Ted is interesting to watch in new places. He stays true to himself, he is not afraid to let his southern drawl flow unhindered, and he is friendly to all. I, on the other hand, watch how (and if) others are interacting and pretty much abide by "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." If others on mass transit do not make eye contact, neither do I. If others are not smiling at one another (as we often do in the south -- even at strangers), neither do I. But then, there is Ted. He holds doors for people, insists others go ahead of him (LOTS of others), and assists those who are having trouble. (For instance, he rearranged a whole counter so this lady could put her tray down in a museum cafe the other day!) I have noticed that he is not "doing as the Romans do". He is refreshingly kind, no matter where he is. I just blend in.
I am not saying that he is a perfect traveler. We do have our different preferences on how to get from one place to another. I may take on a little bit of the role previously thought to be held only by males. I willingly ask for directions, but once we are on our way, I want to get there as soon as possible. Ted will drink a half gallon of coffee, while I have thoughtfully denied myself any liquid for an hour prior to leaving. Ted then casually meanders into every quick stop in the direction of our destination. For instance, on our way to Wisconsin, he was in the "quick" stop for 15 minutes, while I sat filing my nails and whistling in the car. When I asked what on earth he was doing in there, he told me he had just been browsing the famous Wisconsin cheeses. Oh. I thought he was probably holding the door for a whole bus load of geriatric travelers. :)
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