travel

A Story:

On my first trip to Europe my second to last stop was Zurich in Switzerland. After a long train trip from Geneva, I checked into my hotel and then went looking for a nice place for dinner. I found a cozy place nearby and ordered a larger than usual meal. After the food arrived I was surprised when a little old man sat down at my table across from me. He was unshaven and dressed poorly (didn’t know that was allowed in Switzerland!) but he kept smiling and nodding and started taking food off my plate! Startled, I looked around to see if any of the restaurant staff had noticed. They did but didn’t seem fussed. The old guy let me eat a bit then took more for himself. This back and forth went on until the plate was clean. He then got up, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, smiled and left…When paying for (half) my meal I asked the waiter what that was all about. He said “Oh that was just old Karl. He does that every few nights and no one seems to mind.”