A Simple Act of Kindness

We now need to get ourselves out of the Pyrenees wilderness and back to Girona which we have been assured by everyone will be open on a weekday.  The hotel has advised that they know of a taxi driver in Sant Hilari Sacalm who they can call and she will pick us up and take us to the bus station and the bonus, she knows the way!  Last night I asked them to make arrangements for us to be picked in the morning but the Spanish don’t like to be responsible for things like this so they advised me it could not be done in advance but we should just come to the farm house and they would call then and she would be there in 30 minutes.

Breakfast wasn’t delivered until 9am and since we wanted to be on the road to Sant Hilari by 10am we enjoyed our meal quickly and hit the trail to the farm house around 9:30am.  Once we reached the farm house which was a snap by now as we had learned our way through the woods we realized quickly we were in for another transportation challenge.   The fellow behind the desk had a lot of trouble understanding me and had to call the owner to help.  It took a few minutes for the owner to arrive and then he said yes they could call a taxi but he didn’t know the number and the woman who did doesn’t come to work until 10am it would only be 20 minutes to wait.  Our problem however was that we needed to catch a 10am taxi in order to make an 11am bus.  It could work but there was not a minute to spare for any reason. 

At this point another guest who was also checking out stepped in and told us he and his family were headed to Sant Hilari Sacalm and they would be happy to give us a ride.  We couldn’t believe our good luck.  Carles was a delightful man with a kind smile and he was just ever so slightly nervous as if he was asking for the favor instead of offering it.  It was an absolute gift and we thanked him and told him it was very generous of him.  He hurried off to get his family and their things so we could be on our way.  In no time at all Montserrat, his wife and Marte their son appeared.  Unfortunately Carles was the only one of them who spoke any English so we weren’t able to converse with them much but there was lots of smiling.

We all walked together to the parking lot in the middle of nowhere and loaded into their car.  It worked fine for the five of us but Carles apologized he thought it a bit small by USA standards, Bob and I both explained we drove small cars.  Carles and his family are Catalonian and live near the town of Montserrat.  They were in Sant Hilari Sacalm because they are astrology fans and they were going to take part in an observation that evening in the hopes of seeing a meteor that could best be viewed from that area.

As we drove through the forest on the road to San Hilari Bob sitting up front with Carles and myself in the back with Montserrat and Marte, Carles entertained us with Catalan stories, folklore and facts.  He even told us that a long time ago in the very area we were in there a Catalan Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor but never became famous like Robin Hood.  None of us knew where the bus stop was in Hilari but as we pulled into town Marte thought he spotted what looked like the right place, however, that was not good enough for Carles.  He was not going to leave us on just any corner until he was sure it was the right corner, so he kept on driving until he saw one of these booths they have here on street corners where they sell lottery tickets.  At the booth he was assured it was the correct place and back he drove us. 

At the bus stop there was already one woman waiting and Carles got out of the car with us to talk to her and make sure this is where you could catch the bus to Girona.  Yes, she said, in fact she was waiting for the 11am bus herself and she would now keep an eye on us until we got to Girona.  

Our second newly found friend of the morning rode the bus with us to Girona and when she got off one stop before we did she made a point of making sure we stayed in our seats and didn’t get off with her.  Carles had finished his job by leaving us in very good hands indeed.

You don’t often meet a Carles, he offered help when he saw a need for it, he took responsibility to make our ride with him pleasant, he wouldn’t take the easy way out and just drop us off but was careful to see that we were in the right place and then he found someone to take over for him and see us to the end of our journey. 

I don’t know why people like Carles come into your life at just the moment you need them the most but I know for sure you never forget them once they do...........