Travel Tales

By Francesca Arniotes

You enter the voms of the Colosseum in Rome.  Get off the boat and stand beneath the Eiffel Tower. Meander through the Barcelona apartment of Antonio Gaudi. Gaze up at Michelangelo’s David. To be in person in the places we’ve seen in pictures and studied about in books is thrilling and emotional. The first time I emerged from the narrow stairwell into the interior of Sainte Chapelle, I burst into tears and sobbed helplessly. Sometimes we marvel at the structure, wondering how it could have been constructed in ancient times and still stands. Sometimes we make a connection with history, imagining ourselves as ancient theatre goers in Greece, smelling the bread and fast food on the streets of Pompeii, or pondering at Auschwitz the depths of hatred and cruelty humans are capable of.

We and our kids are very fortunate to be able to travel as we do. The C&K clientele are also a pretty adventurous crowd. I love to hear about people’s trips. I love to hear about the things they saw. But what everyone talks about, what they have a story about, is food and people. Experiences where travellers connect personally with local people become the highlight of the trip. A few people we know who have been to Egypt have photos of the pyramids and of course found them breathtaking. But what they tell us a story about is the people: the egyptologist who guided them personally through a restricted area of a temple; bargaining in the market with a vendor and hugging at the conclusion of the exchange. One couple is still in touch with their guide two years on. I heard a story about having dinner in Paris when a passing waitress stopped and without a word moved the gentleman’s bread from the edge of his dinner plate to the table because I guess that’s where it was supposed to be. Want to hear the story? This was years ago before Parisians got the memo that their #1 tourist destination status was being challenged and therefore they’d need to knock off some of the attitude and be nicer to visitors. We were there when that directive was issued, by the way. Anyway, the gentleman didn’t appreciate the waitress’ etiquette lesson and he put his bread back on the edge of his plate. Passing on her way back, she once again moved his bread and he did not hesitate to again put it back where it was. He did not speak French and she did not (or would not)  speak English, but words were exchanged. The man didn’t enjoy his time in the city, the point being that his story of his visit to Paris was not about the magnificence of Notre Dame or the glory of the Louvre, but about people.

When friends ask me what I like best about trips I take, the answer is: the daily interactions with local people. This might sound silly, but I love being greeted by name when I walk into a store or market. It rarely happens here at home, but it does everyday in Gaiole-in-Chianti. Following introductions, our C&K Live-in-Italy guests also enjoy being recognized and welcomed by name on their walks in the village. Sometimes, together we’ll be offered menu suggestions, a recipe, and even get in on the latest gossip. It feels like more than being welcome; it feels like being embraced. 

If I tell you about my first visit to the Eiffel Tower, I’ll tell you that I still dream about the butter–and-camembert-on-baguette I had from a Paul’s foodtruck underneath it. Food of course is at the foundation of any culture. Ingredients, preparation and the structure of mealtimes tell us the most about a place and its people. One reason Italy has always been such a popular travel destination is its exceptional cuisine. But almost everyone has a story to tell upon their return about the unexpected; about how restaurants never bring you the bill so they can turn the table; that spaghetti and meatballs are never served at the same time; about how there’s not much pasta in northern Italy, but lots of cornmeal mush (aka polenta); about how for all the pork in Chianti, there’s none to be found in Verona or Venice, where they eat horse and donkey. Approach such discoveries with an open mind and we learn that people eat what they have available and that eating locally means eating seasonally. And while ingredients are limited there are advantages: quality and freshness, and heightened appreciation of a mushroom or a piece of cheese.

What business traveller has not been invited to dinner while abroad? People are so eager to introduce visitors to their food, to share their traditions and rituals, whether recommending the restaurant they would like you to experience, taking you there themselves or even inviting you in for a home cooked meal.  It’s perhaps fundamentally human for people to want to know one another on a deeper level. And gathering around to eat together builds a bond. Feeding guests is more than providing nourishment; it’s an offering of friendship. A friend who returned to visit his father’s village was politely refused his request for grated cheese on his pasta. He acquiesced but asked why not and it explained that it simply isn’t correct to have cheese with seafood. “Please know us” was the message. Perhaps the waitress in Paris had the same intent? And the gentleman was just itching for a fight rather than on a journey of discovery of Parisian culture? Maybe the waitress has had a story to tell from that night too. It goes both ways. Whether domestic or international travel is coming up for you, open up, make some friends over food and bring us back a good story or two.