Well, did I feel stupid. I didn't read my Rick Steve's close enough. Went to a "Hotel de Ville" in a small village thinking it was a hotel. When I inquired about a room, the staff had a great laugh. They told me they were a "hotel" but didn't have any rooms, and laughed away. (I could tell once I was in the lobby, it looked like a government building)

I've tried for years to book a room at the popular Hotel de Villes in France. They have the best dang location in almost every town.

gb, I hope you handled it with quiet dignity and some good-natured flair. No hurling fanny packs at the amused clerks and angry american-style finger pointing!

Write and let Rick know what happened. That's got to be worth a free guide book!

Do I smell a troll?

Maybe if you had told them that you were a visiting dignitary they would have found a room for you.

Pup tells me Cruella lives there

betsy,

I had the same reaction. Who couldn't tell the difference between a hotel and a city hall once inside the building. And though I haven't read of Rick Steves' book, would the city hall be in the same area as a hotel? And why would you go to a "hotel" that you haven't read about....troll!!! or certainly not a nominee to the menza society!

"not a nominee to the menza society!

I wouldn't be too quick to put gb down. For one thing, gb has posted more than 100 times, so I doubt gb is a troll.

Secondly, it's called Mensa, not menza, so we all make mistakes...even you.

I'm not a troll, and obviously not a member of the mensa society.(but I do have a graduate degree). This particular Hotel de Ville was just several blocks from the beach and in an area of hotels. We had to unexpectedly stop half way to our destination and decided to enjoy the beach (explain why there was no research). This was for real. From the outside, the building did not look like a city hall, but rather an older but well-kept Holiday Inn and on the the main door had large lettering that said Hotel de Ville, and looked very much like in could be a hotel. The"lobby" was nicely, yet simply decorated and took did take me more than a few seconds to realize it was a place of business, not a place to sleep.

it should on the main door there was large lettering.

Oops, sounding more like an idiot- it should read on the main door there was large lettering that read "Hotel de Ville".

gb, what were you wearing when you went inside? It makes all the difference in the world to those snotty hotel/city clerks!

gb, I never doubted you for real. I would guess that if every person who posts on this board listed their top five faux pas in Europe, it would make us all look like idiots.

And if we can all laugh at ourselves regarding the faux pas, it usually adds a great (and fun) trip memory. Thanks for sharing yours.

SHORTS! (Well, it was the beach) Actually, they weren't snotty. They were dressed like bellhops, er, security guards, and just laughed among themselves thinking we were quite silly or stupid.

gb, I am sure most of us have made mistakes our first time in a country.
I know you are not a troll.
We're surrounded by too many smug people.
I think it's a very funny story, gave me a laugh, remembering my mistakes.

To make it worse, it wasn't my first time in France! (But, it was the first time I was on the trip that wasn't planned by someone else.)

Please accept my apology, gb!

Just to let you know you're in good company, gb, I'll tell you our recent faux pas.

Arriving Venice, Italy, after much research and seeing many photos of vaporettos and their landings, we made slight idiots of ourselves. Thank goodness no one was really around to pay much notice.

We got on the platform for the vaporetto (water bus) and got ourselves some really good front view spots, then waited for the "boat" to start moving. That is...until we finally saw the actual vaporetto show up.

Faux pas are just part of the traveling adventure and experience, in my opinion. We all do our research, but we aren't perfect. Well, maybe with the exception of ThinGorgus.

Oh my gosh...another faux pas! Excuse my spelling. ThinGorjus.

gb, after reading through this, I must share this long-repressed memory with you so you won't feel so bad about your faux pas. (After you read it, you'll know why it's buried.)

Setting: Ireland. Me, at fourteen years old, with my three younger siblings, and my parents. All of us piled into a rental car, out on a sightseeing mission. Driving aimlessly, as my mother was a navigator with a "you're not lost; you're on an adventure" mentality. Down a long country road, surrounded by emerald green hills and vistas, we come across a magnificent castle. In very good repair; definitely worth a look. "Stop the car, Ted!" says my mother, "we're going here." Out she goes, full steam, frumpled to boot from a jam-packed day...into what turns out NOT to be an ancient ruin, but a very elegant five star resort. I cannot forget the teenage mortification and embarassment that accompanied the realization that we were in alien territory.

Now that I have my own teenagers I think it's pretty funny! Like my mother, I too have been prone to mistaken identities.