Serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

Unexpected things happen while traveling. I was reminded that sometimes small glitches can lead to good outcomes.

 We were in Milan. We had been to the top of the Duomo, walked all around the inside and underneath, too. It was crowded. It was time for lunch. We knew there was a nice sandwich shop near our hotel, so we got on Tram #16 and headed that way.

The tram was crowded. Not really knowing tram etiquette, we waited just a little too long to get out of our seats and head to the door. We got up to the driver just in time to watch him close the doors on us and move on. We stood there and watched as we passed by our hotel.

Bummer, right? We had little idea of the surrounding neighborhood, and didn’t know where the next stop would be. Also, being hungry and tired does not make for happy travelers. This was a (minor) disaster in the making. We did get off at the next stop. I looked around and saw a pastry shop on the opposite corner. “We’re going there to eat,” I grumbled. 

So it turned out this was a great place! Pasticceria Biffi, a classic European-looking pastry shop with wood walls, glass chandeliers, brightly lit pastry cases. “Un tavola per due, per favore,” I said. (“A table for 2 please.”). We were there just before Easter, so the holiday decorations were bright and lively. We were led to a back section with about 10 tables. After a while we got menus and ordered drinks. We ordered panini. This restaurant is also part of a gourmet deli group called Gourmand. All the meats are regionally documented. DOC Mortadella? Sure! (also the best I’d ever eaten.) Doug was also happy with his bresaola  panino.

Lunch was leisurely, as it can be in Italy. We enjoyed our panini immensely and perused the pastry cases to get a few goodies to go. It was only about a 10 minute walk back to our hotel, so we were quite happy. Good things can come to those who make mistakes, so don’t despair. Invite serendipity into your travels.

Let me know if you’ve had some serendipitous events in your travels!