favorite travel story...

Joeyjoe - I have a similar story about my trip to Italy a few years back. We had just checked into an inn in Verona in the middle of a rainstorm. It was evening and we asked for directions to a good local place for dinner. The front desk clerk pointed down the street and around the corner. It was late, we were hungry, and we trudged through the streets for awhile, finally happening upon a small restaurant. We walked in and were ushered to a table. The entire restaurant seemed to be local folks and we didn't speak more than a few words of Italian and the waitstaff didn't understand much English. However, they knew we were hungry and steered us to some delicious menu items and pretty soon we were smiling and laughing with the waiter and hosts. Looking back, this place that we just happened upon provided a fantastic experience and became a highlight of our vacation.

On a school trip, we had this really uptight bus driver called Philippe, who never smiled, smelled of whiskey, and had only one eyebrow. After one of our activities, after we'd all boarded the bus he stood up, with an especially mean look on his face, and ranted for about ten minutes about how we should treat his precious bus...all because someone left a sweet wrapper on their seat. Anyway when he was finished, he slipped on something or other and slammed hard into the windscreen, screaming like a little girl. All to uproarious gales of laughter, which stopped dead when he got up and shot us a filthy look...he was a scary man. Anyways, guess you had to be there.

Cookie - too bad I wasn't there. I could have pointed you in the right direction.

I don't know that I have a "favorite" travel story - some of my best experiences have been when I haven't had definite plans and have just sort of let my sense of adventure lead me...I've stumbled upon incredible restaurants, met warm and interesting people, and have enjoyed the small moments along the way.

My 'stupidest' travel story was last October. I was travelling in France with a friend and he went to fill the car with gas - except that he put the wrong kind in the tank. A few miles later the car was bucking and bumping and the engine was starting to smoke. VERY luckily we passed a service station (rare in that part of the French countryside). Although I speak French, I'm not fluent in the ways of auto mechanics...so through a series of words and 'pantomime', we were able to explain what happened. They had to drain the entire gas tank - flush the system with something else - and re-fill the tank. All the while the townspeople gathered to laugh at us (I believe the phrase they used was stupid Americans...). So, I went to the local market, bought as much wine and cheese and bread as I could carry - set up a big picnic for everyone...and made lots of new friends! The car was fine and we were on our way. (And we never said a word to Hertz!)

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Updated On: 10/11/04 at 06:04 PM

I have only been out of the country once and that was the best time ever. The only part that sucked about that was the plane ride. We went from here in LA to Amsterdam (11 1/2 hours) and then on to Ireland (1 1/2 hours). Going was fine but coming back there was a bomb scare in Amsterdam and we were held over 6 hours and then they left my luggage in Amsterdam! I was so angry. Then when I went to get the luggage the next day they had totally destroyed everything inside including the breakables that I so neatly packed within my clothes! So other than the actual travel part it was great. I have also been to Canada and Mexico but I don't really consider that OUT of the country.

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that's my kind of travelling! the roads less travelled are literally the better!

joeyjoe, they are, indeed!

Fortunately I have people to travel with who feel the same way. I learned a long time ago that friends don't always make the best travel partners. One of my best friends likes to have every detail planned way in advance. I like to have an itinerary, but let my sense of adventure lead the way. We are still best friends - but now enjoy getting together to look at photos when we've returned from separate trips!

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Updated On: 10/11/04 at 06:19 PM

With 5 other people, I ran around Barcelona's Las Ramblas (Sp?) looking for sheep testicles. I only speak a little Spanish, as did the other people, but we managed to go to a shop and used pointing and hand gestures and sheep sounds. They only had sheep penis, so we took it.

On the front of Barcelona's Hard Rock Cafe, I ate one. And I almost threw up. NEVER NEVER NEVER try one.

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joeyjoe - along the lines of your Burger King experience...

I travelled with a very close friend and her mother last year to celebrate my friend's birthday. We went to Paris - and it was her mother's first visit. By the end of the trip my friend and I were ready to scream...

Her mom complained about the coffee:
"Why can't they just serve American coffee?"
"I don't know...maybe because we're in FRANCE!!!"

Her mom complained about the bathrooms:
"Why can't I get a shower, instead of one of those hand-held faucets?"
"I don't know - because you didn't specify what you wanted when you BOOKED!"

You name it, she complained about it.

It went on and on... I felt so sorry for my friend... Never again...

(But we didn't let it stop us from having fun...we just drank more champagne )

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Updated On: 10/11/04 at 06:27 PM

That can be a balancing act. I usually just go with the local tradition, but I also try to keep some food items in my hotel room because I find that I do have 'cravings' for certain items. Being able to do your own cooking is a great solution!

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During my last trip to London, I had tea with a friend at the Savoy. Pleasant experience, sitting in the Thayer Foyer, at a sofa banquette facing the room. The piano was a bit hokey, in terms of playing elevator music, pretty much. The waitstaff kept refilling the plates with finger sandwiches, scones, and other delectables. In comes a woman with HUGE hair and a body hugging denim dress with a zipper decolletage. I almost spat out my cup of tea. After her party was seated and we were ready to leave, the denim zipper dress woman lets loose a chortle that reminded me of Fran Drescher, only louder.

...and then there was the time, in Venice, when Katherine Hepburn fell into the canal...

oh... wait, that was "Summertime"...

me, too!!!