By coincidence...

Yesterday's weekend article about coincidences brought a recent one to mind by local resident Harry Knapper. He says:

On a river cruise we stopped off in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. We sat in a cafe waiting for a bus to take us on to our next stop as the river was closed because of an accident.

Chatting in the cafe, a lady at the next table asked if we were English. I said we were and asked if she was and, if so, where she came from.

"Nowhere you would know," she responded. "A place called Wistaston."
"But I was born in Willaston next door," I responded. "And my sister lives in Wistaston to this day."
"What's her name? the lady asked.
"Phylis," I replied.
"Would that be Phylis Price?" she asked.
"It would be. Her maiden name was Knapper," I responded. "She worked as a nurse at Redlands Reformatory School in Wistaston."
"I worked there too," said the lady. "And I meet Phylis every month when we have a reunion of people who worked there."

This conversation was in the middle of Europe, next to the Danube. It's a small world.

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