Travel Writing Gems, People
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The ladies will spend their time and money for a booth, then appear on the beach a few minutes later, perhaps wearing only one-half of an almost nonexistent bathing suit.
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The German Customs officer asked if we had anything to declare. I said, “I declare today is a beautiful day, but yesterday it was raining cats and dogs.” He roared with laughter.
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The officer at the border asked, “How did you find Germany?” I replied, “I just looked out the window and there it was.”
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During inspection at US Customs, we have had no problems. It pays to look innocent, or perhaps we look too dim-witted to be dangerous.
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The beautiful, wealthy French-Canadian lady, became a real good “friend” of the Captain, and continued to be a real good “friend” of the Captain, even after we got a new Captain, halfway through the trip.
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Some people travel from restaurant to restaurant and see hotels in between. Others go from scenic spot to scenic spot, and see the towns in between. We travel from town to town and see the scenic spots between.
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Early in the War he wasn't at home enjoying the “victory,” he was in Greece, in the German Army, making sure they didn't have the way of life they preferred.
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He sure did not have enough to eat when many tens of thousands of German soldiers surrendered at one time and place. The Americans just weren't prepared for the crowd.
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We found it amazing that a man who spoke no English could make a few notations on a piece of paper that I could understand, and the directions would be so accurate.
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A farmer drove some cows through the streets. After he left, the grocery store owner, with a scowl on his face, a broom in one hand and a shovel in the other, went out and cleaned up the mess.
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Whatever the occasion, when we “met” one, we don't remember an Italian policeman without a smile.
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Whether as a good luck “charm” or because “boys will be boys,” the left breast of Juliet’s statue has been made shiny by many hands.
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As I joked, the toll booth man charged the laughing Italian price, we’ll never know the actual price. At a toll booth in France, they would have doubled the price.
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We saw well dressed people in nice cars waiting to rent a room in the Pompeii campground for an hour, or maybe after such a long wait, just a few minutes.
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He said, “Here I am sitting at a sidewalk cafe talking with my friends, and what could be better.” My restaurant may be filled tomorrow.
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The tour director said those passengers were Americans, so much friendlier, and so much easier to get along with, than the Europeans.
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The English are different from the Germans, who are different from the French, who are different from the Italians, who are different from the Greeks, who are different from — Viva La Difference!
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Don't know which looks the most gloomy, the weather, the town, or its people, it’s so depressing.
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Everyone we meet likes American and the Americans. No problems at all with the people, it’s their Government that’s the problem.
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A we asked for directions to the campground, a customer said, “follow me.” A phrase that is our favorite when directions are perplexing.
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She really loved visiting the USA, said the people were friendly and polite, and the drivers, are an agreeable, pleasant improvement over drivers in Europe.
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Young East German guards, high in a gun tower, held their guns in one hand, and threw kisses to the Lindas with the other.
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She reached down and pulled up her long formal gown, pulled down her panties and — well, perhaps there was a line at the ladies room.
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The German word for pillow is “Kissen,” and of course we believed Cousin Fina when she said that each time a soldier asked for a kiss she brought him a Kissen.
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We asked the guard if it was possible for us to “liberate” a piece of the Berlin Wall. As he gave us directions he put his hand over his eyes, as if to say, “If I don’t see you … … .”
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Clerks, customers, and carpenters wandered among racks of food and piles of lumber, the clatter of jack hammers competed with the chime of cash registers.
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The ideas of freedom are so ingrained in human nature, no debriefing or retraining was needed when the Berlin Wall fell. They knew instinctively how freedom works.
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To illustrate how love can conquer all, she married a British soldier, lived in England for 35 years, and returned to live in Germany after her husband passed away.
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Several times we were asked, “Did people in America know there were two Germanys?” When we answered “yes,” they were shocked
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The Police-lady laughed and said, “For you, we would just get a bigger tow truck.”
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The artist “created” windows on a blank wall, complete with shutters, with curtains blowing in the wind.
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Senior citizens are “three metal” people. Silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, and lead in their fanny.
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This trodden path is called the Via dell’Amore, or “Road of Love. I had high hopes both times we were here, but we just walked.
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The waitresses couldn’t tell the difference between elderly travelers from California, and members of an Italian motorcycle club.
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A woman professor; “Novella d’Andrea, was so beautiful in face and body she had to teach from behind a curtain so she wouldn’t distract her students.”
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The tour guide said “It is impossible to lead people from New York City, they are selfish, care only about themselves, pay no attention to the needs of the tour group.”
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When I said in the US no one bothers with a passport, he said, “In the US, you didn’t have Mussolini.” Thank goodness.
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Small children are tied to a post with a long rope when they play in the yard, so they won’t fall too far down the mountain.
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Brigitte, our friend in Nice, France, said, “French people don't even like each other.”
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Some of the dozen bathing beauties were so poor they could only afford half of a bathing suit, so were barefoot from the waist up.
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The man in the campsite office in Bologna, loves living in Italy. I'll bet that's because he's married to an Italian. Love is everything!!!
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No one was pushy or unhappy if someone got ahead of them, or behind them, or next to them, or perhaps on top of them, everyone just pushed and pulled until they had a chance to buy a ferryboat ticket.
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I was sure some of the Italians weren't going anywhere. They just liked to “participate” in this kind of line.
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The Sicilian said, “We are not well organized. We do a great job of designing and building, but have yet to hear about maintenance.” I pointed to Mt. Etna, smoking in the distance and said, "No maintenance needed." We both laughed.
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Italy is crowded with beautiful, friendly, congenial people who welcome us, confuse us, charm us, disturb us, enrapture us, discombobulate us, and ensure that we have a fascinating vacation.
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We remember very few people who did not treat us friendly, during our visits in Europe.
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The young lady would have been considered exceptionally gorgeous, even if she hadn't lost most of her swim suit.
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A clerk in a grocery or bakery in Europe, is thrilled to meet an American. A waiter and a bell hop are thrilled to get a tip.
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When someone volunteers to take your picture, make sure the photographer is elderly or handicapped, so you can outrun him and retrieve your camera, if you have trusted the wrong person.
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A well-dressed man in the Grand Hotel in Stockholm hotel said, ”In America you have Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, and President Reagan. In Sweden we have no cash, no hope, and Parliament.”
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Tidbit by Jim and Emmy HumberdSimilar tidbits in: Book = Writing Gems, Travel Tidbits
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