USA--The land of McDonald's

USA-The Land of McDonald’s

The magic of travelling and being abroad touched me today. I went to the train station to book my passage to Munich, Germany for the weekend. After watching an Italian verbal altercation between a passenger and ticket booker (so entertaining), I left with 168 Euro in tickets. Ouch. But, I was proud as punch that I had navigated the complications of train bookings speaking Italian I’d written out ahead of time. As I basked in the glow of my success, I heard a commotion ahead of me. Two guys, one blond and one brunette, were barreling toward me, both gripping an empty luggage trolley.

“I have to catch my train—,” the blonde said.

“I need a ticket first, mate,” the brunette replied.

All of this was said as the Aussies—I deduced this from the “mate”—headed straight for me. I stopped two feet away, the trolley being jerked back and forth as the playful exchange continued (clearly for my benefit at this point, as the were looking to me between parting shots). 

Smiling, I said, “The ticket line is really long, if that helps your decision.”

The both look at me and Blondie says, “Oh, so where are you from, eh?”

“United States.”

“Land of McDonald’s!” the brunette supplied.

I laughed. “Among other things. Where are you headed?”

“Rome, at least if he can get it together,” Blondie says, gesturing toward his friend.

I wished him good luck with that chore (which had them both chuckling) and continued on my way, with a warm happy feeling carrying me home. Though I don’t know their names, or where exactly they were from, these guys helped open my eyes to that compelling human element of travel that becomes addicting.