RLA

Do you ever see people when you are away that look identical to someone you know? It's amazing to me that there are so many different faces, and doubles are not extremely common, given we all have the same components to work with.

Speaking of faces, in your travels, do you ever see a rare man or woman whose natural beauty absolutely take your breath away? Where were you? I am in awe of these naturally pretty people because there really are not that many of them. Talk about art. Most of us have to have a little help.

Here are a couple:
While vacationing in Mexico years ago, we saw an Italian couple at our resort. She was very pretty, but he was so pretty it took my breath away! We were in the medical clinic onsite with my son to treat an ear infection when in walked the Italian couple. I don't remember how I knew they were Italian, but neither spoke English.

Many, many years ago, we were in a line at Sea World when my husband noticed a female of this genre. He was absolutely smitten with her looks! Seriously, I don't remember if I agreed it she was a rare beauty. I just remember him saying jokingly, " Can I take her home with me, please? I promise I will take care of her!" I was even pregnant at the time. It's a good thing I am a good sport. My daughter says it's a good thing FOR HIM that I am - being that I was pregnant (those hormones can flare!).

I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but let's hear it!

annesherrod

To answer both of your questions -
I saw a young woman (18 yrs or so) in Alexandria,VA who looked just like me when I was that age. I was about 38 at the time. My husband and I were so stunned we just stared at her through our whole dinner! Same details, mannerisms, everything. I should have stopped her, but I figured she would thinks we were nuts. (My husband knew me at age 18)
When in Madrid a few years ago we were at a cafe having dinner when in walks the most amazing woman. She had the longest arms I have ever seen on someone. My husband, our friends, everyone stared. She was beautiful with the most amazing gold hair. It turns out, she is a model for Yves St. Laurent. I have seen her in magazines since!!!

BrimhamRocks

I've seen three people in my life that took my breath away, for different reasons.

One was a young man that looked EXACTLY like my step brother, who lived in another state at the time. I swear if I could have stood them side by side, anyone would have sworn he was my brother's twin. It was eerie. (Made me wonder about the old saying 'twins separated at birth', no joke.)

Another was this woman who, to this day, is I think, the most strikingly beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life. She was African-American. Her skin was the darkest I have ever seen on a human being. It was like she was so dark, she was walking midnight. God what beautiful skin. But what struck me most was her face....the bone structure made me want to literally hold her face in my hands, just so I could feel her incredible cheekbones. I can still see her clearly, even though it's been years.

The third person was a man who looked exactly like someone who broke my heart. When I saw this other guy, I was literally rooted to the spot, thinking it was the man I knew. All the memories washed over me and I could feel my heart breaking all over again. Then I heard his voice and finally realized it wasn't the same person. But it left me terribly shaken and very very sad.

And that is, as they say....too much information. Sorry, guys.

Calamari

Once when I was in a restaurant in Florence, my best friend pointed out what we both agreed was a gorgeous man. When he saw us looking at him, he came over to our table. I was shocked! Two years later I married him.

Elena

It was 1977, in a youth hostel in Marseilles. My two girlfriends and I all just about lost our breath when we noticed this guy across the lounge area. He was from England and was in the south of France picking grapes. We couldn't stop staring at him. I will never forget that stunning hunk. OOOh la la...

cigalechanta

It was my first time in Paris, spoke not a word of French but my girl friend did. We were crossing a street when two very, very. good looking French men ran up to us and started to jabber away, me aside not understanding a word, finally my friend said, this one guy HAD to talk to me, I was a double of his dead love. We crossed the street sat at a cafe. I said to my friend this guy has a corny line. With the dictionary, I tried best to join the conversation. He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a picture and handed it to me. I was freaked out, not only did she look like me but she was wearing an outfit I owned. The next few days, I dined with him and later we wrote each other but stopped after he suggested coming to school here to be near me.
I can't be a lost love. So life went on.

BrimhamRocks

wrong thread, tondalaya?

KathrynT

When in Dubrovnik many years ago my family saw my grandmother's double. My great-grandfather had been from Dubrovnik so we were convinced she must have been a relative. We tried to speak to her but, alas, she spoke no English and we couldn't speak Croatian. I'll always wonder ...

pollyesther

One person I will never forget was a woman on the circumvesuviana train going to Sorrento a few years ago. She was sitting across the aisle facing me, she was mid-forties and had the exact face of the women Michelangelo painted. Her eyes were exactly the same eyes he painted on the Sistene Chapel. I was just mesmerized by her she was so serene and spiritual looking, when she got off at one of the stops I looked at my friend who was sitting next to me and we both said the same thing about her angelic eyes.

Another was a absolutely beautiful man who was sitting on the porch of a villa on Capri talking on a cell phone. He was one of the most perfect looking, perfect dressed man I have seen to this day. My girlfriend and I stopped in our tracks and just stared at him, finally I took out my camera and snapped his picture. The picture is one of my favorites with the white villa, the blue sea and sky, the red bouganvilla, and this man lounging on the white marble bench looking out to sea.
Perfection.

Marilyn

I saw my double on Paros, Greece. My boyfriend and I were standing on the balcony of our room when a car pulled up and the cousin of the owner got out. My boyfriend actually did a classic double take -- not only did she look like me, but her mannerisms were similar. I am amazed to read that other people have had similar experiences.

RLA

Great stories! I'd love to hear more. My DH reminded me of a time when we were having dinner locally, when a couple stopped at our table to tell us that my DH looked absolutely identical to their son. They wanted his business card to send him a picture of their son, but never sent it.

