Tag Archives: culture

Travel

Funny Bathroom Signs

Everybody collects something.

Me? I collect bathroom signs. A friend of mine has a motto when she travels: “First You Pee, Then You See.”

I follow that motto, too, so I’m always on the lookout for bathroom signs.

Here are a few of my favorites:

IMG_7235I call this sign Mr. Null and Ms. Void.

When I first came to Europe, I was perplexed by the 00 that appears on so many bathroom signs. A quick internet search gave me some answers.

Some say 00 is simply the the room number assigned to the WC. Others speculate that 00 is a shorter version of 100 which, in some places, is a euphemism for WC and may be the source of the English word Loo.

Still others say the 00 represents the holes that used to be cut in the door so you could see if the bathroom was occupied.

My favorite explanation, though, is from Germany. ‘Null’ is the word for zero, thus 00 is pronounced null-null … the English equivalent of which is null-and-void.

Kind of appropriate, don’t you think?

This next sign is similar to the one above, but suggests that nulling and voiding is only permitted from 12 – 1.

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I’m not sure the word “Gentleman” is appropriate in this case:

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And ladies are apparently only welcome if they bring a ball on a fork:

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In some cases, people need to be told where not to go to the bathroom:

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And of course, we can’t forget our doggy friends:

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Now that I’m on the lookout for funny bathroom signs, I think I’ll have to change my motto:

First I’ll See, Then I’ll Pee.

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Travel

It’s All Tickety-Boo

Lewis and Clark Interpretive CenterOne of the reasons we travel is to challenge our perceptions of the world.

And where we come from can have a lot to do with the way we see things.

Several years ago, I worked as a seasonal interpreter at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, Montana.

A friend of mine came from Canada to visit.  I had to work, so I gave him and his wife passes to the center and invited them to drop in.

My friend was what he termed a “ten dollar Canadian.”  I don’t know the details of obtaining a Canadian citizenship, but my friend had originally been a resident of Scotland.  He came to Canada when he was younger and claims that he paid ten dollars to apply for citizenship.  Thus, he could speak with equal fervor about both haggis and hockey.

When he and his wife arrived, I encouraged them to begin their tour with the introductory movie.  From there they went into the exhibit area.  I didn’t see them again until a couple of hours later after they had completed their tour.

I eagerly asked them what they thought of the place.  My friend said in his cheery Scottish accent, “Ach aye, it was tickety-boo.”  This was high praise indeed – a popular Canadian phrase meaning that something was just perfect.

Then he shared a meaningful look with his wife.

Lewis and Clark. Supermen?

Lewis and Clark. Supermen?

My friend turned to me and said, “To be honest, we’re a little relieved.  We thought you worked at the Lois and Clark Interpretive Center.”  I looked at my friend quizzically and he said, “You know… Superman.”

As a “10 Dollar Canadian,” my friend had no frame of reference for approaching the subject of Lewis and Clark.

So next time you encounter something that challenges your view of the world, just smile and say…

“It’s all tickety-boo!”

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Culture

The King of Bling

IMG_1603He’s been called mad.

Crazy.

Insane.

The Fairy Tale King.

But I think this is the first time he’s been called the King of Bling.

I can’t take credit for it.

A member of my family called him this during a recent tour of one of his castles.

Ludwig II became king of Bavaria in 1864 at the ripe old age of eighteen. Two years later, his country was taken over by Prussia.

So what’s a king with no kingdom to do?

Collect bling.

And when you have a lot of bling, you need a place to put it. So you build a few castles, bathe everything in goldleaf, drench it with lavish color, and bejewel the rest.

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Crazy King Ludwig even built his own cavern, complete with stalactites, a boat, and creepy painting…

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How Ludwig financed his projects is a matter of debate. Many say he bankrupted his country, others say he used his own wealth. What’s not up for debate is that because of his rising debts, the government declared him legally insane.

And the very next day he was dead.

He died in a boating accident. A few weeks later, his granddaddy of castles, Neuschwanstein, was opened to the public.

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Was King Ludwig mad? Crazy? Insane?

One thing’s for sure: he’s had the last laugh.

Neuschwanstein is the top tourist destination in Germany. I think the Bavarian region has more than recouped any losses through the tourism that Ludwig’s castles bring in. Not to mention, Neuschwanstein has been immortalized by Disney through their theme parks and logo.

This begs the question… Why do we travel in droves to see Ludwig’s legacy?

Are we mad? Crazy? Insane?

Do we secretly admire the man’s incredible vision? Do we envy the way he made his dreamworld a reality?

Or do we just love a little bling?

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Culture

No Longer the Longest

IMG_2049Germany has had a rough time.

After enduring the darkest winter in 43 years and floods from record-setting rains, the country has just experienced its worst hit yet.

Worse even than the great Nutella heist in which a 5 ton shipment of Nutella was stolen on its way to store shelves.

(Thieving Nutella is like snatching peanut butter sandwiches out of the hands of hungry kindergartners…

Germans can’t function without their daily dose of the chocolate-hazlenut spread.)

But now… the worst has happened.

Germany has lost its longest word.

Why, you ask?

Because it was outlawed.

Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

It means: Law on the transfer of monitoring duties for labeling beef.

Of course it does. What else would it mean?

At 63 letters, it beats out the longest word in English (pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis) which boasts a mere 45 letters.

So why is  Rind…whatever-the-heck-it-is  no longer the longest?

It has to do with a law created to protect consumers from mad cow disease. The European Union repealed the law, hence the word is now defunct.

Sad days.

Fortunately, there is a solution. The reason Germans have such long words is because theystickabunchofsmallerwordstogether to make one big one. They call them tapeworm words.

So the hunt is on to find Germany a new longest word.

We are now taking nominations!

Click here if you want to find out how the last word to hold the honor was pronounced.

Can’t think of any? Click here to see 8 more ridiculously long German words.

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