Juan

Trying to start another interesting discussion here with this one: What is the most unpleasant thing that happened to you in Europe? I got to thinking about this when I replied to a post tonight and mentioned the visit I had to pay in an emergency to a dentist in Prague who had equipment from the 1930s to work with. I still shutter recalling that one. Let's see...here are some more (and I DO LOVE Europe BTW); when I got our VW van stuck in a gate of a private home in Liechtenstein and no one could get it out....until we flagged down a huge farm vehicle on the road the next morning. Others would be getting physically attacked by a would be mugger in Barcelona and hitting a parked car in Monaco.

Maira

My first trip to Europe was to Spain. The excitement was unbearable as I had planned this trip for the longest time. Well, the weekend before leaving I caught a really bad cold. By the time I got to Madrid, and thanks to heavy smokers in the flight, it turned into Chronic Bronchitis. I remembered checking into the hotel and begging the Hotel Manager to send a Doctor to my room. Within half hour this really young guy showed up in my room saying he was the doctor. I said -Yeah, right...- but I was deseperate. He examined me, prescribed some medication, encourage me to get some fresh air and even went to the pharmacy to get the medication for me. Turned out to be one of the best doctors I ever had. Within 2 days, and thanks to his medical advice, treatment,and prescriptions, I was having the time of my life. <BR> <BR>Well, I am leaving for Spain next Thursday. Guess what?... I am in severe pain with a muscle spasm on my neck and left shoulders (painful!). I think I'll send for a chiropractor upon arrival to Hotel Mora....

Ginny

We were flying from Catania, Sicily to Palma Majorca, Spain on Saggot Air. We landed in Palma, everyone started getting their stuff out of the overhead compartments, the couple across the aisle from us opened up their overhead compartment....thousands of MAGGOTS fell out on top of them, flying across on other people and down the aisle, they screamed for the flight attendant, she just shrugged her shoulders and said that they must have brought them with them....then on the return flight I found a "used" throw up bag in the holder on the seat in front of me... so, <BR>the moral of the story is NEVER fly on MAGGOT AIR! And, this is a true story... who could make this stuff up?!

Mary Ann

On our first trip to Europe in 1984 we had picked up our rental car in Naples. Since we were traveling to France, we were told you had to have a car with yellow headlights, which they were out of. They scheduled us to exchange cars in Florence. When we got there, they too were out and we were told to go to Bologne, which had not been a planned stop. Before we left for Bologne, we decided to at least see David and the square. We parked with all the other cars on the street and left for about an hour. When the 4 of us returned, our car and all our luggage in the car was gone. It appeared that all the vehicles were parked in a no parking area and were towed away. A shop keeper helped us get a taxi to travel to the impound lot. We did not know if this was a tourist rip off or for real, but were overjoyed and relieved to find the car at the police impound. We even have this picture of us smiling with the impound attendants, who thought we were crazy for being so happy (the fine was about $25). Needless to say, by the time we got to Bologne, the agency was closed and it took us another day to get back on track. We always say that if everything was perfect, we would not have such great memories!!!!.

jeff

Juan, <BR> The most unpleasant thing that happened to me in Europe was in Paris. I was taking a shower at my hotel and afterwards I noticed my on eye was getting puffy and very red. It eventually grew to almost the size of a golf ball. I had to go to the pharmacy and get some drops and some salve. It was that way for three days. Also, my girlfriend was curling her hair with an iron. We used a voltage adaptor, but apparently the amperage didn't adjust. She burned a big hunk out of her hair. Both of these instances happened the same day.

Melanie

Our VW van was refused entry into Czech for absolutely no reason. We refused to leave, as there was nothing wrong. They tried every excuse - roadworthiness, licences, customs, drugs - you name it. We counteracted every one of them with offers to search our bags, showing the paperwork, etc. We didn't want to turn back - because this was what we had planned! One border guard was on our side, the rest were all for sending us back into Austria. Finally, they called the full drug squad out, complete with arms and dogs and ripped our van to pieces. Eventually we were allowed into czech... approximately 10 hours after we had tried to enter. Oh - I forgot to add that we were outside this whole time, in a place swamped with mud in a constant heavy downpour... and no toilet facilities. I have to add though, that Czech was worth the hassle! <BR>

Al

We were taking off from the airport in Athens on Olympic Airways when I felt a drip of something falling on my head. As the plane gathered speed and started its climb, the drip became a drizzle. I rubbed, I sniffed -- it was ouzo. A guy behind us had put a bottle of the stuff into the overhead bin -- over my head, that is. And it was leaking. What to do? It makes a fine after-shave lotion, so I just rubbed it around. Later, when I could get up and ask whose bottle it was, some guy behind me scowled and growled with a thick New York accent said, "Wanna make somethin' of it?" So much for the "broadening influence of travel" on some people!

