When I was in Mallorca, we tried to enter a parking lot that we thought was for the public. When we got to the entrance of the parking lot, a man was walking by with his daughters and he motioned for us to roll down the window. He said that the lot was only for employees, but we should follow him and take his public parking spot when he leaves. It surprised me that he went out of his way to guide us in the right direction, especially when we didn't ask for help. Once we parked, there was a young couple getting into the car in front of us who handed us their parking pass and said there was an hour left on it. I thought about if I was in that situation, there's a good chance I wouldn't even think about how much time is left on the pass or think to give someone else a free hour of parking.
I'm always surprised and grateful for these positive interactions. I think I react this way because it is so unexpected since I didn't think Europeans would stop to help. These experiences make me want to be more aware of how I could make a small positive impact on someone else's day.
Howdy Kendall! I completely agree with your point of view! Coming into this trip, I was expecting most Europeans to be short or annoyed with us as American tourists. However, I have not had a single experience where someone was rude or upset with me as a tourist. Everyone is so nice and willing to help! What a blessing that is!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Germans have been nice and willing to help. It makes this trip so much easier especially when it comes to navigating. So far, I have noticed that the people are patient when you order food and do not appear annoyed when you try to order in German. I am sure here in the city they are used to tourist, and I learned that when Bonn was the capital of Germany there was a little American section similar to China Town in the States!
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