Compliment a stranger

I do it all the time, I tell people I love the dress they are wearing, or they smell lovely, it makes people smile, you can see how it lifts their spirits and it spreads gratitude, they always smile and say thank you. We are quite chatty in South Africa, so I am never sure if people will be so open to it in other parts of the world, my experience is that they are. They are sometimes taken aback at first but I have never had a bad reaction. I was once at a little Cafe in Venice Italy and there was a beautiful older American woman at the table next to us, when we were leaving I approached the table her and her husband were sitting at, I said I hoped they were not offended but I just wanted to say that I thought she was absolutely beautiful, she was so gracious and delighted it was lovely to see.