Crazy American Tourists?
 

What is the craziest thing you have ever seen an American tourist do in Europe?

The crazist American tourist I encountered was recently in the Louvre courtyard in Paris, early in the morning just before the museum ticket office opened.

Walking in the courtyard farthest east a guy comes up running to me asking in a blathery sort of way: "Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa,' whilst weirdly crossing his hands over his legs - he looked like he needed to find a toilet rather than looking for the Mona Lisa.

Obviously a Yank from his speech I said "what about the Mona Lisa?"

He retorted he wanted to know how to get in to see the Mona Lisa - he was in Paris on business and had only a few hours left in town - I explained to him it was in the Louvre and the ticket line was in the next courtyard, which I walked him to, in front of the glass pyramid.

He was now calmed down and I learned he was actually from a town just 15 miles from my home town.

He went on his way to the Mona Lisa and I thought to myself - wow how would have a Parisian to French person reacted to this guy acting like a nut case as if it were life and death to get into see the Mona Lisa?

In retrospect I should have told him the Mona Lisa had been stolen the night before and thus he could not see it or some such bull!

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT AMERICAN TOURISTS MAKING FOOLS OF THEMSELVES?

Just curious.

In Athens,an American woman in a loud voice yelling " What is that THANG?" at the Parthenon.

Giving a talk outside Notre Dame to a group I was chaperoning, and a guy in close to full American cowboy gear (jeans, hat, boots) comes up and taps me on the shoulder and says "'Scuse me, Miss, you sound like you know yer way around here. So how do I get to the Lawyer Valley?" I said "Well, it's not in Paris, it's about two hours south of here. You'd have to drive or take a train." He strokes his chin and says, "OK, then. I guess we'll have to look into that." I said "Have you read about it? Did someone recommend you go there?" And he said, "Well, I've heard people talk about it, and since I'm a lawyer I figured I'd better check it out."

Even my students' jaws dropped.

Be hard to take the cake over StCirq's experience. Incroyable as the French may say!

I watched a wife (girlfriend?) slap her husband in a restaurant in Baden. From New England from the accent.

Enjoyed seeing Richard Simmons passing between San Marco and Rialto in Venice. People would point and say, "It's YOU!" and he would immediately respond by saying, "Yes, and it's YOU!!!" and would greet the family and banter with them as if they were best friends who hadn't seen each other for a whole month.

Shouldn't this be in the Lounge?

Seen worse from Euros in the US and, Euros in Europe and Aussies everywhere.

Tour group in Switzerland at a large dinner table. A man asked for ice. The ice is late coming, he took a knife and started banging on the glass to draw the waiter's attention. His red-faced wife unable to stop his banging.

There was a Paula Deen show where she went to Paris. It had so many cringe-worthy moments that it makes the ugly American look handsome. Between her southern accent mangled French and her oblivious attitude, it tops any episode of Bizarre Foods for inducing squirms.

There was the American golfer at Killarney golf course yelling at the starter that it was crazy that there were no yardage markers in the fairway (like there are on North American courses). "How am I supposed to know how far I am from the gawdam green if you don't have gawdam yardage markers in the fairway? What a fuc%ing joke."

Mind you I have heard worse from Scottish golfers.

Took an organized tour several years back - lots of examples from that, including the woman who insisted the Amalfi coast was "just like Florida" and these other women littering more than once. Also one family kept losing their son, but they were Greek. Worst/best example was woman who touched the c. 5th cent BC carving at the museum in Delphi. A guard saw her and yelled at her. "But there wasn't a sign that said 'do not touch'" she protested.

On a similar note, two women touching the walls all over the Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra (but they were Scandinavian).

From my first trip to Europe - woman in the Sistine chapel loudly declaring "I don't know, I'm just not crazy about paintings on the ceiling."

Passing through the lobby of our hotel in Prague, we observed a young couple checking out and preparing to depart. The husband hoisted a backpack-slash-suitcase onto his back. It was the size of a dishwasher, and I thought he was going to collapse under the weight. The wife, carrying nothing, held the door open and asked, "Ready?" I've often wondered how the rest of that trip went...

I think it should be in the lounge and I'm a bit surprised that the topic is focused on Americans. In the past twenty years, I've witnessed just one " crazy American" experience but apparently old stereotypes still exist. Such behavior has little to do with one's nationality and more to with one's attitude,lack of sensitivity or just plain ignorance.

historytraveler, I agree. One year in a museum in Paris,
There was a French Speaking couple, maybe from Belgium.
They had two of the most obnoxious children I have ever seen in Paris. The parents took their time looking at the paintings and photos, while the two children ran wild, bumping into everyone and worse, lying on the floor of the doorway into the next room where everyone had to step over them.

