German Trip-Travel Companion from Near-Hades
 

Okay, I admit it. I made a BIG mistake. Went with a colleague I barely knew, but who seemed considerate and personable. Just returned from Black Forest/later Mosel Valley. Never had a more tense and hostile trip in my life. Companion "A" refused to learn a word of German. "A" loudly praised every waiter or service person that spoke english to her. She couldn't eat the sandwiches at kiosks in 'these foreign countries', as they (possibly) hadn't been refrigerated! The coke (and the iced tea) "didn't taste right." The peaches were pickled. She ordered coffee at the quaint wine-tasting cafes, and wondered why the owner seemed taken aback. And why COULDN'T she get dinner at 4 PM?

And the trains? She was used to someone ELSE conveying her luggage (even though I repeated in advance that this was self-service, pack very light, and DO NOT buy a lot). By the end of the trip, she could NOT lift her luggage up a step. And the pushy people getting on the trains! They smelled! (Not by MY nose).
Why must we wait in line for tickets? At Globus Tours, the concierge brings everything TO us! We're led everywhere-very simple. We don't have to walk along scenic brooks at the edge of meadows, inhaling clean air, spotting deer and hawks, and occasionally stopping to ask directions...The TOUR BUS takes us everywhere!
Why do all the stores close at lunch? Why there's no opportunity for SHOPPING! All one can DO during this time is relax and dine and people-watch.
And why was she 30 minutes late meeting me in Strasbourg, France when she didn't speak a word of either French or German, and wasn't interested in knowing the train connections home?(Giving me a simultaneous panic attack and fury-frenzy)--why "I was shopping and it wasn't my fault if the stupid people here don't speak english!"
I tried to salvage what I could of this long-awaited trip by spending increasing amounts of time apart!
The weather was beautiful, Gengenbach couldn't have been better as a home-base, and for me, the Hefeweizen and Neuer Wein was heavenly! And I got Crepes in Colmar--Chocolate and banana!
Divine!
Okay, Bullay was not as large as I would have liked, but it was perfect for relaxing and boat trips to other area towns.
But I will NEVER again travel with a newbie, who turned out to have a tremendous attitude!

You made my day :) Thanks a lot! Did you post a "real" trip report? If not, is there hope? I have been to Gengenbach, Strasbourg, Colmar in the past two years and would love to read about your experiences.

I hope you enjoyed your vacation in spite of that companion - I am sure in a couple of weeks you'll have a good laugh on the stories!

Ingo

That's awful, rach. I agree - I hope you find it humorous soon. But I'd still hate to spend all that money on a vacation and be around a disagreeable person.

Too bad, rach. I almost made the same mistake going with a friend whom I hadn't seen in years. But after dining with her a few times, I knew it wouldn't work. At her home you had to take your shoes off after being invited for a drink. At a restaurant she complained about everything and sent a dish back. The second time it happened I knew this was going to be a disaster, and when she complained about tipping her hairdresser and the waiter on the same day It was then, I decided to go alone.

Hi, Rach. First of all, I am so very sorry your trip didn't go well!! :-( I recall your thread where you were concerned about double beds. Based on what I've now read, I wouldn't want to be in the same hotel as this person, much less the same bed!! YIKES!!

For what it's worth, I went on a trip with someone exactly like this about 4 years ago. My situation was a little different as she was someone I did know quite well. What I did not know was the extent to which she thinks she should be pampered by everyone there. She also hated carrying her luggage, as she packed a suitcase the size of a refrigerator, a fat garment bag, a wheeled carry-on bag, and a large purse, all for a 10 day trip. Also, she expected everyone to take US$. She wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell her the dollar is generally not acceptable in Europe. She was sure I was wrong because they take US$ in Mexico, like that's got anything to do w/Europe. It didn't seem to matter that I have been to Europe over a dozen times, and it was her first trip. So she kept going around asking to pay w/$ every time she bought something. It was so embarrassing, but you really don't know someone until you've travelled to Europe with them.

Once again, I'm very sorry. Thanks for letting me vent about my companion from hades too.

Now you understand why they say you should either play cards or travel with someone if you want to know the "real" person!

Finding someone who is truly compatible for travel isn't always easy..and sometimes I wonder if it is worth the effort.

Hope your next trip goes better.

I have had two terrible experiences. Never again. I feel for you, rach.

I will post a brief, "real" trip report in a day or two--when the jetlag clears a bit!
Ingo, I really LOVED Genegenbach-it felt like a nice-sized, navigable small city-town with just enough Konditoreien (about 5), Restaurants (about 15), lovely town square with market most mornings, the many city towers, the Narrenmuseum, Flossermuseum, the Baechle were running...Granted, we travelled each day to another destination, but it was nice to come "home" each night. We spent Sunday just exploring all that G had to offer.
And can I again praise Neuer Wein und Hefe?
Our landlady and lord were extremely pleasant and helpful. We had a balcony overlooking their beautiful flower and vegetable garden. I would use this town again in the future--we did not run into one american tourist!

Oh dear, rach - well, we do live and learn, no?

I once allowed a friend of mine who was staying with me at my house in the Dordogne to invite another friend to come for a few days. It was early fall. She showed up wearing a mink coat (!!) on my rustic little doorstep. It was hunting season, and all I could think of was "Good Lord! She's gonna get shot!" It was totally humiliating to wander around the villages and markets with her - the stares we got!

Was that wishful thinking, St. Cirq? ;-)

Well, maybe in part, PM, but if you've ever been around French hunters in the fall, you'd know the danger was real. They'll shoot at anything with fur!

As another poster said Live and Learn. Too bad about the tiresome woman -- you have to wonder why she came abroad without her usual tour guide and support system. She surely could not have imagined that anyone else would volunteer to carry her luggage.

So tell us, did you largely suffer in silence or did you let her have it? You mentioned spending more time apart but did she "get it" that you were unhappy?

Final note: My worst travel companion ever was my older brother -- on a Christmas trip to Greece when I was about 20. He flew down from Cambridge, where he was studying, and from day 1 I got inexplicable Oxbridge "attitude" (a term not then coined) and non-stop hostility from him. The chilly damp weather didn't help.

30-odd years later he's my best friend. And neither of us has ever, EVER, over the intervening 3-plus decades, again alluded, by the slightest word or sign, to that trip .........

StCirq, you sure it was a mink coat? It could have been muskrat fur!