A Snow White Moment in Spain (and why I almost missed it)
One year ago today I was in Spain with my little family for two weeks after spending the previous two weeks in a tiny village in Portugal.
There’s a lot I could say about that trip. Traveling abroad for a month with a 16-month-old and a 4-year-old. The shocking quantity of patatas bravas and paella I consumed. The fact that you can get a little plastic cup of beer with your cheeseburger at a fast food restaurant.
But the story I’m telling today is about a magical little farm in rural L'Ametlla de Mar that made my literal childhood dreams come true.
But we almost missed it.
My husband had found a petting zoo-type farm right outside of town. There were minimal details online, but we figured a few goats and chickens would be entertaining for the kids, so we might as well give it a try.
When we arrived (at what appeared to be someone’s residential home) we found:
Absolutely NO official signage or anything indicating we were welcome there, just a white sheet of paper taped up with hours and not much else
A very big St. Bernard woofing at us from the other side of a fence
Not a single person to be found
We spent some time himming and hawing about what to do. Do we risk getting eaten by the dog? Do we call out to see if someone answers? Are we even at the right place?!?
[if you’ve arrived here from the e-newsletter, start here!]
Eventually we decided to go for it, woofing St. Bernard and all. As soon as we stepped through the gate, his tail started wagging furiously and he happily led the way to his human. She walked us through what looked like somebody’s carport, and led us to a big barn filled to the brim with goats, sheep and chickens. It was so fun (and sooo smelly) and I thought “Okay, this was a good stop for the kids.”
Little did I know, it was just the beginning of my Snow White moment.
Next we were ushered into the “aviary” zone with various parrot-type bird friends. It was loud and chaotic, but fun to see so many different types of birds, including a friendly parrot who was very much in love with my sister in law.
What came next was straight out of a 10-year-old Sarah fairytale. We stepped out of the aviary and were let through a big gate into farm animal paradise. Every type of bird you could imagine roamed free along the dirt paths, following us everywhere we went. Dozens of peacocks in colors I didn’t even know they came in. Swans, ducks and geese, oh my! Thankfully the Emu was behind a fence (he had extra mischief in his eyes) along with various species of birds I couldn’t name, all in their own little zoo-like habitats.
Around every corner there was a new animal to see. The most majestic goat I’ve ever seen, a gigantic curly sheep, pigs, and a gang of mini donkeys I wished I could have put in my pocket to take home. I even spotted a family of tiny guinea pigs in one of the bird enclosures, a mama with half a dozen itty bitty babies huddled around her.
Now, my parents can attest to the fact that I’ve loved animals my whole life.
All kinds, all sizes, from all parts of the world. So for me, this experience delighted my inner child in a way I didn’t know I needed.
The wildest thing is, I’ve had recurring dreams as long as I can remember of places just like this.
I was overwhelmed by a feeling of de ja vu, like I had literally been there before. And even before we left, I remember thinking “I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.”
Okay but Sarah, why are you telling us this random story??
I know, I know, this seems like it has nothing to do with anything, but I’m telling you this because…
I left that farm feeling like I had stumbled into a childhood dream, and we almost didn’t go in at all…
Because THEY HAD NO SIGNAGE!!
If it hadn’t been for my husband being willing to fight off a St. Bernard, we would have just gotten back in the car and called it a day.
That’s it, that’s the marketing moral of the story.
You could have the most incredible experience, product, or service in the world that will literally makes someone’s dreams come true. But if people can’t find you, can’t understand what you do, or don’t know how to take the next step, they’ll assume they’re in the wrong place.
Then they’ll quietly move on, and you’ll never even know you lost a customer.