Kathy

<BR>Here's one from me: we were in Prague on a subway out to the suburbs where we were staying in an apartment. We had gone grocery shopping and had two very heavy bags of groceries with us. When we got on the subway there were plenty of empty seats so we sat down beside each other holding the bags. We had to ride many stops to our apartment. A few stops later a woman, man and child got on the subway but by then it had filled up so there was only one seat left which the child took. My husband gallantly got up so the woman (who was about 30...far younger than my husband) could sit down and he stood holding the heavy bag. Instead of sitting down the woman put her briefcase on the seat only. Some stops later her male companion got off. The woman then sat down and started pushing me to move over so her briefcase could have a seat. I was right at a bar so I couldn't move at all. She kept pushing me so I said (in English as I know no Czech) that I couldn't move further. <BR>She then started screaming at me at the top of her lungs about something and really pushed me hard. And this was a person who my husband had given his seat up for!!! <BR>She never said thanks to him and instead pushes and screams at me to give my seat up for her damn briefcase. It sure left a bad taste in my mouth about the Czechs.

Karen

After landing at Gatwick Airport and picking up our rental car, we headed into the countryside and stopped in a little village for lunch. My husband's cousin had come along with us, but in his own car. We parked, went into a restaurant to eat. Upon leaving the restaurant a man inquired whether this was our car. When I answered yes, he proceeded to really yell and scream that he had been waiting for me to come out for two hours and I had parked blocking his driveway. It turns out I had parked on a solid line (no parking) and his home was way back behind the shops and his drive was probably a quarter of a mile, ending on the main street. He had called the police. A bobby came along, eventually, and the man started ranting and raving again. The bobby asked if we had just landed at the airport and when I answered yes, he just said to get in the car and leave, that he would take care of everything and not to worry about it. <BR>It was definitely my fault and I felt terrible and it did put a damper on our trip for a few days.

Diane

Nearly 30 years ago,after a fun night at an Irish pub while walking back to our hotel, my (now ex) husband complained to me that I was "too American, too much of a tourist, too awe-struck and he never wanted to travel with me again." Hey, I was 22. I'd never been anywhere. He was a jerk. <BR>Unfortunately it took another couple years to figure that out.

Lee

Juan: Although I don't really have much to add, I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses. <BR> <BR>Diane: He was a jerk and unfortunately, we all can be that way. The good news is you discovered it and moved on. Sounds like you have the right frame of mind and are doing just fine without the "travel critic". <BR> <BR>Keep the stories coming! <BR>

lisa

After attempting to hail a taxi in a very busy part of Athens for about 25 minutes, my boyfriend and I were finally successful and got in one. We negotiated a price with the driver and were on our way. About 10 minutes into the trip, we passed a group of three people also hailing a cab. To our disappointment, our cab driver pulled over for them. We live in Washington DC so we are accumstomed to sharing cabs with strangers sometimes, and we assumed that's what the driver had in mind -- except that it was a very small cab and could only hold one additional person, not three. But it turned out that was not what was going on. After speaking briefly with the other group in Greek, the cab driver turned to us and yelled, "Get out! Get out of the car. These people offer me better price. Get out!" After a brief sit-in during which we refused to move and argued fruitlessly with the beliggerent driver, he finally got out and reached in the back seat and physically pulled my boyfriend out of the car. The other people got in, we got out, and we were left in a relatively desolate part of the darkening city, with no idea where we were or how to get where we were going. It took us 45 minutes to get another cab. We left Athens early, the next day.

