The kindness of strangers
Throughout our 7-week journey around Spain and Portugal, we stayed curious and open to different experiences and people. Some memorable encounters included:
Prince from Punjab India, our Bolt (Portugal’s version of Lyft) driver, who moved to Lisbon nine years ago and has never listened to Prince's music, despite sharing his name.
The woman in Lisbon who carried a tray of freshly baked French pastries around the neighborhood - choux buns filled with pistachio cream and chocolate cream, layered pistachio cake and blueberry muffins - selling her delicious treats for one euro each. Although new to baking, she excitedly shared that a few local businesses had already agreed to sell her delectable delights.
The woman at the Central Market in Valencia who remembered us from one visit to the next and would smile broadly when we returned for a fresh batch of fruits and veggies as we tried to communicate in our broken Spanish.
Manual, who owned the airbnb where we stayed in Porto, spent 45 minutes proudly explaining his country's history and sharing his perspective on Portugal’s strengths and shortcomings, confidently exclaiming "you will like Porto very much".
The hop-on hop-off bus driver in Porto who stopped the bus to patiently explain to each passenger in their native language that the road to one of the wineries in the route was temporarily closed, but this particular street was an alternative way to get there. Y’all, he spoke five languages fluently - Portuguese, French, Spanish, German, and English!
The woman at our favorite Pingo Doce grocery store in Lisbon who made sure we knew how to properly bag and mark our bakery purchases before walking to the checkout register.
The man working at a Spanish lottery ticket counter in Valencia who was just as excited as we were that we chose a winning ticket.
The woman at the Madrid train station who helped us figure out how to purchase tickets and find the appropriate platform so we were able to get to the airport and catch our flight on time.
Hugo and Telma, our hosts in Nazaré, who unexpectedly picked us up from the bus station and drove us to our airbnb.
Alexandra, our airbnb host in Valencia, who carried our heavy suitcase up five flights of stairs and gifted us with chocolates, wine, mistletoe, and a small Christmas tree. Her daughter Zoe drew us a picture to welcome us.
The man driving our bus to Lagos who waved at/thumbs-upped each coach bus driver we met on the highway during the four-hour journey and announced each stop with great gusto over the microphone.
Muchas gracias, España, and obrigada, Portuguesa for welcoming us with open hearts and open arms. We’re so grateful.
