What is the most unpleasant thing that happened to you in Europe?
Sep 26th, 2002, 02:03 PM
#46
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Traveling by train from Athens to Budapest, we were told repeatedly by the Greeks that we did not need a visa to enter Hungary. WRONG! Border guards took us off the train at the Yugoslav/Hungary border, confiscated our passports, and left us in a deserted waiting room. <BR><BR>We spent the entire day waiting for a train to take us back to the next town inside Yugoslavia. No local currency, no food, no passport to change money, no information about what was going to happen to us. (This was back when we were behind the "iron curtain".) I just happened to be ill as well, and running a fever. To make matters worse, a friend was meeting our train in Budapest and we had no way to contact him. <BR><BR>We couldn't get a visa in the Yugoslav town we ended up in, so we had to choose between going all the way back to Belgrade or trying to cross the border via the highway. After several hours of trying, we were able to find a taxi driver to take us to the highway border crossing, which was nowhere near the town. We got our visas, but then the border guards would not let us WALK across the border. We had to find a vehicle that would take us those few feet!!<BR><BR>Then we still had to walk/hitchhike MILES through the countryside (I'm still running a fever)to get to the train station and pick up the train we had been on the day before. By the time we got to Budapest, we barely had a day to spend there. <BR><BR>
Oct 1st, 2002, 03:50 PM
#50
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My husband and I went to Paris for our honeymoon in 1997. After 2 days my husband developed an exceptionally high fever. He spent the rest of our honeymoon at the American Hospital in Neuilly sur Seine with Rheumatic fever.<BR>I spent most of my time at the hospital with him. We have yet to have the time to take off for a second honeymoon.....
Mar 22nd, 2003, 07:43 PM
#51
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We had stopped at a quiet sidewalk cafe in Paris for a pastry & I asked the waiter for directions to the "Ladies" room. It was located down a steep flight of stairs, in a deserted basement & had 2 coin-operated stalls. One of the stalls had a sign indicating that it was "out of order" & the other stall had the door jammed with a magazine. I forced the door open & was startled to see blood everywhere - on the walls, floor & covering the commode. In the commode was the lifeless body of a tiny baby that had been partially flushed. I ran up the stairs, told my husband to get out of there & that I would explain later, as I was afraid that we would be detained as suspects when the police were called. He could tell that I was dead serious & went outside (we hadn't ordered yet) to wait for me. I had noticed that one of the wait-staff spoke spanish & I went up to him as my spanish is limited but better than my french. I explained, as best I could, that the police needed to be called, etc. & then in the confusion, my husband & I slipped quickly away down the street. Very frightening & definitely put a damper on our trip to Paris.
Mar 23rd, 2003, 02:53 PM
#54
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I don't know whether to put this here or in "the Rome is a horror" post! <BR><BR>Along time ago in the late sixties on my first trip to Europe, my brother and I and his college roommate and his sister stayed at a camp in Rome. We then drove to see the opera Aida at the Baths of Caracalla. The others left their suitcases zipped in our tents, but I felt that might be risky , so I left my suitcase in our car( a tiny BMW with the door opening in the front) parked outside the baths. After the spectacular performance we returned to the car and found the side window broken and of course , the suitcase missing.<BR><BR>We drove to the police station to report it stolen. On our way we were sideswiped by an aggressive young Italian.We just motioned to him to follow us on to the police station and thought " what more could happen?" He shook his fist at us and sideswiped us again, this time damaging his car! We escaped from him by my brother noblely making a swift u-turn and going the wrong way down a one way street. Then on to the police station where they had us fill out a form and basicly said ,"Too bad."<BR><BR>We went back to the camp, packed up our stuff, and drove on to Siena which after Rome seemed an oasis of peace. <BR><BR>You should have seen me in a little store in Siena trying to convey that I wanted to buy a tooth brush and hair brush using gestures. In those days not many people spoke English there. I happily bought Italian skirts and sweaters which I loved wearing when I returned to the US. <BR><BR>That was only one of our "adventures" in our three months in Europe. We probably had angels watching over us to get us safely back to the US!<BR><BR>After 25 years I went back to Europe and to Rome, but I felt a little timid there remembering the past. Now, however, after 10 more trips to Europe in the past seven years, we love Rome and everywhere else we have been lucky enough to go to. When the war stops and the economy picks up again, we will go right back.<BR><BR><BR><BR>
Mar 23rd, 2003, 07:20 PM
#56
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While walking up to a lookout tower at the public park in Nimes, France, a man walked out of the bushes toward me with nothing on except a t-shirt and knee pads! I was alone on a woodland path from the main part of the park to the top of a hill. I immediately bolted back to the middle of town (probably a good 10 minute fast run) into a crowded square. It was in the middle of the afternoon after a very good lunch which I must say was spoiled. After that, I never walk alone in places with few people.
Mar 23rd, 2003, 07:42 PM
#57
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After picking up a car at Heathrow we headed off to Salisbury (very jet lagged) stopping for lunch on the way.<BR><BR>After driving some miles after lunch it sunk thru my jet lag that the sun was coming in the wrong side of the car and we were heading back to London.
Mar 24th, 2003, 11:08 PM
#58
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we were on a boat trip on the river LI in Gulin China, My husband & I were admiring the unusual shape of the hills on the riverbank.I looked down in the river & there was the body of a child about 2 yrs old. the boat just sailed right by . it was suggested that it was probably a little girl & due to the one child only law her parents wanted a boy !! we left China the next day. I have been haunted by that experience for many years & will nevergo back there
Mar 25th, 2003, 01:50 AM
#59
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A road rager in Brussels became infuriated that we dared to be in the pedestrian crossing on the Avenue Louise (at the Place Louise) when he wanted to speed through. He followed us with his car for a few minutes, then suddenly jumped out, waved a gun, and tried to shoot my husband at point blank range. Fortunately, he was so drunk he forgot the gun wasn't loaded, so my husband jumped him and started pounding him. I grabbed the gun and ran into the Citadines Hotel and asked them to call the police (scaring the poor girls at the front desk half to death). The man managed to get back into his car and drive away--with all this activity, none of us (including several witnesses) managed to get his license plate number!
