A new familiar face

June 4, 2019 | Sophia Trout

Das abenteuer wartet, aka, adventure awaits! Zurich became the destination for my groups free weekend, and I was eager to have some German in my life again. Traveling is about meeting people along the way, but it's been hard because of the language barrier. However, we got the chance to see a slice of someone else's journey during our day trip to Lucerne.

On Saturday, we rose early to catch our train from Zurich to Lucerne, which is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever explored. It's nestled between the towering mountains of the Swiss Alps; the ancient architecture meshes seamlessly with modern additions. At this point in our trip, we are crippling with exhaustion, and the restaurants all had prices above anything we wanted to pay. We finally took a turn down a small side street and found the Shamrock Pub. The pub reminded me of the ones you always see on T.V., and the bartender greeted us with a smile and an "Ello" as we entered. After placing our orders, we lingered at the bar talking to the friendly stranger, whose name is Joseph Rix. We learned Joseph's from England, that he's a musician and his friend owns the bar. Conversing with him in English was refreshing, and learning about someone's personal experience reminded me of what traveling is all about. While we weren't swapping many personal stories, getting a peek into Joseph's world intrigued me, inspiring me to search more for moments like that. It makes this world seem smaller when you have a connection with someone who's walked a different path than you and yet ended up in the same place. If you are ever on a new adventure, say hello to a stranger. You never know how their story will add to yours.

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