Last year we visited small towns in France, sometimes to get our points across we had to revert to sign language. At one small hotel we could not get the waitress to understand our accents or bad French so my husband clucked liked a chicken sitting on a nest and mimed laying an egg. Good thing we were way out in the country in unsophisicated surroundings, and we all, including the owner had a good laugh. Every happen to you?

Less fun perhaps, but a pencil and paper also work.<BR><BR>des oeufs.<BR>

Several years ago my suitcase wheels were squeaking to the point of embarrassment whenever I pulled it. I went into a little hardware store in Rouen to try to find some WD40 or something similar. Figuring that would mean nothing, I proceded to do a long full scale charades of opening a door, making a squeaking sound, spraying an imaginary can onto the imaginary hinge and then reopening the imaginary door without the squeak. The man watched the whole thing totally straight faced, walked to the shelf and handed me a can of -- what else? -- WD40. The label was all in French, but they still called it that.

Oh, what funny stories. <BR>Patrick, you sound like you are so much fun to travel with, with your sense of humor and vivid imagination.

So what point was your husband trying to get across...where he could go to lay an egg? :~)<BR><BR>While I can't recall any specific examples from past trips, I love having to use sign language, sounds, etc. to communicate, as it allows one to be creative and often, as you noted, also leads to a good laugh. <BR><BR>

Syndie,<BR> So, What was your husband trying to say?<BR>My imagination is running wild!!!!!!!!!!!

How funny, now that I reread my post, one's imagination could run wild. Luckily at the time we all understood that he wanted eggs for breakfast, but now that I think about it, he was lucky he did only get eggs!

No, but I did put my hands above my head like horns, trying to get directions to a golden bull sculpture outside Beijing. Never did find it, but it was funny everytime we thought about it later.

Once I had to communicate that one of our quartet was phobic about escalators to a subway attendant in Italy. Darned if I know what I did, but I'd love to see a movie of it. It worked, anyway. He turned the thing off so she could walk down.

I remember once miming blowing my nose when I needed to buy tissues and didn't have any with me to show as an example. I got my tissues, as well as an appreciative giggle from the shopkeeper.

I copied the 'beep beep' sound of a microwave while miming pushing buttons and shutting the door to request that some carry-out be heated up for us. It worked and also reduced me, my husband, and the shop clerk to giggles. For the rest of the trip and for quite a while after we got home my husband and I called the microwave the 'beep-beep.'

No, but I did put my hands above my head like horns, trying to get directions to a golden bull sculpture outside Beijing. Never did find it, but it was funny everytime we thought about it later.

Many years ago (no I won't tell you how many) I was in France and needed a washcloth. Now I speak decent (but not fluent) French. <BR><BR>I asked for a "serviette" (can mean washcloth or napkin). The next question was did I want "serviettes sanitaries" (sanitary napkins). The word "serviette" can mean a lot of different things in French--LOL. <BR><BR>I did explain that I wanted a "serviette" to wash my face. I got one of those terry mitts--and have been very careful to pack my own washcloth ever since.

My husband is the worst! I have seen him "Moo", cluck, say "Oink" and finally wiggle his hand back and forth imitating a fish in water. He got beef, while under the impression he was to be served fish. It's been a lot of laughs!

Once upon a time, in a restaurant in Freiburg Germany, I was having trouble understanding the entrees on the German menu. The young server was trying so hard to be helpful. When I asked about a particular dish, he described it as "Bambi meat." I had vegetarian that night instead of venison.

Similar to the tissue story above, while in Seville we went to a farmacia and couldn't remember how to say cough in Spanish. Went into a coughing routine, which produced both laughter from the pharmacist and a box of cough drops.<BR><BR>j

We were in Paris,walked all day,sitting at a cafe when suddenly that feeling that comes over a woman at the most innopportune moment happened...told my husband-who left me there and went straight to the pharmacy..he walked in,looked around,then walked over to the counter and said T---please? and they lady handed him a box!!!Somethings are the same in every language! :0)

This thread is something else. Apparently you can allude to T*mp*x, but you can't say ov*l*te.<BR><BR>Is Ovaltine okay? Oliveto?<BR>

xxx,I think T- is less explicit then T*mp*x....maybe that is why it got by.<BR>

What happened last night, did some post get deleted?<BR>On day in Dijon I was getting a sore throat so I went into the pharmacy and kept pointing to my throat and making croaking noises. The girls just stared at me, speechless I suppose. They never moved, stood completely still and stared. Finally, embarassed, I left and they watched me leave still silent. A customer waved me back and ordered them to get me some candy. Which they did.