I had also forgotten about my kids seeing someone at a ski resort bonfire that looked exactly like me. They were fascinated by the look-a-like of their mother. It felt really weird to them when they saw her acting in a manner that would be out of character for me. I didn't get to go down and see her as I had gotten hurt and had to stay in the room.

The best one I remember is that my BIL looks like Noah Wiley. When the ER show was very popular, he was thought to be him everywhere he went. Once in a drive through window the clerk remarked that he looked like NW when my sister felt silly and leaned over and said, "It is him." Oh my gosh, a frenzy ensued in the next couple of minutes and people were pressing their faces against the glass from inside and the cooks were coming out of the kitchen all to get a glimpse of the star. She didn't expect a chain reaction as such. Maybe there is nothing worse than being famous!

Natalia

First the funny one:
I was sweeping down a grande staircase in a chateau hotel in France, feeling so chic when I caught a glimpse in the wall size mirror on the landing of a lady who looked like me and was wearing a black outfit too. I thought, ha, she looks like a plump version of me and I look so much better in my pants. As I got closer and she kept walking, I saw it WAS me. I had just two bites of dessert that night.

The odder than fiction one:

I was in Italy, in Rome I think in a crowded restaurant, I was looking casually around the room, when between other people's heads I saw my lookalike (this time a real person). I told my friend to turn and look at who was sitting over there, and he was astounded that she did look just like me with the same hairstyle, color, laugh, etc. I wanted to catch her attention but she left while I wasn't noticing.
I wish I had been able to talk to her, because the likeness was almost perfect.

Calamari

Whenever we go to Italy people are always telling me I look like Melanie Griffith alla "vecchia manera" . At first I thought they meant that I looked like an "old" MG, but what they really meant was that they thought I looked like her before she had all of her "work done" and had a few more pounds on her. Not sure if that is exactly a compliment, but that's Italy for ya!

Calamari

Side note here...a little girls asked me if I was Reese Witherspoon's mother when I was leaving the cinema with my two kids. That one really hurt as I am not even 40 yet! OUCH!

Betsy

My husband and I were approaching Termini in Rome in a taxi when our friend Joe, who was standing on the curb, leaned out and smiled in our direction. I didn't mention it to my husband until a few minutes later when we had settled down in the station. I started to ask him if he'd seen.... Before I could say the name, he said "You mean that guy outside who looked just like Joe?" The odd thing was that Joe was at home in CA at the time. He definitely has a previously unknown twin brother in Rome!

cigalechanta

Calamari, what a romantic story. When I see a certain commercial now, it reminds me of you. An Italian bumps into An American woman on the street. Later that night she's dining in a rsto and he's cooking, spots her and serves her meal himself. Boo HOO, forgot the product, all eyes were on him.

OReilly

Two stories, both from a trip to Egypt.

My sister and I were travelling with a Coptic priest, who brought us to meet his family and his religious community in a town called Minia, in the South. Before the trip to Minia, we had visited Luxor and spent a day in the Valley of the Kings. We were both enthralled by the tomb paintings and the extraordinary beauty of the people represented on the walls.

In Minia, we were introduced to his brother?s wife, a stunningly beautiful woman, both physically and spiritually. We were struck dumb when we saw her in profile. We saw a perfect replica of the women on the walls of the tombs. This woman had to be a direct decedant of Pharaohs. When we remarked this, the family all laughed and confirmed that the Coptics were the direct descendants of the Pharaohs, except the others around the table looked about as descended from the Pharaohs as I was :~)

The next day, we were brought to meet the local bishop. I was completely gobsmacked ? he was my father?s twin brother. Yes, his skin was a lot darker and his hair was black, his eyes were hazel, and my father had very white skin, red-blond hair and blue eyes, but the features were identical ? the nose, the chin, the shape of the head, even the body. Not only that, but his mannerisms were the same. I was looking at my own father, who had been dead for 10 years. We are Irish and can trace our heritage back hundreds of years - we know of NO connection, in recent memory, between my father?s family and the Egyptians. There is some flaky evidence to suggest trading might have occurred between the ancient Egyptians and the Irish during the reign of Akenaton, but this could hardly explain such a close resemblance. How could this man look so like my father?

I said nothing to my sister, and she nothing to me, until that evening in the hotel room. She asked me who the bishop reminded me of. She produced my father?s memorial card from her wallet. I had wondered if I had imagined it, but his picture conformed what I thought - the resemblance was shocking.

We still wonder about this. Two men, of the same age, physically identical in an extraordinary way, but for colouration, coexisted in Ireland and Egypt and we met both.

Calamari

cigalechanta

That is a little too wierd. That is sort of what happend to me. Maybe my story has travelled over the last 20 years or perhaps it is much more common than I thought. Still have yet to meet an American girl who has not returned with either an Italian boyfriend or a somewhat shattered heart.

Sylvia

The most beautiful woman I have ever seen came from Naples. She was the tall blonde Neopolitan type (Vikings?). She had a light golden tan and was almost like a golden statue.
The last time I visited Verona, my husband and I saw a very small very ugly man. We knew that we had seen somebody exactly like him in a Renaissance painting. It was of a crucifiction and we could both remember that he was standing to the left of the picture. We can't remember if he was looking up at the scene or looking away, but we just can't remember which painting it is.

Calamari

OReiley.

I loved your story.