Mort

This happened in Munich Germany. Neither of us can speak German and we got on a subway out in the suburbs where we had been staying with a friend of a business associate. There was no person to buy tickets from just a machine which was very complex looking and had many choices but all directions were only in German. We studied it long and picked what we thought was right. No one else was at this station when we got on. We rode into the city and were only a couple of stops from the museum where we wanted to get off. People kept getting on and off at all stops and a few men got on and one sat next to us. He wore a leather jacket. Suddenly he lept up after the train left the stop and started screaming at the tops of his lungs in German and stood accusingly in the face of a little old lady near us. She handed him a ticket. A few other men who got on at the same station as the leather man came over and stood around. We were scared and didn't know what was happening. After the lady gave him a ticket he suddenly turns to me and starts screaming in German. I didn't know what he wanted and said so in English. He kept screaming in German and started pulling me. Neither I nor my wife knew what was going on but it seemed to have something to do with tickets so I gave ours to him. Then he really got angry and kept shouting at us. At the next stop he and his companions surrounded us and forced us off the train onto the platform. I felt like we were back in the late 1930s with a bunch of Nazis. My parents used to tell me about things like this happening to them in the 30s when they lived in Europe. It was very frightening. We didn't know what was happening. The leather man kept shouting and started writing on a form then thust it into my hands and stood there glaring. What to do? FINALLY one of the other men spoke to me in English. He said we had overstayed on the train past the stop we were supposed to get off on so we had to pay a large fine RIGHT THEN. It was like about $100 US dollars. And none of these men wore uniforms or anything so we just didn't know if they were robbers. The English speaker said they worked as security or something for the subway and that we could not leave their presence until we paid. The fine was like $100 each. My wife had the money and they snatched it away but I didn't have that much on me so they took my passport number and said I had to go to a bank and pay the fine before I would be allowed to leave Germany. I didn't know the consequences so I did go to a bank and pay but maybe I shouldn't have. <BR>This was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. They were just like Nazis with the close cropped blonde hair and leather jackets and screaming at us in German. <BR>

Mort

<BR>Having a problem with posting this. Tried reloading and even leaving and coming back to site and my post does not show up. Anyone know why? In any case I will try again now. This happened in Munich Germany. Neither of us can speak German and we got on a subway out in the suburbs where we had been staying with a friend of a business associate. There was no person to buy tickets from just a machine which was very complex looking and had many choices but all directions were only in German. We studied it long and picked what we thought was right. No one else was at this station when we got on. We rode into the city and were only a couple of stops from the museum where we wanted to get off. People kept getting on and off at all stops and a few men got on and one sat next to us. He wore a leather jacket. Suddenly he lept up after the train left the stop and started screaming at the tops of his lungs in German and stood accusingly in the face of a little old lady near us. She handed him a ticket. A few other men who got on at the same station as the leather man came over and stood around. We were scared and didn't know what was happening. After the lady gave him a ticket he suddenly turns to me and starts screaming in German. I didn't know what he wanted and said so in English. He kept screaming in German and started pulling me. Neither I nor my wife knew what was going on but it seemed to have something to do with tickets so I gave ours to him. Then he really got angry and kept shouting at us. At the next stop he and his companions surrounded us and forced us off the train onto the platform. I felt like we were back in the late 1930s with a bunch of Nazis. My parents used to tell me about things like this happening to them in the 30s when they lived in Europe. It was very frightening. We didn't know what was happening. The leather man kept shouting and started writing on a form then thust it into my hands and stood there glaring. What to do? FINALLY one of the other men spoke to me in English. He said we had overstayed on the train past the stop we were supposed to get off on so we had to pay a large fine RIGHT THEN. It was like about $100 US dollars. And none of these men wore uniforms or anything so we just didn't know if they were robbers. The English speaker said they worked as security or something for the subway and that we could not leave their presence until we paid. The fine was like $100 each. My wife had the money and they snatched it away but I didn't have that much on me so they took my passport number and said I had to go to a bank and pay the fine before I would be allowed to leave Germany. I didn't know the consequences so I did go to a bank and pay but maybe I shouldn't have. <BR>This was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. They were just like Nazis with the close cropped blonde hair and leather jackets and screaming at us in German.

