Shared seating was more truly shared than we expected.

On those train journeys I sat with someone sitting in my lap or vice Vera, we were strangers at the start of the route and almost so at the end.

One time I ended up in correspondence for years with a new shared seating pal.

So the next time I walked into a restaurant where all tables sat 10-12 people, everyone joined strangers at the meal, I felt I’d returned to a sort of traveler’s home away from home.