Long overdue: Travel Buddies, Part II

I should have posted this a month ago, but I had written it when I didn't have internet and forgot. SO I'll post date it and hope someone finds it.

I met an adorable couple on the train from Nice to Sanremo my first day in Europe. Having said goodbye to my new friend, Juan, and finally having touched down in Nice after some delay, I was met with a peculiar problem. Although I had been practicing my Italian purchasing phrase--Vorre una passa a Sanremo per favore--and had it passably figured, Nice, nevertheless, remains a part of France, one--I might add--in which English was largely unknown to the ticket booth and passable Italian did not guarantee local comprehension. Shit.

This predicament, however, led me to ask for some assistance from the couple in front of me. Luckily, I had surmised correctly that they were both American. Even more fortunately, one of them spoke some fourteen languages with conversational fluency. Finally, they were headed to Sanremo for a weekend getaway together and allowed me to tagalong the rest of the way. Jackpot.

It’s funny how quickly the report between countrymen grows when one another are the only semblance of familiarity in a different culture. I can safely say that I experienced this with my new friends. By the time we even got to Sanremo, I had heard the story of how they met and had heard the story of how they had just gotten married in Capetown, South Africa some 15 months before. I had discovered that all three of us had graduated from Big Ten schools: IU, Wisconsin, and—most regrettably—Purdue. Furthermore, I had come to recognize the idiosyncrasies that gave them away as a couple: matching monogrammed luggage, the levity that comes with a comfortable couple, the sincerity when discussing their marriage, and the pet names. I honestly don’t think ten minutes ever passed without at least a single “babe” being uttered by one or both of them.

I ended up spending the rest of the day with them (and admittedly also a blur of a night on the town) and it was such a blast. We dined at the best restaurant in Sanremo, walked around the city, and hit up a local nightclub--they even tried to set me up with some chicas. Even though I only got to spend a little more than a day with them, Josh and Ricky are two of the nicest, most genuine, and most accommodating people I've ever met. They are two awesome guys and a fantastic couple and I will always remember them as such. What a great start to the summer.