In Palermo two weeks ago, I had the misfortune of dining in a ristorante when a group of eight Americans entered, took their seats, then sang "When the Saints Go Marching In" in loud and not very tuneful voices!

Some really laughing out loud good stories! :)

Many years ago I was in Rome before Easter, during Easter and after Easter.

Easter is when the tourist season seems to begin. Everything in Rome seems to be very normal before Easter.

I was on a bus sitting in the back when this really heavy-set woman and her thin husband got on board. They were craning their necks every which way, then all of the sudden the woman got up, screamed "Look! Harold!" moved over to peer out the window on the other side of the bus while carelessly smacking several passengers with her suitcase size handbag. She did this several times during the bus ride.

Even sitting in the back, I cringed and thought, "Oh, no! American tourists! I'm not with them!"

A couple of days later on another bus, who should get on board and take the seats across the aisle from mine? Mr and Mrs Harold, of course! This time, her handbag didn't miss my head.

Seeing eel on a market stall - "hey look they eat snake here too!".

While on a Globus tour of Italy....

Ok, everyone except my grandmother and I were from the USA or Canada,

This one couple were very enthusiastic, very outgoing, very vocal, citizens of the USA. It was all fine, they are actually very charismatic, funny people:)....until.... We attended an Opera in Venice. Yes that's right folks, a prestigious Opera in Venice, in a gorgeous theatre. This lady, sitting pretty much right next to me, (right before the opera began) struck up a discussion with a young lady from our group about the brand of thermal underwear that she wears. Our tour director sat bemused at she began to explain (in a voice loud enough for half the room to hear) all about how "Cuddleduds" are the best thermal underwear in the world, about how they keep her warm while she waits for her husband in bed etc.... I tried to shut down the conversation, but alas....she was not embarrassed to discuss such things in a beautiful Venetian theatre. I sat, trying to ignore (laughing inwardly at our tour director's face) the fact that I was now associated with this discussion....my cheeks displayed my shame, but thankfully, the opera began! Seriously embarrassing.... Do Americans have no shame!

"Such behavior has little to do with one's nationality and more to with one's attitude,lack of sensitivity or just plain ignorance."

I agree with historytraveler. No nationality has the monopoly on ignorance or boorishness. I love reading the stories, but naming the nationalities just leads to a "Well you just hate the (insert nationality here) arguments"

A cringeworthy recollection: We were on a bus in Gozo (Part of Malta). It was quite warm in the bus, and a German couple opened their window. An immaculately dressed, elderly 'Gentleman' with a very upper glass accent came storming up from the back of the vehicle - probably 7 or 8 rows of seats further back, slammed the window shut shouting about F*ing Krauts and how "He hadn't fought for 5 years against Nazis so they could do what they pleased on buses"

I think he may have had mental issues - genuinely deranged rather than "crazy" in the sense of this thread.

Several years ago on an organised bus tour, a Canadia filming the Eiffel Tower on her video camera asked other passengers 'So what country are we in?'

<<Several years ago on an organised bus tour, a Canadia filming the Eiffel Tower on her video camera asked other passengers 'So what country are we in?'>>

:O Sad.

What was the answer?

LOL A fair bit of snickering I confess. Not very kind.

Perhaps not PC, but - In Stratford upon Avon at Mary Arden's farm there are several period exhibits and demonstrations. In the kitchen exhibit, the costumed woman doing a demonstration of cooking in Shakespeare's day asked the woodcutter to bring her some fagots. An older American woman called out "what's a fagot?" To her credit, the docent gave the straight answer (sorry, I couldn't help that). I was tempted to call out "a bassoon" -fagott in most languages).

Been on this forum for 3 months planning lifetime dream trip of studying Italian in Florence. Been insulted and made to feel stupid more times than I can count. I'll sew a maple leaf on my jacket and tell the locals I'm from Ontario---perhaps in person I can avoid being the target of sarcasm and snarkiness. Really, People!! What's your point??

"Really, People!! What's your point??"

I completely agree annettafly. Americans surely do not have the market on obnoxious tourist behavior. If you want a thread like this then fine. But don't make it about Americans or any specific nationality. Geez.

I was tempted to call out "a bassoon" -fagott in most languages

basingstoke; I'm confused where has a Bassoon come from?? Do you call meat balls "bassoon" in most languages?

