Travel is . . .

. . . Often completely unexpected.

It's the totally out-of-the-blue situation that pops up every now and then. It's an OMG moment and extremely unusual, like unexpectedly running into your college roomate in Switzerland.

I purchased an Ipod before leaving for Europe. All my kids and grandkids have them and I love music and had hours of travel time ahead of me, so I bought one for myself. It took my 10-year-old grandson seemingly seconds to program it. He paused only to ask for my credit card number.

The Ipod was exactly what I wanted and was wonderful company on the flight to Frankfurt.

I used it on several long bus tours in Germany only to find I was providing entertainment for my fellow travelers. No one ever told me that singing along to your music is an embarassment. I found out when I heard everyone on the bus laughing and discovered it was me they were laughing at!

The lesson learned? Singing isn't part of my skill set, and tapping my fingers might be a better choice.

I evidently did not pack it when leaving Leipzig for Frankfurt. At the Steigenberger Hotel at the Frankfurt Airport I completely unpacked. No Ipod. I was frantic and called the Leipzig Westin and was connected to a wonderful employee who checked her records and sure enough, an Ipod had been found in my room. I explained that I was going to London but would be back at the Steigenberger on Sunday. Not only did she find it, but packaged it carefully in bubble wrap and corrugated paper, and when I returned to the airport hotel it was waiting for me.

Serendipity? You betcha! Would that happen in your home town? Would an MP3 player be found and returned so promptly and graciously? I'm not sure.

I thanked my new found friend at the Westin, and flew home with my favorite music in my ears.

Only this time I didn't sing along.