Mort

<BR>Haven't been able to get Fodor's to post my reply yet. What's wrong? Trying one last time. <BR>This happened in Munich Germany. Neither of us can speak German and we got on a subway out in the suburbs where we had been staying with a friend of a business associate. There was no person to buy tickets from just a machine which was very complex looking and had many choices but all directions were only in German. We studied it long and picked what we thought was right. No one else was at this station when we got on. We rode into the city and were only a couple of stops from the museum where we wanted to get off. People kept getting on and off at all stops and a few men got on and one sat next to us. He wore a leather jacket. Suddenly he lept up after the train left the stop and started screaming at the tops of his lungs in German and stood accusingly in the face of a little old lady near us. She handed him a ticket. A few other men who got on at the same station as the leather man came over and stood around. We were scared and didn't know what was happening. After the lady gave him a ticket he suddenly turns to me and starts screaming in German. I didn't know what he wanted and said so in English. He kept screaming in German and started pulling me. Neither I nor my wife knew what was going on but it seemed to have something to do with tickets so I gave ours to him. Then he really got angry and kept shouting at us. At the next stop he and his companions surrounded us and forced us off the train onto the platform. I felt like we were back in the late 1930s with a bunch of Nazis. My parents used to tell me about things like this happening to them in the 30s when they lived in Europe. It was very frightening. We didn't know what was happening. The leather man kept shouting and started writing on a form then thust it into my hands and stood there glaring. What to do? FINALLY one of the other men spoke to me in English. He said we had overstayed on the train past the stop we were supposed to get off on so we had to pay a large fine RIGHT THEN. It was like about $100 US dollars. And none of these men wore uniforms or anything so we just didn't know if they were robbers. The English speaker said they worked as security or something for the subway and that we could not leave their presence until we paid. The fine was like $100 each. My wife had the money and they snatched it away but I didn't have that much on me so they took my passport number and said I had to go to a bank and pay the fine before I would be allowed to leave Germany. I didn't know the consequences so I did go to a bank and pay but maybe I shouldn't have. <BR>This was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. They were just like Nazis with the close cropped blonde hair and leather jackets and screaming at us in German.

cp

It was definitely the oysters I ate in Cadiz at the end of Carnival. <BR>I was visiting a friend and we shared a plate of raw oysters. The next day on the way back to Seville, I noticed that the bus was getting hotter and hotter. Then I noticed a queasy feeling in my stomach. Needless to say by that evening I had a full blown case of food poisoning. Happily, a Red Cross doctor was able to come give me a shot and some medication. Unhappily the effects lasted for a full week.

cp

It was definitely the oysters I ate in Cadiz at the end of Carnival. <BR>I was visiting a friend and we shared a plate of raw oysters. The next day on the way back to Seville, I noticed that the bus was getting hotter and hotter. Then I noticed a queasy feeling in my stomach. Needless to say by that evening I had a full blown case of food poisoning. Happily, a Red Cross doctor was able to come give me a shot and some medication. Unhappily the effects lasted for a full week.

Mort

<BR>Been trying to post here on Fodors all day to no avail yet. Let's see if it works now. <BR>This happened in Munich Germany. Neither of us can speak German and we got on a subway out in the suburbs where we had been staying with a friend of a business associate. There was no person to buy tickets from just a machine which was very complex looking and had many choices but all directions were only in German. We studied it long and picked what we thought was right. No one else was at this station when we got on. We rode into the city and were only a couple of stops from the museum where we wanted to get off. People kept getting on and off at all stops and a few men got on and one sat next to us. He wore a leather jacket. Suddenly he lept up after the train left the stop and started screaming at the tops of his lungs in German and stood accusingly in the face of a little old lady near us. She handed him a ticket. A few other men who got on at the same station as the leather man came over and stood around. We were scared and didn't know what was happening. After the lady gave him a ticket he suddenly turns to me and starts screaming in German. I didn't know what he wanted and said so in English. He kept screaming in German and started pulling me. Neither I nor my wife knew what was going on but it seemed to have something to do with tickets so I gave ours to him. Then he really got angry and kept shouting at us. At the next stop he and his companions surrounded us and forced us off the train onto the platform. I felt like we were back in the late 1930s with a bunch of Nazis. My parents used to tell me about things like this happening to them in the 30s when they lived in Europe. It was very frightening. We didn't know what was happening. The leather man kept shouting and started writing on a form then thust it into my hands and stood there glaring. What to do? FINALLY one of the other men spoke to me in English. He said we had overstayed on the train past the stop we were supposed to get off on so we had to pay a large fine RIGHT THEN. It was like about $100 US dollars. And none of these men wore uniforms or anything so we just didn't know if they were robbers. The English speaker said they worked as security or something for the subway and that we could not leave their presence until we paid. The fine was like $100 each. My wife had the money and they snatched it away but I didn't have that much on me so they took my passport number and said I had to go to a bank and pay the fine before I would be allowed to leave Germany. I didn't know the consequences so I did go to a bank and pay but maybe I shouldn't have. <BR>This was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. They were just like Nazis with the close cropped blonde hair and leather jackets and screaming at us in German.

