Monday of Royal Ascot week. The Queen formally invests them with the insignia at a Chapter of the Order in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle, including their blue mantle, hat with ostrich plume, and Garter Star.

No longer living in Windsor, we really miss the friends we made, attending royal events and the little things such as wine in our garden, tea with our neighbors, working on our garden allotment, walking to M&S for hot chocolate, watching the changing of the guards at the castle, occasionally seeing the Queen and other royals driving down the long walk and much more.

Paris France

A friend of mine from high school is French and used to live in Paris. On one of our trips, we were visiting Paris and it turned out that she was also going to be there at the same time. We were able to meet her and some friends on the steps of the Sacre Coeur Basilica and then have lunch at an outdoor restaurant by the basilica in the Montmartre area.  It's always nice when you are able to meet-up with friends and spend a little time together on a trip.

Sacre Coeur Basilica Restaurant in Montmartre
Paris France

Fussen Germany at the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles

This is a story of how meeting some others on our first trip to Europe changed the way we travel today.

Keep in mind that this was back in 2001, and was our first trip to Europe. We didn’t understand trains and thought the best way to get around was by car. We wanted to use a major city as a base and take some daytrips to other nearby locations.
I want to mention that years before, I had traveled to Frankfurt with some friends and we did this exact same thing.  We did not drive to Austria but stayed in Frankfurt with some out-and-back daytrips.  I think this is why I planned this first trip with my wife in the same way.
We had planned to stay the first night in Frankfurt Germany then drive the next morning to Innsbruck Austria, where were would stay a few nights. Leaving Innsbruck, we planned to stop in Fussen Germany to see the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles, before driving back to Frankfurt the same day. We would then stay in Frankfurt the remainder of our time with some daytrips to other nearby locations.

ANeuschwanstein Castle Hohenschwangau Castle
Fussen Germany

Knowing what I know now, this was a very poor itinerary. It had too much wasted time traveling, and we were paying for a car on several days when we were not driving. Traveling long distances by train would have saved both time and money. Also, staying for so many days in the industrial town of Frankfurt was not the best choice. We had also booked our accommodations with a large hotel chain that we try to avoid when we travel now, opting to stay in smaller local non-chain locations.

Fortunately for us, we ran into some others who recommended a much better itinerary. They were American’s in the military stationed in Germany and were very familiar with the area. We were all riding in one of the horse drawn wagons up to the Neuschwanstein Castle, and they asked us where we were from and what our plans were. They told us about the Romantic Road and places we should see, stopping in Rothenburg for the night. They said we would enjoy our trip more if we avoided staying the entire time in Frankfurt. Their ideas sounded interesting, so we decided to take their advice. We stopped in a few locations including Ulm and finally Rothenburg where we stayed the night.  We asked our hotel if they could change our reservations from Frankfurt to Rothenburg so we could stay a few nights.  The hotels were part of the same chain, so they were able to.  We finally returned to Frankfurt for one final night before departing for home.

We had so much fun on this trip, exploring several small towns along the way, as well as Rothenburg. It was from meeting these people who offered advice and our willingness to adjust and change to something that seemed much better, that we changed how we planned all our future trips. Of course, we visit and stay in large cities, but we learned to get out and experience the little things and small out of the way places. When traveling, we try to always be open to meeting new people, listen to others and sharing our own travel experiences.

Rothenburg Germany

Years ago, on our first trip to Germany, we were staying in the town of Rothenburg.  One night, after attending The Night Watchman Tour, we asked the night watchman where he would recommend for dinner.  I can still remember his reply, "I would go to hell if I were you".  He was referring to the Zur Höll (to hell) restaurant that we had passed during the walking tour through town.  We were able to get a table and he had dinner there as well.  The restaurant is family owned and located on the main floor of one of the oldest houses in town, where the family lives above.  The atmosphere is wonderful, and the food and wine are amazing.  We have been to Rothenburg several times now and every time we visit, we try to make dinner reservations at Zur Höll at least one of our nights.

Our dinner was late in the evening, so we were one of the last tables to finish our meal.  It was getting late and there were only a few people left in the restaurant.  At a table close by, two German couples were sitting and one of them came over and invited us to join them for wine, so we could talk, and they could practice their English.  We talked until well after when the restaurant owners came to our table, asked if we wanted anything else and if we could pay our bill as they were retiring for the evening.  They told us we could stay as long as we wanted, just to be sure the front door was securely closed when we left.

This was a new experience for us.  We were surprised to be invited over to another table for wine and to talk, and then especially surprised that the restaurant owners allowed us to stay after they went to bed.