Not CRAZY American tourists, but GREAT American tourists, here's my story: A few years ago, on one of my many trips to Sardinia, where my wife's sister owns a condo on the beach, I was in the habit of going downstairs to the beach early in the morning,and planting our umbrellas in a good spot near the water. The sand there is very dense, so I had to struggle to make a nice hole in which to place the umbrella. I actually had to use a kitchen spoon to make a nice tight hole. A few hours later, when it was time to leave the beach, one elderly lady, who had made an aquaintance with my wife, came onto the beach and was struggling to put her umbrella into the sand. I went over to her and told her to give me her umbrella. I removed my umbrella from the sand, and quickly jammed her umbrella into the hole. She now had a perfect resting place for her umbrella. She then loudly said, "L'Americane sono molto gentile!" Meaning the Americans are so very kind! Naturally, since we were the only Americans there, and stood out like a sore thumb, we were very pleased with the reception we received.

The reason this thread is about crazy American tourists is because Fodor's is an American site, and most of the people who post here are Americans.

A thread about crazy Czechs would be very short.

bilboburgler - an excellent point. I am familiar with the fagott= meatball connection and must research how the bundle of sticks - I mean bassoon - fits in.

More interesting is the origin of the piccolo. As you must know, flutes were originaly made of wood. There was one town in Italy that was famous for the quality of its wooden flutes - all hand made in small shops. These workshops were very small and were actually part of the owners overall living space. One day, a flute maker had just finished fashioning a new flute while at the same time his wife was heating up the olive oil to make dinner. The flute maker accidently dropped the just finished flute in the pan of oil and the heat and oil caused the wood to shrink. He fished it out, tried it and was delighted with the result - the first piccolo was created. The flute maker made many more like this and became rich and famous for his new process - a process that became known worldwide as "The Mediterranean Flute Fry."

Most crazy thing I have seen yanks do?

There clothes in Venice.

Most of them presumed they were on the 14 th fariway on Kiawah Island. I presume non of them posted here or read the "what to wear in Venice thread".

basingstoke2: LOL! You are so funny!

"The reason this thread is about crazy American tourists is because Fodor's is an American site, and most of the people who post here are Americans."

Yep - and I think that as Americans, we are most likely to notice what others of "our kind" are doing :)

My story is about an Austrailian though - no cringing, just fun. DH and I went on a brewery tour in Munich. We met an Austrialian and his New Zealander girlfriend on the tour. They were there for a wedding of a school friend and there were a couple Russians also in town for the same wedding, also on our tour. After the tour, they wanted to go drink some more, and since they were fun, we went too. We wandered from bar to bar most of the night, the Austrialian collecting various English-speaking people along the way, the group growing as the night wore on. This guy was big and loud and friendly - you know, like every good Austrialian should be. If he heard someone speaking English, he talked to them. DH and I left the group at about 3 am, by this time the Austrailian had collected a couple of Scots, a couple more Americans, and a guy from South Africa - oh and another New Zealander. It was a funny evening.

And that is how Basingstoke2 became known worldwide as Blowingsmoke too.

Okay maybe because this is an American site I can see a little more of the humor and some of the stories are very funny......but Americans are the target and I have a bit of a problem with that.

The "tourists" who are the most troublesome in our little part of Italy are not Americans and I will not talk about their nationality. The Americans are very respected and loved in Italy because we liberated them at the end of WW2.

Americans are also an amazing unique group of people and we are also very outspoken and maybe sometimes naive about travel.... but far nicer generally than some other nationalities.

jnjfraz, I think you had a little help in the liberation of Italy.

"......but Americans are the target and I have a bit of a problem with that."

Take it up with the American who started the thread.

"The Americans are very respected and loved in Italy because we liberated them at the end of WW2."

Yep, on your own - no assistance whatsoever from any other nationality.

"but far nicer generally than some other nationalities." - Really?? I cannot see that one nation is better or worse than another. People are people - just because they don't conform to your view of nice/nasty/good/evil doesn't mean it is they who are wrong.

Fodor's being an American site. Possibly - but Fodor's is, as far as I am aware part of Randonhouse who are a subsidery of Bertelsmann AG, so German.

OK I agree this should not be restricted to Yanks - my fault - and here is an event with a pretty young Dutch gal on a K-d Rhine boat who was being hit on by some Italian gigolo type and did not like and told him "Why don't you put your head between your legs and kiss your ass good-bye!"

The Dutch are really crude in my experience.