1. I went into a caffe and ordera 'Latte' (I saw it on the menu, a 'Latte')
Girl: Latte?
Rob: Si.
Girl: Blanche?
Rob: Si si, uno Latte
Imagine my surprise when I am given a nice warm cup of milk.
2. I was trying to buy extra credit for my phone for more than a week. I found a store with 'Vidaphone' on the outside. Everyone previously seemed absolutely convinced that there was no way to add credit to a German SIM card from Italy (which is just rubbish). I managed to convey that I need 10€ credit. The lady spoke no English or French. I tried to ask if it would work even if the SIM card was German. So then she looked relieved and started going off in German. It took me about a minute to explain that I couldn't actually speak German, just had a German phone.
3. After a trip to the beach in Follonica, I needed to wash all of my clothes (either that, or start wearing them inside out). After trekking backwards and forwards for an hour, we found one with a lovely old lady inside. THe first ten minutes were spent trying to explain that we needed a washing machine and not a dryer. Eventually the dispute was settled with emphatic hand gestures and everyone chanting 'acqua, acqua, si!'
4.In Siena, we stayed at a place called Cassa Laura. Because Laura was apparently not home. Bencini Laura, her mother (or perhaps grandmother [we'll never know]) let us in. We spoke no Italian, she spoke no English or French. She took out money and gave us a key. Along with a 15 minute explanation of where to park our car, how to open the door and where we could leave our bags during the day and what we should do with the key in the morning. Apparently convinced that we had understood every word, she left. The next day, we returned after leaving our bags and key in the house as instructed only to find that the whole place was locked with no one apparently home. Bencini Laura came home and started scolding us in Italian. It was hilarious. But she kept asking questions as if we were going to be able to respond. What a nice lady. LOL
Ciao
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1 comment:
Hilarious! I love when you know approximately one word of what you actually need to say and have to rely on that to make yourself understood. When i was in Peru the door to my room wouldnt open, even though i had a key. Pretty much, the door was stuck. So i had to trudge downstairs and try and get some help, knowing only the spanish words for " key ", " door " and " open " ....
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