Our Czech sojourn had come to an end and I was a wee bit saddened by the thought of leaving Prague. This here is one of my problems. I grow so attached to people and places that I like that often the process of moving on to the next place becomes almost unbearable for me. We had breakfast and then started to pack our bags. I took a picture of our room and bathroom for remembrance. The car was parked in the underground garage of the hotel so we got to load our bags sooner. We were to drive Salzburg today to meet one of my best friends from UNI, Harald and his girlfriend Lucy. Since our plan to meet up in Vienna faltered because Harry fell sick and our itinerary was open, Andrej suggested Salzburg to be the most viable meeting point. It took us about 4 hours to drive from Prague to Salzburg. We waited at one of the cafeterias in the city center but were informed by Harry that he was running late. So we ended up waiting for more than two hours for them and this also threw our plans of driving halfway to our next destination into a bit of a shamble. We sat down at one of the cafeterias and enjoyed some spaghetti followed by a scrumptious Austrian dessert, Topfenstrudel. I thought I could eat those sweet devils every day of my life.
As I looked around, I saw an elderly man constantly looking towards our direction. I was beginning to wonder what could possibly interest him in us. Soon after, he said hello and asked Andrej if he was from the US because of the t-shirt he wore that had the name of a Native American community. I don’t think Andrej was even aware of the message imprinted on his t-shirt. The old man engaged with us in passionate conversations about his time in the US military, how he met his Austrian wife who happened to design Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress from “The Seven Year Itch,” his love for literature, teaching, grand kids, students and youths. We got to know later that his name was Mr. Bliss. He seemed like such a kind and gentle soul, a Professor loved by his students, a man that lived all the days of his life and a loving husband eternally devoted to his wife who we came to learn passed away eight years ago. I felt a bit choked up inside after hearing this tragic part because they seemed to have enjoyed a perfect life together and how broken he became after her demise and how he was found and saved by a young man he now treats like his own son. I reminded him gently that he had nothing to regret because his wife and him seemed to have lived life to the fullest and with eternal love. He spoke of how much he appreciated the Austrian way of life and that America was second home to him now. Andrej and I listened to him intently as he spoke of kindness, faith, dedication and devotion to things you are passionate about. He reminded the both of us that there were “no coincidences” in life and things happened because they have to happen. It was a good time and he hugged us both before going off to meet a friend that was waiting for him. He was one of those strangers with amazing personalities that you meet just once in your lifetime but will remain forever in the crevices of your memories.
We waited for a few more minutes before Harry called to confirm our location. For a while, we had problems finding each other as we seemed to have walked in opposite directions from each other. We finally met mid way on the street, did customary introductions and then sat down at another restaurant for some drinks. Harry was lively and talkative as usual although I could tell from his tired face he hadn’t fully recovered from whatever fever he had. It felt so wonderful to see Harry after all these years and I was happy he finally found someone as lovely as Lucy after a series of heartaches like some of us. I thought the four of us looked like an impressive team and I was glad to see Andrej socializing with them without any qualms. Harry and I had four glasses of beer each, Andrej one as he had to drive and Lucy some white wine. As much as I wanted to stay on and hang out more, we had to make a move knowing we were already lagging behind on our travel schedule. We said our goodbyes and walked our separate ways. Andrej and I had to make our way towards Paris but before that he wanted us to go see the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau and a cathedral, Ulm Munster, which is known to have the world’s tallest church steeple. He drove for a few more hours but felt we should spend the night in the hotel and start afresh the next morning to check out these places. In the car, I became emotional from the day’s event, i.e. seeing Harry again and realizing how I miss the good times we had back at UNI, those days were what true and lasting friendships are made of. And to know that they were long gone saddened me. We enjoyed a couple of hours talking, catching up, laughing, as if nothing had changed between us. Since we were already running behind our schedule, Andrej and I decided to make a move. We drove a few more miles and then decided to call it a night at a hotel nearby in Southern Germany. We found a lodge by the road in a sleepy rural town, it was called Hotel Gasthof Kamerwirt. We put our stuffs in the room and came to the front porch to have dinner. The German waitresses were dressed in their traditional garb and they reminded me of milkmaids in rural areas.
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