When we finally left to walk back to our hotel, it seemed we were the only ones in town out walking around. There were no other tourists or locals out at that wee hour of the night.  Rothenburg is completely safe and there is something magical about walking through the old medieval town when no others are around.  If it had not been for the others inviting us to join them, we may have missed this wonderful experience.

 
Town View Night Watchman Zur Höll
     
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
(above the Tauber River)

Germany
Burg Gate   Around the Town

Beijing China / Budapest Hungary

While we were at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, we met a girl from Budapest Hungary.  We were talking, trying to figure out why there was a large crowd gathering in our area.  We found out later that it was for the opening of Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum.  She spoke English and was on her own while waiting for a friend who she was traveling with and had to work.  She joined us for part of the day as we walked around some of the outdoor markets and had lunch before she had to depart.  We exchanged contact information and told her we would look her up if we ever we made it to Budapest.

As it turned out, we moved to England later that same year.  We planned a trip to Budapest in the Spring the following year and were able to meet-up one evening while we were there.  It was interesting to hear her talk about life in Budapest, especially under communist rule. We are still connected through social media and occasionally send a note back and forth.

Tiananmen Square
Beijing China

Sardinia Italy

This is a story about a man we met in a restaurant in the town of Olbia on the island of Sardinia Italy.

One of our favorite meals is steamed mussels in white wine and garlic sauce. We have had them in many different occasions and used to eat them as most people do. We would taking our fork and remove the mussel from the shell, then dip it into the sauce before eating it.

We had ordered mussels for dinner and while eating them, an Italian man walked over to our table, sat down in the extra chair and said: Excuse me, but you eat mussels very strangely. I asked why and he said that mussels are 'Finger Food'. He explained how to select one of the larger shells and separate it into the two pieces. Use one half the shell to scoop the mussel out of the other half, then fill the shell containing the loose mussel with the sauce and slurp it into your mouth, similar to eating raw oysters on the half-shell. Continue using the same empty half for the remaining mussels; unless you find a better half to use.

The man was right! All the flavor is in the sauce and you miss so much of it by only dipping the mussel into with your fork. Mussels are so much more delicious when you have an entire shell full of sauce at the same time. This is now the only way we eat them. The next time you order them, give it a try.

It's little things like this that make your travels more memorable. We are grateful that the man took the time to come over and talk with us. We have been out with friends who ordered mussels and patiently waited for them to eat one, just to see how they do it. We have told our story and encouraged them to give it a try. I think everyone has agreed that they taste much better when using the shell method, but to be honest it’s not for everyone as it’s much messier.

I can still remember the restaurant and the man, but unfortunately, I didn't take a photo...maybe because my hands were covered in sauce.

Sign Language

People are drawn to each other in many ways. It may be due to noticing something in common, or perhaps just being in the same environment. You may notice someone in one location while you wouldn’t notice them in another.

As my wife is hearing impaired, we are both drawn to other’s we notice signing, especially when traveling. It’s the curiosity of where they are from, and meeting someone in a foreign country who may be signing the same language. There is also the curiosity of where someone is from when you don’t understand a single sign.
It’s a common misconception that sign language is universally the same. In the States, we use ASL or American Sign Language which is vastly different from the signs of other countries. In fact, sign language can be completely unrecognizable between two different English-speaking countries such as the US and the England. You will even find differences between the signs used on the East and West Coasts of the US.  American Sign Language uses a single hand for the alphabet while British Sign Language requires two hands.  Signs for common words are also completely different. Another interesting note is that when it comes to spelling, Irish sign language is very similar to American.
In crowded tourist areas, you may notice people talking with sign. We have run into deaf people on our travels from several different countries including Italy, China, Hungary, Russia, England and Ireland. There have been occasions when we all had to show our passports to figure out the countries everyone was from.

There is a lot of expression and body language used when signing. I have found that it’s much easier to get some level of comprehension when signing, compared to understanding someone who is speaking a language you do not understand.

Vienna Austria

In Vienna Austria we ran into a couple of women from Germany who spoke English while we were visiting Stephansdom and Kirlskirche. They were playing tourist just as we were, and we talked about where we had been and what we had done. We walked around with them part of the day and toured a couple of churches together. They asked if we had been to Germany and we said yes, Germany is one of our favorite countries. We ended up exchanging emails and they said if we are ever in their area, we could meet up and they would show us around. They were from the small German town of Schweinfurt, close to Wurzburg. At the time, we did not have a trip planned to that area, so were not able to reconnect with them. It’s always fun to meet people in another country and if possible, have them show you around their area and see what locals do, compared to the tourist scene.

