Old world charm!

As you know I love to travel. Some of the best travel stories happen during the journey and some quick ones while you are waiting at the stops.

Today I met a really old Swedish lady while I was waiting for the bus. She came to me, greeted me "Hello son" and started asking few questions in Swedish. I was really sorry and almost cursed myself for the usual "swedish illeya" thing. Then came the best part, probably the finest English words, coming from those shivering, wrinkled lips - Mesmerized, I was!

The connection was instant. She displayed her finest sense of humor, command over some of the most endangered species of words, immaculate sense of dressing & that famous Victorian aura - Polished gem of a lady. She then sang a dream to me, dream that was her past.... beautiful villas amidst lush green fields,  horse carts, giant ships, riders carrying letters & the magnificent church buildings...

She went on and on... carrying a newspaper, a book, a pocket watch (gold plated), a purse (small yet with an extraordinary royal design). Clearly she loved all of them. Then she spoke what a pain the Iphone, the credit card & the computer has become. She told me stories of how people poured their heart out in the letters they wrote, the power of the newspaper, the uniqueness of the pocket watch & the purse.  Although her children and grand children have dragged her into the modern society she had made up her mind to live in the era that is all but extint.

She mourned the loss of neighborhoods. The world has become increasingly closed in real lives and incredibly open in the virtual space. In her days the world never knew the intricate details of ones lives, only the gossip mongers would do that. She lamented Facebook is just one big "gossip lady" who never knows when to shut up, probably because she lacks in laws....what words, what humor! I was falling for her..

Then I looked at her more closely....she is beautiful, she reflected royalty, am sure she didnt use the best beauty creams or make up...she was pure and her beauty reflected through her un-waxed limbs & unpolished nails. I wanted to go back in time and pursue her! Where do you get a lady, these days, who would make you fall in love with her brain & etiquette - Full of substance.  

Her words were as powerful as affectionate. Her eyes had waters that were too deep for her sockets to carry. She often sang some beautiful phrases, which I never understood but they were cute enough for a baby to get a nap. She said she has a wish to visit India, to see the hermits in the Himalayas, who she thought were incredibly hot & sexy - for, to her they are the real Men, not the ones teaching yoga in the televisions. 

Then the bus came and how I hated that bus... She wished I board the bus first and announced "after you". Her final words were "Your country is way more beautiful than Sweden, for you are still few years behind us, which means you still have some real old world charm". We parted forever!

The old souls across the world are probably all the same. I so love their old words, songs, phrases - the way they describe the world they lived in, few words of wisdom & unconditional love to a total stranger... They for sure belong to the same planet as us but certainly it was way more gorgeous back then- They say Man is the reflection of his times!

I wish I grew up with them!!