That one time when...

We all have stories of favourite things which have happened whilst travelling. Some are big a-ha moments which can leave us a little breathless, and others can just bring a massive smile to our faces. Whatever they are, I’d like to celebrate and share them.

My own favourite travel moment happened in Sardinia, Italy, about 5 years ago. I’d been living in London for a few years, it was near the end of winter, and oh man, the darkness and the cold was getting me down. At the urging of my co-workers (who were probably just tired of hearing me moan about the weather) I booked a 4 day weekend for myself in Sardinia. It was cheap, it was warm, and it was Italy. Four days by myself in the sunshine of Alghero was just what I needed, and I read, swam and ate the island’s entire stock of lemon gelato.

My evening ritual was to head into the old town in time for sunset. Walking along the old fortress wall is a favourite thing to do there, and at sunset as the sun heads toward the water, the gulls all come out and wheel across the sky. It’s something pretty special.

One night I was walking along to my usual spot and I saw an elderly couple. Seated on a bench by the wall, they were completely and utterly enraptured with the sunset. They were so still for so long, that I started to doubt that they were breathing. But they wore smiles on their faces, and it was clear that it was a very special moment for them.

I couldn’t help it, I took a photograph of them. Him sitting, her standing. They stayed that way until the sun went down.

That in itself is one of my favourite moments.

But it gets a little better. It turns out that Sardinia became a place I went back to a few years later. It was very cheap to get to from London, I had found a basic B&B close to the beach which I liked, and I needed another dose of sunshine.

Once again I walked my usual sunset route, and once again I found myself face to face with this same couple. Sitting in the same place, enjoying the sunset, with smiles on their faces.

Just like I am sure they have every day in between the first time I saw them and the last…