Magic Co-Travellers

Years ago, two friends and I travelled to London and Paris. Apart from our collective inability to turn on the showers in English hotels, we discovered that one of our friends had the uncanny knack of standing exactly on a subway platform where the doors of the still-as-yet-unarrived train were about to open. Eventually PS & I learned to stand back and watch as MB would drift to the front of the platform, slide slightly to one side or the other, then stop and wait on the next train (completely unaware of what she was doing), and every single time that one pulled into the station, amazingly the doors would open exactly in front of her as she waited. Like magic.

Nancy arrived here on Sunday. The forecasts have been all over the map (so to speak) for the past week as I tried to plan for our upcoming travels together. I shared with her that we might be seeing some rain, but that was okay – she knew she was coming to Scotland and had packed accordingly. The day before her arrival I texted that she might be arriving to the tail-end of Storm Betty, but she assured me (via email from Iceland) that by the time she got there it would be sunny. It was.

The next day the forecast was 70% chance of rain so we wore macks and carried umbrellas into the city. On the train, Nancy looked out at the rainy countryside and announced that it would be sunny by the time we reached Glasgow. And it was.

The Kelpies, Falkirk

This morning was overcast and we had tickets for a 90-minute cruise on the Firth of Forth. I knew it would be warm, but the forecast showed rain for a variety of times, including the time of our cruise reservations. About 20 minutes into the drive Nancy decided it would be clear and sunny by the time we got on the boat. And it was.

We can’t decide where to go tomorrow but we’re looking at the forecast. Based on Nancy’s meteorlogical assessment, we’re thinking a later start to the day, and head back home early afternoon to relax. Since she suggested that a couple of hours ago, I’ve been watching the forecast like a hawk, and it has slowly changed to fit in perfectly with our plans for the day.

Really, prescient friends are the way to travel.

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