An Irishwoman Walks Into a Bar in Serraduy

I was on a high. My morning in Zaragoza fuelled me. My brain fizzed with new ideas of how I would document this trip.

It would take me 3.5hours to get across the border to France, where my linguistic skills would be put to the test. But I was excited. This is what I was meant to do.

*gurgle gurgle*

It seems my stomach enjoyed the bountiful food at Zaragoza so much it was now nudging me every 2-3 hours. Not a bad thing but certainly out of budget.

Nevertheless, I stopped for lunch in a town called Graus to keep my belly happy.

1. Galega style octopus

2. Pork chops with creamy garlic sauce

3. Rice pudding

4. Cola and water

€33.30 (I also sat at table 33!)

I refuelled Terry (the car) too, so we were ready for the next leg of our journey.

There was just one problem... My phone.

You see I do have a car charger but it's so weak, it cannot save an overused battery. It was at 10% which the charger could surely maintain. It wouldn't raise the power but it could sustain it at least...or so I thought.

I drove into the snowy mountains and the percentages plummeted. 9%. 8%.

20 minutes went by.

7%. 6%.

When it got to 5%, I knew I was screwed. I needed my GPS to get to my destination and I was stranded by the Pyrenees mountains with no battery!

I stopped at a petrol station. Closed. No sign of life anywhere.

I stopped at another. Closed too. Apparently, folks in this region don't drive on Sundays.

Now at 3%, I was elated when I saw a bright yellow building with a sign that read "Hotel Casa Peix". Surely I could charge my phone in there. I parked up and said a silent wish.

As I got out to open the door, my heart sank. It was locked. A woman came outside and expressed that the hotel was closed. My mind drew a blank in both panic and sudden loss of all linguistics capabilities.

"English?" she asked.

I breathed out.

"Yes, I'm so sorry. I just really need to charge my phone for five minutes."

She smiled and ushered me inside to find a plug point. It was a quaint bar/shop with a selection of local artisanal cakes and chocolates. I thanked her profusely and bought two slabs of chocolate as a token.

She assured me it was no problem and I could stay as long as I liked as her and her family had lunch in the other room.

So I explored the shop alone with my camera, as my phone charged, until I felt a presence at the door.

"My wife tells me you're English," said the voice. An Irish voice, belonging to a man with fair eyes in the classic white t-shirt and blue jean combo.

"I'm Irish actually," I said.

"Oh amazing! Where are you from?" he said with eyes lit from within.

This is how in the middle of nowhere I had made a new friend. We waxed lyrical about Irish life, accents and infrastructure. He, Simon, had met his wife, Carolina, while working as a barman in Dublin, though he was originally from County Wexford. She had come to Dublin to improve her English and came back to the high hills of the Huesca region of Spain with an Irish boyfriend. They married and had two gorgeous children that I also had the pleasure of meeting.

It's stories like these that make me truly believe in the wonder of serendipity. One day you're tending bar in the major city of your home country. The next you meet the person that completely changes your life. I'm sure Simon never imagined that he would be managing a hotel in the snowy hills of a Spanish valley, having never spoken Spanish a day in his life before meeting Carolina. I do adore people who take risks like these and become so much happier for it.

We talked for an hour before I realised I really needed to hit the road. Now at 80% battery, I had more than enough to cross the border.

I thanked Simon and Carolina dearly for the conversation and hospitality. They encouraged me to book a stay at their hotel on my way back to Portugal, which I certainly will. I trotted back to my car grinning ear to ear, warmed by this magical experience.

On the way to my destination, I considered whether I should buy a new car charging cable, but ultimately decided against it. Who knows who I'll meet the next time I hit 5%.

Ta ta for now,

Olivia