I’ve been traveling lately.
I’ve had many a delicious drink! This one was in Bournemouth, UK at Twelve Eatery.
I know that’s a weird way to start since I’ve literally been traveling since May.
The thing is that it’s been 2 weeks since I wrote anything and even longer (over a month) since I documented any specifics of my travels.
Update: I just looked it up in my emails and it seems that I returned from France to the UK on the 20th of June.
Additional update: I’ve just looked back at my post about France and it seems I did not document much about what happened after my first morning. It was lovely. I recommend visiting Basque Country. But I still don’t recommend Charles de Gaulle Airport.
So from the 20th of June, for about 3 weeks or so, I was in Dorset and I took a few day trips to nearby cities and towns in other counties. That’s one of the perks of this small island (shout out to Bill Bryson). You can find a nice, little town with bus or train connections to dozens of other interesting and exciting places. And you can walk in all different kinds of settings! You like walking in cities? You got it. You like walking on beaches? You got it! Forests? Of course! Mountains? Have at it!
Oddly, this isn’t any of those settings. It’s a hill on a heath where I was walking to Stephens Castle (which is not a castle).
So I found Dorset to be a lovely area of England to visit for 3 weeks. But what about me being the Pied Piper?
Let’s back up to France for a second. After having a cat show up at my feet during my first breakfast in France, I thought, “How funny that an animal would approach me during my week off from pet sitting!” I told my family in England about this and they agreed it was a funny coincidence.
Back in Dorset a week or so later: I am walking to one of the many lovely trails in the Verwood area and a cat spots me and begins walking toward me. It proceeds to greet me and ask for pets (which I freely give).
My new friend who nearly followed me into the forest.
Ok, so it’s been 2 cats and one of them wasn’t even in Dorset.
I hear you, skeptical voice, but see that isn’t where the pets approaching me ends. I had at least one other cat in the area turn from its cat activities to approach and follow me that week.
2 weeks later, I decided to explore a few new trails. As I got to the trail map sign, a dog runs up to me followed by its owner telling it to not bother me. (Since many dogs are walked off-lead in the UK, this is not terribly unusual.) They are going to the exit (the way I had just come from) so we say hello and goodbye and I choose my trail and begin walking. I hear the woman call the dog and look behind me. The dog is following me and the woman is still at the map. I laugh and apologize and tell her that animals like me and that I’m a pet sitter so it’s not that uncommon. She laughs and calls the dog and he goes back toward her. I turn and continue my walk, only to hear seconds later, that she is calling him again. He is jogging to catch up to me.
A screenshot from my video of the dog following me. I’m trying so hard not to laugh. I failed at that.
After recording a video of this funny scene, I stop and wait for her to catch up to me and the dog and put his lead on him so they can go home.
So I tell my family about this new pet following me and they say, “You are a pied piper!”
According to Wikipedia: The phrase "pied piper" has become a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises. I didn’t promise these animals anything, but they still follow me.
I’ve always been more of an animal person than a people person. I mean people barely follow me anywhere. I’ll work on my people charisma (since I won’t be doing false promises) and maybe I’ll get some people followers some day.
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.