One of my favorite memories in Croatia was eating at a restaurant called Providenca, which was right outside of my hostel. The food was to die for and their wine was impeccable, but more importantly the servers and hosts were amazing. Because this city is so small, everyone knows everyone, and before my first day was even complete all of the people within the shops and restaurants knew me by name. In the photo above, you will see a hostess and server I became friends with during my visit. Both of them were Croatians and they treated me as if they knew me for months. During my dinner one night, I was sitting alone at my table on the cobble stone street watching people walk by. The hostess, who was also standing outside, and I began talking. When her shift had ended, she joined me at my table and we talked for hours. We had covered everything from Croatian culture and politics to all of the places we had traveled. She was a young woman who’s goals were to change the current political structure within Croatia, and she would not stop until change was made. This is a perfect example of why traveling alone can be important. Had I been at a table with my family or friends, she may have never joined me. Instead a dinner turned into an unexpected and very much welcomed conversation that I still remember to this day.