Mort

<BR>Been having trouble all day posting here. One last attempt now. This happened in Munich Germany. Neither of us can speak German and we got on a subway out in the suburbs where we had been staying with a friend of a business associate. There was no person to buy tickets from just a machine which was very complex looking and had many choices but all directions were only in German. We studied it long and picked what we thought was right. No one else was at this station when we got on. We rode into the city and were only a couple of stops from the museum where we wanted to get off. People kept getting on and off at all stops and a few men got on and one sat next to us. He wore a leather jacket. Suddenly he lept up after the train left the stop and started screaming at the tops of his lungs in German and stood accusingly in the face of a little old lady near us. She handed him a ticket. A few other men who got on at the same station as the leather man came over and stood around. We were scared and didn't know what was happening. After the lady gave him a ticket he suddenly turns to me and starts screaming in German. I didn't know what he wanted and said so in English. He kept screaming in German and started pulling me. Neither I nor my wife knew what was going on but it seemed to have something to do with tickets so I gave ours to him. Then he really got angry and kept shouting at us. At the next stop he and his companions surrounded us and forced us off the train onto the platform. I felt like we were back in the late 1930s with a bunch of Nazis. My parents used to tell me about things like this happening to them in the 30s when they lived in Europe. It was very frightening. We didn't know what was happening. The leather man kept shouting and started writing on a form then thust it into my hands and stood there glaring. What to do? FINALLY one of the other men spoke to me in English. He said we had overstayed on the train past the stop we were supposed to get off on so we had to pay a large fine RIGHT THEN. It was like about $100 US dollars. And none of these men wore uniforms or anything so we just didn't know if they were robbers. The English speaker said they worked as security or something for the subway and that we could not leave their presence until we paid. The fine was like $100 each. My wife had the money and they snatched it away but I didn't have that much on me so they took my passport number and said I had to go to a bank and pay the fine before I would be allowed to leave Germany. I didn't know the consequences so I did go to a bank and pay but maybe I shouldn't have. <BR>This was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. They were just like Nazis with the close cropped blonde hair and leather jackets and screaming at us in German.

stephanie

On our first trip to Europe, my husb. & I did a whirlwind tour of 3 countries in 8 days, staying in a different town each night via Eurail w/o hotel reservations. We arrived in Innsbruck, Aust. train station at midnight (didn't plan too well that night.) I sat on our bags inside the station while my husband went just outside of it to see if there was a hotel in close sight with a room. While he was gone I was slowly encroached upon by what I would call a couple of "skinheads" just hanging out in the station at night. At some point before my husband returned to me, an older man dressed in some official uniform and cap approached me and started talking to me in German(?) After a few exchanges I realized that he was trying to tell me I should go "upstairs" to some waiting room. He could see that it wasn't safe for me there (as I sat clutching a pair of scissors behind my leg.) As soon as my husband returned with no room, I said "let's get out of here!" We hopped on the next train out of town hoping to sleep 4-5 hrs., then turn around and return to Innsbruck in a.m. On the train, several older nice ladies joined us in the closed compartment we selected for sleep. They were interested in talking to us, we didn't sleep. <BR> <BR>We returned to Innsbruck train station in the morning to find it brightly lit, sunshine pouring in, bakeries and shops opened and bustling, a far cry from the scary place of the night before.