No stranger to Salzburg

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged. 

This month’s winner is SCOTT SCOVEL of New York, NY:

While backpacking through Europe as a college student in April 2011, I took a night train to Salzburg to visit Danielle, the friend of a friend. She had graciously offered to show me around Salzburg, even though we had never met. 

As my train pulled into the station, I was excited, as always, about exploring a foreign city, especially this time with a native guide. I was supposed to meet Danielle at her house, so I was surprised when a woman walked past me in the train terminal and said my name, “Scott.” When she just kept walking, I realized that it was someone else and that I must have misunderstood what she said.

Upon leaving the train station, a cab driver said “Scott” to me, as did another passerby. Perplexed, I looked to see if my luggage tag was showing my name. Nope. I chalked up the apparent misunderstandings to my grogginess from having slept on the train overnight to save money. 

It continued. As I walked to Danielle’s house, people kept saying “Scott,” some even tipping their bright-green Austrian hats as they passed. 

Upon meeting Danielle, I explained all this to her. She, too, was perplexed and, not knowing me, seemed to wonder if I were a bit odd. 

When we left her house to grab lunch, it happened again. I immediately pointed it out to her. She paused for a few seconds and then burst out laughing, explaining that people were greeting me with the customary Austrian ‘Hello’ of “Grüss Gott.” No one was psychic and no one knew my name. 

Somehow, it was a bit more magical to think I had a psychic bond with the Austrians.