Angels
in Edinburgh (With Snazzy Apartments)
Dear Rudy,
I'm writing in response to your request for stories about the
kindness of strangers.
After two weeks of traveling in Edinburgh, Scotland in the summer
of 1999, I realized that this was the city in which I wanted to
spend the rest of my money. (I had no itinerary and no time limitations.
I would stay until my money ran out.) I was trying to be a thrifty
tourist: staying in hostels, eating cheaply, etc. But it just so
happened that at the very time I was in the city, the International
Fringe Festival, the Book festival, the Edinburgh Film Festival,
the Jewelry Fair, and numerous other events were beginning, and
that made finding an affordable place to stay difficult.
Luckily, I had booked a bed in a hostel for as long as they would
have me -- four days -- and then I let a flat for a week. But I
had no place to go after that. Where was I going to live? Hotels
were booked, and hostels were packed to the brim. I visited about
nine different rooms or flats, hoping to find something. No luck.
I was feeling hopeless, and walking miles in the rainy Scottish
weather apartment hunting was doing nothing to improve my spirits.
As I was returning to my humble rented bed the last night before
I was homeless, I noticed a troop of men and women wearing Feed
the Children aprons. Predictably, a young man approached me and
asked for a contribution. I cemented myself in front of him and
said, "I will donate if you can find me a place to live."
"Well, how much are you wanting to spend?" he asked.
"About thirty pounds ($60) a week," I replied.
As it happened, the young man, Drew, was renting a place above
an art deco theater in the city center, but he was not living there
because he had just moved in with his girlfriend. He proposed fifty
pounds ($100) for a week and half. The luxurious apartment was in
a prime location and had a wonderful kitchen, pool and sauna. I
gleefully accepted. My best friend was arriving in town the next
day, and I was worried that we would have to sleep on the street.
As it turns out, Drew paid about five hundred pounds (almost $1000)
per month for the apartment, and he let it to me and my friend for
almost nothing. Needless to say, we thanked him profusely. The week
and a half we spent in his place was just enough time to spend the
rest of my cash before heading home after nine weeks of glorious
travel.
Tralee
P.S. Unfortunately, in return for his kindness, I could not give
to the Feed the Children Foundation because you had to be a citizen
of Scotland to contribute. But Drew graciously accepted the pints
of ale I bought him in exchange for his generosity.
The Kindness of Kings
Dear Rudy,
My high school graduation adventure consisted of a 270-mile bicycle
trip with my brother and a friend taken from Wichita, Kansas to
Roaring River State Park in Missouri. At the time, 10 speeds represented
the height of bicycle technology. With sleeping bags strapped to
bike racks and orange safety flags flapping to warn larger vehicles
of our slow moving presence, we set out across the slightly hilly
terrain of southern Kansas.
Our agreement with our parents obliged us to call home each evening
with a progress report and proof we were still alive. At the end
of the second day, 160 miles behind us, we had just completed a
long uphill ride out of Seneca, Mo. A call was now due, but the
next rest area with a phone was 20 miles up the road. None of us
wanted to go back down the hill into Seneca. We decided to ask the
residents of the house at the top of the hill if we might use their
phone to make a collect call.
After explaining our need to the owners, not only did they allow
us to use their phone, they invited us to unroll our sleeping bags
in their living room for the night and took us to dinner at the
local diner. Early the next morning, they fixed us breakfast and
saw us on our way. Their last name was King. We felt it was an appropriate
title.
The next year I made the same trip with two other friends. One
catapulted over his handlebars when he applied his brakes too hard
on the long hill into Seneca, ending up with a serious case of road
rash. Mr. King again helped us by seeing to it that our injured
companion got medical treatment. Me and my other friend continued
on. The next day, Mr. King, along with his wife and two children,
transported our bandaged friend to our destination, where we all
had a celebratory picnic. That was 29 years ago, but I still remember
them and appreciate their kindness.
Tim
Think
You Got Visa Problems? Meet Morganna
Dear Rudy,
While I was preparing to move to Saudi Arabia, I discovered that
to enter the Kingdom, my cat, Morganna, needed a VISA! The visa
could be obtained only by providing a veterinarian's certificate
stating that she was in good health and submitting additional documentation
from our state department of veterinary services. She even needed
to have a photo taken. The Saudi embassy was most helpful, but the
paperwork got hung up in OUR department of state. I had to postpone
my trip two weeks waiting for her visa.
The good news is that Saudi customs, notoriously thorough, were
so charmed by Morganna that they just waved all my baggage through.
Patricia
Road Trip to Romance
Dear Rudy,
On a recent show you asked for stories about finding romance on
the road. My most romantic excursion cost $500, including the diesel
fuel for a battered VW Golf. In late April, 1990, my husband and
I drove to Florida. Initially we wanted to take a more elaborate
vacation, but a financial shortfall dashed those plans.
Our trip began badly: We collided with a metal filing cabinet
that had fallen off a truck in Charlotte, N.C. With a failing air
conditioner, we limped into Florida to mooch off a friend of mine
that I had not seen in 13 years. That's when things started looking
up.
My friend and her husband opened their home and their hearts to
us. Their generosity, warmth and hospitality soothed our spirits.
Since he was an Everglades ranger, we were introduced to the beautiful
waterways, the dark mango trees, the sandy islands and the menacing
alligators. We met remarkable people, including a former pilot who
lived comfortably in a tent at an amazing campsite, without electricity
or phone. We were entranced.
But it got better. We drove to Long Key State Park, where we landed
a prime campsite under a canopy of exotic trees, within a few yards
of the gentle surf. There we stayed for five days. We snorkeled
off our "front porch" and cooked fresh fish on the outdoor grill.
We had a romantic, mystical time.
I remember that time through the lens of 17 years of marriage
to a man that I love dearly. He is my soul mate, my verbal sparring
partner, my lover, my respected colleague and the loving father
to our treasured daughters. And it just gets better and better and
better.
Rudy, thanks for a reason to revisit my romantic excursion. I
enjoy your show, the way you treat your guests and the opportunity
to travel in my imagination. I have to admit that I fantasize about
luxurious accommodations and exotic locations, but I know that the
most romantic excursions have little to do with cost or destination,
and everything to do with your choice of traveling companion.
Cathy
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