A chance conversation in Moja

Do you find sometimes that a random conversation with a complete stranger can change your day? We had that experience yesterday.

We went to Moja to stop by the butchers, Mitjans, for a couple of items. I previously told you about them here. We parked the car and started walking back up the street when we noticed a lady struggling to park her car. Since she was unable to get a good view of the curb we stopped to assist her. Bob in front of the car instructing when and how to turn the wheel and me behind letting them know when she got close to the car parked behind her. She thanked us from inside the car and we continued on our way to the butchers.

Once in Mitjans, Bob struck (attempted) up a brief conversation with the gentleman that was served before us. The man was wearing a jacket from Goodwood Festival of Speed. Racing is a universal language after all.

Once we finished we stepped outside and stopped to look at the old rundown mansion across the street. I have yet to find out the history about this place but is must have been amazing in its time.

Unfortunately, it is now falling apart. The walls are cracked. It is home to all kinds of wildlife. I always love to stop and look at it though. As we are standing there watching the pigeons fly in and out of the holes which were once upstairs windows we notice a cat walking across the roof. He (she) looked very surefooted yet we still told him not to get too close to the edge. He (she) took absolutely no notice of us by the way. A couple of birds flew past him at one point which he looked a bit miffed about. As I started to walk away Bob said, “aren’t you going to take a photo?” So here are the four photos that I took with my phone. Not great but we are across the street and at a lower level than the house.

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The pigeons in the window below I’m sure were holding their breath so that the kitty didn’t know they were there. 😉

We started down the street to the car only to be met by the gentleman that Bob had spoken to. He told us that his friend who was in a restaurant down the street spoke English. He motioned toward the car that we had helped park and we didn’t understand what he was trying to tell us. We follow him to the restaurant and he opens the door and motions to his friend to come out. Well, to his friend’s and our delight it was the lady whom we had helped to park the car. She thanked us and told her friend that we had just helped her in parking the car, the best parking she had ever done. She translated a bit about Bob being a designer and builder of racetracks to the gentleman. She is from here but spent many years living in England and still owns a home there. She told us where she lives here, which is town not far from us called Santa Margarida i els Monjos. She shared with us a bit about the village and how beautiful it is, the lovely church and that every Sunday they have an open-air market that we must attend. She invited us to visit and said she would love to show us her home and have a meal together. She even told us about her family both here and abroad. I gave her our contact information and she promised to email us so that we could get together.

See what happens from a small act of kindness? Or from striking up a conversation with a stranger?

We drove away feeling a bit more a part of our local community. And with full intentions of exploring the market and getting to know our new friend.

So, can any of our friends here enlighten us on the history of this grand old house in Moja?