Stupid souvenirs
 

There are regular threads about what one should buy while traveling in Europe. What was the stupidest thing you bought? In Paris, I stocked up on a bunch of junk in a souvenir store in Montmarte (sp?). When I got home, I was glad I bought the cheesy coasters and the tiny Eiffel tower, but don't know why I bought playing cards with nude pictures on them. I've been waiting for a bachelor party or some excuse to discard them ever since!

An ugly tapestry in Florence bought under the influence.

the stupidest was bringing back an empty packege froma a Cafee shop in amsterdam.(DOES not sll Coffee..Nothing happened but not the smartest thing too do..

Come to think of it, I think I may have been under the influence, too.

My favorite souviners are the stupid ones! I currently collect tacky snow globes. My favoirte is my Pope snowglobe purchased during the jubilee year of 2000.

I collect the local brass souvenirs: the boy from Brussels, cable car from SF, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Washington Monument, Big Ben, the Alamo, Christo Redentor of Rio, Buddah, etc. They're kind of dumb, but a shelf full of them is also sort of interesting. The award for the dumbest one to date definitely oes to the beaver with the Canadian penny stuck in its back.

Tah-dah! I didn't succumb, but those dancing Mickeys are pretty stupid!

I got married in Copenhagen this year. My hubby would not shut up about getting a mermaid snow globe. I think he used this as an excuse to go shopping.Well we were walking by this little store and guess what is in the window? that stupid little mermaid globe. I forced him to go in an buy it, since he wanted it soooooooo much!!!!!!!! he hates it and so do I, but since he would not shut up about it, he has one...don't even know where it is now.

Any more?

I bought those stupid condoms that read "I Love London" with a lipstick kiss on the packaging. They weren't even functional. "For novelty use only".

Anyone buy a coockoo (sp?) clock and wondered what to do with it when they returned?

On our last day in Athens, my husband and I succumbed and bought a set of pottery "greek erotica" coasters... OMG.. was that a fluke.. from time to time we forget and have them out on the coffee table... not too cool when my mother comes to visit... really they are ridiculous,,, but kinda funny.

Come on, surely there are more out there! I don't know why, but I have bought little tooth cleaning brushes out of machines in Paris and Haarlem. The first resembles a toothbrush with built on toothpaste. The latter is kind of like a toothbrush you chew on?!

<BR><BR>Ack! I did fall for those dancing Mickeys.

I never get anything stupid :) but a friend got me a shrunken head that was the grossest thing I ever saw.

Let's see we traveled for 26 days in Europe, I &quot;stole&quot; alot of bar cardboard drink coaster and matches. We found a different shaped Evian bottle and drank the water then kept the bottle (it looks like a big drip of water), I also bought the tooth brush things, Playing cards w/ a pot leaf on them, from Amsterdam we bought a &quot;Grow your own Penis&quot; sponge, there are so many I could go on for days.... that's just some of the dingiest things!

I fell for the dancing Mickeys also. And still regret that I was so stupid!!!

Too funny Connie!

The one that I did not purchase and should have was in Budapest in 2000. <BR><BR>The guy was selling these wooden dolls from Russia where they all fit inside each other and get smaller. Except his was Bill Clinton! Then he opened up the Clinton doll and showed me the smaller dolls inside in order: Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Jennifer Flowers and the last little tiny doll was an unsmiling Hillary Clinton. <BR><BR>The guy had a great speal and it was only $18. I passed and have regretted it since. Great conversation piece.<BR><BR>We just returned from China and bought some mugs that turn colors when heated tea in poured inside. Trouble is my wife put them in the dishwasher. The decal that turns colors was ruined. Learned a lesson there.

Bob: someone brought me one of those Clinton nesting dolls, with a sax as the smallest doll. I've heard there are also version with a cigar as the smallest doll.

In Budapest we bought for our son and son-in-law caps made of huge mushrooms! What were we thinking?!

We bought a painting from a street artist in Paris. <BR><BR>Got it home and discovered it was basically ugly. <BR><BR>My wife said I bought it. I said she bought it. We had a good laugh. <BR><BR>Finally took it to a good artist/framer and he did some work on the picture and then did a killer frame. Stupid thing looks good now...but our guy probably spent more time on in than the original guy in Paris. We spent more on the frame and touch up than we did on the original.<BR><BR>I still get a laugh when I see it hanging in the house. Don't worry....it is a small painting....and in a small area.