Stephansdom Kirlskirche

A scam in Budapest

One day we were walking down from Castle Hill through a park to the Gellért Hill Cave. While walking, we saw two boys ahead of us walking normally across the park and carrying crutches in their hands. When we got closer and they noticed us, they quickly switched to walking on their crutches and when we approached, asked us for money. I told them no, as I had just seen them walking completely normal just fine a few minutes earlier. They actually laughed and walk away from us, again carrying their crutches.

View from Castle Hill Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill

Romania

On a Halloween trip through Transylvania Romania (yes, it's a real place), we were staying in the town of Sighisoara. The town is the location of Vlad the Impaler’s birth. In fact, we had dinner Halloween night at the Vlad Dracula House, the house where Vlad was born and is now a restaurant.

Sighisoara
Town View Vlad Dracula House

In the small town of Sighisoara, we ran into an American tourist group. The town is remote, and I would expect most American’s travel through Romania with some type of organized tour group. A couple of people from their group asked us what tour group we were with. We said we were traveling on our own and they seemed really surprised that we would travel there on our own and not with a group.

On this trip, we stopped in several locations throughout Transylvania all by train. At times, it was difficult to understand things and communicate as nothing was written in English and in most places, no one spoke any English. This was all part of the adventure, figuring out what things meant and where to go, but it was extremely fun, interesting and one of our fondest trips.

As my wife is hearing impaired, we often try and communicate with others we run into that are signing. On the train back to Bucharest from Sibu, there was a deaf boy that knew some American Sign Language.  That surprised us and we were able to talk with him a little until he departed at the next stop.

Sibu
Piata Mica (Small Plaza) Piata Mare (Large Plaza)
   
Pedestrian Mall Old Town Walls

Business Travel

International business travel is probably going to be vastly different than international leisure travel. You may not be as concerned with the cost of your accommodations, transportation and meals as they are most likely covered by your company.  Traveling Lite may not be as possible, as you may be required to bring additional clothing, a laptop and other equipment.

When you are traveling for business, you may not have time, or have only limited personal time to see the sites.  However, I have found from my business travels that several companies I have met with, or the people I have met with often go out of their way to show you around, arrange tours, shows and meals at local restaurants.

Below I have listed some of my favorite memories from the business trips I have taken.
Lugano Switzerland

When I was meeting with an airline in Lugano, they took us to a small family run restaurant located high above the lake. We had local homemade food and limoncello while enjoying a spectacular view of the lake below.  The restaurant is probably a place no tourist would ever find, due to its location high above the lake.  In fact, I have never been able to find it on any internet search results.

We were living in England at the time of this trip, so when they had concluded, Chris flew to Milan Italy where I met her. Milan is about an hour by train from Lugano. We returned to Lugano for a couple of days so I could show her around. We then took another train to Lucerne for a few days before returning to England.

One nice thing about much of Europe is the ease of traveling between countries and living in England made these types of trips possible.
Lugano Lake Agno Airport Chapel Bridge & Tower
Lugano Lugano Lucerne

Madrid Spain

After our customer meetings, the local sales team took us around Madrid. One night they treated us to a Flamenco show and a special meal of Spanish delicacies. Another night, they escorted us on a Tapas Crawl to several locations around the city. It was very nice having local people that spoke Spanish take us around to their favorite local places.
Post Office Plaza Mayor Royal Palace

Amsterdam Netherlands

My first trip to Amsterdam was with a lady from work who was from Holland. One evening, she took me around the town to see several of the sites and explain a little of the town’s history. I have sense been to Amsterdam several times, and it's an easy city to navigate on you own, but there is nothing like being escorted around by someone who speaks the language and knows the area.
City View Canals Waag

Gurgaon, Delhi, Jaipur and Agra India

I spent four weeks in India in the town of Gurgaon, located just outside of Old Delhi. There is not much there other than the hotel in the business park and some excellent India restaurants.  I have to mention that there was one restaurant a short walk away that served what has to be the best chicken lasagna I have ever had.  On the weekends, we had a private taxi that drove us around Deli to any of the sites we wanted to see.

I took a fifth week as vacation where my wife joined me.  We then revisited several of the sites I had previously seen but saved the trip to Jaipur and Agra to see the Taj Mahal so we could go together.

This was a wonderful experience for both of us. During the few weeks I was there, I made some good friends that I am still in contact with to this day.
Sighisoara
Amber Palace Taj Mahal
by Jaipur Agra
   
Interglobe Hotel Jame Masjid - Muslim Mosque
Gurgaon (from the top of a minaret)
  Old Delhi