[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

Old guy? Really? I’m an old guy. No. This is a heart-felt message of appreciation to those people out there, old or not, male or otherwise that have just been really quite pleasant to complete strangers like us that have found/put them themselves in a different part of the world where the language/culture/geography isn’t 100% familiar.

I admit, Meredith and I, we sometimes throw ourselves into the deep end of the pool. Without much regard for safety or comfort, we seek out the unknown; we gravitate towards the “at least it’ll be a story” aspect of life. Sometimes we luck out with rather spectacular experiences, and quite commonly we end up with “oh, well, that wasn’t so bad” type impressions. Sometimes though, and this is tied to our affection for seniors (sorry, there’s no other way to say it; we like folks who have been around the bend and have a story or two to tell), we come across people in the most unexpected situations that affect us the most.

Examples. In Scilla a week back or so, an elderly (well, in his seventies or so) gentleman stopped us after getting off the train from Reggio Calabria and asked us politely with a fluent combination of Italian and subtle body language if we spoke Italian or not. When it became apparent that we spoke and understood only a rather embarrassing subset of this beautiful language, he nonetheless took it upon himself to explain (in grade-school level Italian) what we should try and get to see while in Scilla. We had never met him before, nor would we likely see him again. He was just that nice a person and it was more important to him that we had a good impression of his presumed current home town than it was for him to get to his house as quickly as possible. There’s a lesson there, especially for us aloof Vancouverites, to not be in such a hurry; we can make a difference by being more present.

Another, because there are a few, example happened in Brindisi. We had had our eyes on going across the harbour to visit one of the monuments that promised a decent view after a respectable number of stairs. Problem was that we would have to take a commuter ferry for which transit tickets were required. At the time, we thought that tickets had to be pre-bought so we went looking for a Tabacchi place that would hopefully sell them. “Vendi i biglietti di stp?” I would ask, looking every bit as pathetic as I felt with my halting pseudo-Italian. The shop keeper, bless him, drops what he’s doing and whisks us outside to show and tell “a destra e a destra”, i.e. take a right and another right and then I could find another Tabacchi shop that would sell the tickets. The tourist Italian would have been enough. However, a local gentleman, older – yes, came with us outside and said, despite the shop keeper’s concerned look and comments to the contrary that he had extra tickets. So, without an English word spoken, instead of having to go looking for this other shop and potentially having to buy a book of tickets, we buy the precise number of tickets we need off this man. For list, no less. A man we’ve never met before nor likely will meet again.

These are not deep life lessons or morals. Just observations of regular people in the brief point of their lives that we happen to intersect with. They chose to act in a very courteous and social way that I find rather inspirational. I don’t think it’s a distinctly Italian trait per se, but rather one anchored in life experience and perspective. Because it reminds me of a man in Nanaimo, BC, Canada whom I know and love, this post is dedicated to him and those who share his believes that life is best lived shared.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_gallery admin_label=”Gallery” gallery_ids=”1125,1115,1113,1112,1111,1110,1109,1108,1106,1105,1104,1103,1102,1101,1097″ fullwidth=”off” orientation=”landscape” show_title_and_caption=”on” show_pagination=”on” background_layout=”light” auto=”off” hover_overlay_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” /][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

Random collage of images captured in and around Brindisi, Puglia.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]