Roll over. Good boy.

I bought a penis with wings from Delos when staying in Mykonos. I guess it is supposed to look like an artifact- I always forget to put it away when the family comes over!

I fell for the dancing Mickey's as well in Venice- how do they get them to dance on the street? Strings?

Keep this one going. It is interesting to me to see what kind of junk we all bring home from Europe. I just found my small Mannequin Pis from Belgium yesterday. Bought that thing in 1971 and it still &quot;hangs&quot; around. At least we did not bring one of the large ones for a garden fountain that were for sale. I bet somebody out there has one working in their garden right now.....anyone want to confess?

Dear curious - I bought a cuckoo clock. It is on the wall in my den which is lined with German, Austrian, Swiss, Italian and Alsatian memorabilia. I use it to tell the time and every time it strikes I am reminded of all the wonderful memories I have of my trips to Europe!

Not a souvenir, really, but we bought some &quot;Hollywood&quot; gum (in France, I think). Brittle, tasteless stuff.

What is a dancing Mickey? Mickey mouse?<BR><BR>Almost bought a Rosetta stone paperweight at the British musem but just couldn't spend 5-pounds on a tacky souvenir.

Hey Karen, my ex got me that tacky rosetta stone from the brit museum. I actually like it more than him....

I actually love all the things we buy, but we have bought some silly things over the years . . . most of them we buy a couple of to give as gag gifts &amp; then keep one for ourselves:<BR><BR>* Playing cards from Greece that look like classical paintings but that are erotic pictures<BR>* Cigarette lighter with a picture of Chairman Mao that plays the communist party song when you light it<BR>* The aforementioned Clinton stacking dolls (ours is the cigar version)<BR>* We try to buy a refrigerator magnet on every trip<BR>* We collect matchboxes from hotels, restaurants, and bars, and keep them in a Balinese bowl on our bar<BR>* We also buy something to use as a Christmas ornament everywhere we go - so we usually buy at least one &quot;tacky&quot; knick knack thing - Eiffel Tower, London phone box, etc.<BR><BR>I am absolutely positive I've bought stupid things - I'll have to look in the back of my closets at home and I'm sure I'll find some things that just make me wonder WHY I bought them!

. . . a four-part ceramic &quot;Nessie&quot; at a shop near Loch Ness.

After a few drinks at lunch in a small town in Ireland whose name I cannot remember, four of us bought these berets with hideous red hair attached. We bring them out once or twice a year at weddings...they are a great ice-breaker!

Tee-Hee!<BR><BR>While skiing in Germany we had a night out on the town in Garmish. At the Frauendorfer the waitress kept bringing the 'shnapps' for the table. She used what I would descripe as a 'shnapps stick', a long piece of wood that had slots for the shot glasses. I thought it was a clever contraption!! I had to have one! After a wonderful night,afterh a generous tip, the waitress presented me with my very own shnapps stick!! I have it hanging on the wall. It makes an interesting conversation piece!! Stupid to others..wonderful to me!!<BR>JOHN

Great stories (yes, booze appears to be a somewhat common denominator).

get on up there.

Any souvenir that I brought for someone else. After a trip to Poland last year I decided that I would never bring back gifts or favors (hey buddy, can you bring me back a bottle of vodka?) for someone else. I had to check an extra bag for all of that crap besides laying out the money.

<BR>From Thailand a man (hand carved) in a barrel. When you lift the barrel he is in full monty. I was actually sober when I bought it. Workmanship was superb!!!!!

<BR>In Amsterdam - a &quot;Carlos&quot; doll. Basically a GI Joe in drag. <BR>He came complete with Carmen Miranda fruit head dress. and of course he was wearing a full length tropical print skirt.<BR><BR>Must be worth $$$ by now! And yes, I too was under the influence at the time.

Someone asked about those stupid dancing &quot;Mickeys&quot;. Well, I too fell for it and bought them in Florence. They are flimsy Disney characters that &quot;appear&quot; to dance on thier own with the help of magnets whenever a beat (from a boombox) is nearby. I honestly believed it and I could swear that I didn't see any fishing line attached to the guy that was selling them. Needless to say, I got it home and couldn't get it to work. Someone, please help me with this mystery of one of my worst souvenir purchases!!!