If I'm ever in Chile and need a place to stay, I am welcome to stay with Mauricio. He just emailed me the other day extending the invitation. That made me really happy. Even if I never go. 
I met Mauricio and his sister, Paola, in Spain last June. On a train ride from Madrid to Segovia. I was dozing, my face smushed against the train window. Very attractive, I'm sure.
I sensed that some people had joined me, one on the seat opposite me, the other next to me. I was too tired to pay much attention, except to wonder why they didn't sit together. Then I was back to zzzzzz's.
At some point, I heard one ask the other, "When do you use 'maybe' and when do you use 'perhaps?' " It was a question by Spanish speakers trying to figure out English.
I must have been emerging from nap time because I decided I had something to add. "Just use 'maybe,' " I said. " 'Perhaps' is kind of formal. But either one would work."
That's how Mauricio, Paola and I struck up a friendship. They were embarking on a grand tour of Europe. His English was pretty good because he had spent time working at a ski resort in Colorado. Hers was more elementary.
That was fun for me because it gave me an excuse to use my Spanish. But if I got stuck on a word or phrase, Mauricio could translate in both directions, depending whether he needed to help me or his sister understand each other.
We got out of the train station into the heat of the city. Together we studied a bus map and figured out how to get to the historic part of town. Mauricio invited me to join them for the day. Gladly.
We altered plans upon leaving the bus. We agreed to explore on our own for the morning and meet up for a suckling pig lunch. It's the specialty of Segovia. I felt I had to try it.
When we met at the appointed time, we decided against pig. Too expensive. (And a little too gruesome.) I have to say, I was relieved. We ended up at a pub-like place where a group of guitarists had come to play. They weren't performing. Just playing together at their table. About eight of them.
We ordered. Paola and I both ordered the fish special but there was only one left. She insisted I have it. We drank wine, as seems to be customary in Spain at lunch and dinner. Afterwards we explored more of the streets and sites of Segovia.
At the Alcazar castle, a building that inspired Walt Disney's castle, and where Queen Isabel promised Christopher Columbus financial backing to sail from Spain to the New World, Mauricio and Paola hammed it up among the armor exhibits. My kind of companions! Merely viewing knight after knight of not-so-shining armor (minus the knights, of course) can get old after awhile.
On the afternoon train back to Madrid, we exchanged emails. That was in June. Mauricio and Paola went off to explore Eastern Europe. I went home and back to my job. I emailed Mauricio the pictures I took of our day together. But didn't hear back.
Until a few days ago. "heyyyyyyyy!!!!!" he wrote. "We were talking about our trip with Paola the other day and of course you poped(sic) up jejej" (the Spanish way of writing ha, ha, ha.)
He caught me up with news of their lives and their trip. Paola, still in Madrid, is taking intensive English classes and finished a master's degree, in city planning it sounds like. Mauricio didn't make it to Colorado this ski season because of difficulty getting into the country for an extended stay.
About their trip last summer, in his words:
"well about our trip wow it was a long long and super awesome time, so much thing to do eat, talk, learn and everything we went from spain all the way around eastern europe. i mean spain, france, italy, croatia, servia, hungary, solvenia, slovakia, austria, czech rep, poland, lithuania, latvia, estonia, finland, sweden, denmark uffffff and then uruguay and finaly chile home swett home.
well a lot of things to tell and remember, i am planning to go back to the states soon save a bit more and then go to asia...
well dear take care, send the article and of course if you ever wanna come chile you know you have a place to stay.
take care,
mauricio and paola
Would love to visit soon, you guys. No "maybe's" or "perhaps's" about it.
Photos: By Ellen Perlman and Mauricio Bolivar
1. Ellen and Paola holding up the old Roman aqueduct in Segovia. By Mauricio.
2. Mauricio, the knight NOT in shining armor. But also the only one alive. By Ellen
3. Shadow of the roman aqueduct, Segovia. By Ellen
You say, "At the Alcazar castle, a building that inspired Walt Disney's castle ..."
First, I've never seen Alacazar except in photos. Second, I've always heard, and perpetuated the story, that Disney's castle was based on Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria. I've been to Disney, three of them, actually, and Neuschwanstein, and I have to stand by my story.
Not that I'm picking a fight, but ...
Posted by: Lou | February 16, 2008 at 03:42 AM
It's so true, Ellen. I'm still friends with a man I met on a train from Milan to Paris in 1983, when I was in my early 20s! We started chatting and ended up bopping around Paris together for a couple days. (No romance involved.) I stayed with him and his Dad in 1986 and then he and his girlfriend (now wife) visited me in Boston in 1991 and my husband and I just visited him, wife, and children this past November. It's a wonderful connection!
Posted by: placeswegopeoplewesee | February 16, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Hi Lou,
Feel free to pick a fight. The problem being, I'm not going to argue. I'm one of those suckers for a story - and this is one that the Spanish marketing people perpetuate. Or maybe it's the Segovian marketing people. Walt Disney's not around to ask and you may very well be right about his inspiration. Or maybe he visited both places and took from each? The only thing more I can say is that the castle did look Disney-ish to me. Thanks for the interesting tidbit on Neuschwanstein. I just Googled it and you're absolutely right. It's quite Disney-ish too. So many places to visit. So little time...
Posted by: Ellen | February 16, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Placeswegopeoplewesee:
I love other peoples' stories on this topic. It underscores the fact that most travelers meet cool people on the road. Readers who are apprehensive about traveling solo should take heart. If they can conquer the fear and get out there, they too can make connections with people from around the world. Santiago anyone?
Posted by: Ellen | February 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM
is incredible, he is my friend...jajajaja...I knew he talks too much...but is really nice person...thank you mauricio for talk about CHILE...is a beatiful country please visit to us...bye...chao..
Posted by: edgardo parraguez baeza | March 08, 2008 at 01:43 PM
Hi Edgardo,
Seriously? You're Mauricio's friend? He IS a great guy. I really enjoyed meeting him and Paola. Did he send you to this entry about him?
So you live in Chile, too? Can I also stay at your place when I come to visit? Hahaha.
I didn't mention it in my blog, but I have been to Chile. I went in the fall of 2006. For a writer's conference in Santiago. We had a dinner at the Concha y Toro winery. Chile certainly is a beautiful country. I wish I could have seen more.
Thanks for writing!
Posted by: Ellen | March 08, 2008 at 10:39 PM