My town Hemel Hempstead, is twinned with Neu-Isenburg in Germany. In fact, I'm the chairman of the Town-Twinning Association here. Before Christmas last year, we were made aware of a European festival that was to be held in Neu-Isenburg and my family and I couldn't wait to go and meet up with some friends.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, the Burgermeister of Neu-Isenburg visited Hemel Hempstead and I was privileged not only to meet Gene Hagelstein but also to look after him for a couple of days during his visit.
Well, when I met Gene, with other council officials at The Forum here in Hemel Hempstead, it just so happened that Michael Buchner, a fellow member of the Simmons Vintage Technical Network and I were e-mailing each other. Apart from telling me that he lives only a few kilometres away from Neu-Isenburg, he also asked me to pass on his best wishes to Gene. SERIOUSLY?????
I told Michael that I was coming over to Neu-Isenburg the following week and we agreed to meet up.
This was the first time that Michael and I had met. Such a knowledgeable and experienced guy, Michael is also just a lovely person and I don't know why we hadn't done this before, especially considering the number of times that I've been over to Neu-Isenburg. I only wish I could have stayed longer but I'm sure to be back, Michael. 🙂 See you soon, buddy!