Several of us are talking at the hotel terrace about the wisdom of the old ways. Everyone is coming up with an example of how people around Motovun used to live only a few generations ago. “Whenever I take my grandmother anywhere,” says a fellow I am talking to for the first time, “she must have a full meal before the trip.” He is in his forties, which means that she must be roughly twice his age. “And she always takes with her something to eat!” We all laugh, but that is surely the best way to travel. You can never tell what can happen when you are far from home.