Travel Far, Travel Local

One gloriously sunny Saturday morning, my friends and I set off on an adventure to see a famous lighthouse in Finisterre, Spain, the former end of the Roman world. The surrounding area was very green and mountainous and its coastlines were rocky and volatile. As one of my friends tried to regain her bearings after we stepped off the bus, an older grandfatherly looking man stopped near us and started to talk to me.

I began simple small talk with him in Spanish and he asked where we were from. He knew that mostly tourists came to his town to see the lighthouse or to finish an extra leg of the Way of St. James. He could infer that our only transportation the four of us had was our feet. "I can take you to lighthouse in my car if you want," he offered kindly and gestured to his practical looking vehicle parked nearby.

I didn't think much of the man's offer at first as I couldn't tell if he was being genuine or not. Or rather I couldn't comprehend that a local man was offering to help us so soon after we arrived to town.

The man repeated his offer again but this time he said it a little bit slower and with a big smile plastered to his face. My friends and I all looked at each other and one by one we agreed and told this man, "Yes, take us to the lighthouse, please."

We walked over to his car, got in and introduced ourselves to Moises - our new personal tour guide for the day - and set off. But first, in true Spanish fashion, we had to stop for coffee upon Moises's request and get to know one another. After we spent a sufficient amount of time chatting and swapping life stories, Moises generously paid for our drinks and we headed off in the direction of the lighthouse.

The trip quickly became less about a tour and more about plunging head first into the local culture of Finisterre. When we arrived at the lighthouse, Moises, a former sailor, continued to regal us with stories of mariners who went before him and he explained everything we laid eyes on. The huge white lighthouse standing tall and proud surrounded by cliffs, rocks and an ancient stone cross. We could see for miles and see the Atlantic Ocean and Cantabrian Sea overlapping.

From the moment we met Moises, I had to keep reminding myself that this experience was real. That it wasn't a dream. I had never felt more grateful to have met someone as hospitable as this man than I did at that moment. If at any point during my travels I had lost my faith in locals, Moises did more than restore it.