Lightning doesn’t strike twice…..

I live in a fairly small town of about 13,000, and it's amazing when you hear how often someone bumps into someone from home while travelling.

Our friends were on a Med cruise in September, and sure enough, another couple originally from our town, but now living elsewhere were on the same cruise. Other neighbours were just down in a small town in Nevada at a pool, and yes, bumped into another couple from our town.

Last spring we were in Ixtapa Mexico. We had met another friend there, and he posted something on facebook. Sure enough, another friend originally from our town (they were classmates) was holidaying there as well. We all met for meals and drinks, it was good fun.

It's a small world after all (queue music).

We went to Canada for our son's wedding. At the rehearsal we met the Dean who would be carrying out the ceremony. She only hailed from our home town of only 9000 residents.

I was on a Just For a Day trip to Florence from Glasgow, when my friend said she could hear someone calling my name. I turned round and there was the teacher, who covered my class one day a week, while I studied for my Italian qualification.
Later that day, we were in Santa Croce church, when I heard someone saying, "Marydoll, what are you doing here?". It was the Headteacher from the school in the next village, where my sister in law taught.

Another time, when visiting the Catacombs in Rome, I heard a voice I recognised. It was a (rather eccentric) teacher, who supplied in my school.
Roll on a year and we were staying in the Royal Scots College in Salamanca, when standing at the top of the staircase, I heard her very distinctive voice.
I spent the whole time avoiding her!

It’s happened to us a few times, old friends or neighbours we hadn’t seen for years.
Outside a hotel in Nairobi, in Bahrain airport, outside Bond St tube in London.

Best for dh was many years ago, when he was away for work in Tanzania (IIRC) where for some reason his Visa card wasn’t accepted anywhere. I was frantically trying to arrange a transfer so he could pay his hotel bill, when on the steps of the hotel where he was staying, he virtually bumped into a Danish chap he’d worked with in the Middle East.

After the initial, ‘Fancy seeing you here, how are you?’ etc., dh said, ‘Got any money?

‘Yes, how much do you want?’ said Danish chap, opening a bag that was literally stuffed with cash. He’d come from up-country where he was working, to buy spare parts!
‘

A few years ago I was visiting Sorrento, wandering down the very crowded main shopping street. A lady bumped into me and apologised. It was a work colleague on a coach tour who was only there for 2 hours!

30 yrs ago I walked into a restaurant in Paris and was directed to a table next to my Godfather, I hadn’t see him for 5 yrs.
Other coincidences happen regularly

a friend of mine went to the top of a mountain in Nepal and bumped into his next door neighbour from the UK.. neither knew they were going to Nepal

DH and I were touring India with an organised tour company. We were on a train from Kalka to Delhi when our daughter’s best friend walked down the aisle. She had been touring India gathering information for a book she was writing and said she was having a bad day and really needed a hug from her parents and instead was able to have a hug from her best friend’s parents. Apparently she wasn’t even supposed to be on that train but missed her previous one. The coincidence is written into her book.

If that wasn’t enough two years later we were having breakfast in a hotel in Bangkok when who should walk in but the same best friend travelling around the Far East researching for another book. She was staying in the hotel for one night!

Years ago we were on holiday near Perpignan with our then young children and decided to visit Perpignan market, we were parking our car when we saw a family who lived near us at home with their young children who went to the same school as ours.

Well, it’s the old “six degrees of separation”, obviously.