If you are like me, you like to compare cultures, traditions, and facilities.
Here are some funny things we have encountered in our explorations.
1. Italian road signs. They are so confusing! They can be tricky to figure out. But I would imagine that foreigners driving in our country think the same thing. Here are a few gems:
Ok, this one means crosswalk, obviously. But I think they look like people dancing. Which is a lovely thought, really.
How about this one:
No! Not two lanes! Gasp!
We think this one means traffic ahead. But so far it hasn’t really turned out to be true.
Also, there are a lot of little white stick figures appearing to help us exit buildings, and cautioning against getting lost or hurt.
I find them chuckle-worthy. So this especially got me!
2. Smoking.
Wow, a lot of people smoke here. Young people, old people, anybody! Ick. I am not used to that. At all. Yay for clean air! Or at least clean-ish air.
3. Bathrooms
In think the bathrooms here are better than the ones I saw in France. But in the US it is so much easier to find public bathrooms. In Italy you have to pay to use the ones in public places….often about 1 euro. Totally worth it. The pay bathrooms are kept clean. But most public toilets have no seat and sometimes no toilet paper. Not so great. Sometimes all you can find are squatters! Maybe not so much of a problem for the guys, but a must to avoid for the ladies. Here was a lovely squatter in Pisa!
Yes folks, that’s it. You are seeing the complete bathroom. I especially like the addition of the hose as part of the faucet.
Us women folk waited until we found a bathroom we could pay to use. And it was a lovely one, at that.
The Traveling Humanist 
Hilarious signs. It seems like the illustrations on signs are supposed to break the language barrier, but sometimes it doesn’t quite do the trick. We found some funny signs on our trip in Europe last summer too.
http://halefmly.blogspot.com/2010/09/spits-and-spots.html
I am envious of your trip. I’m loving your blog posts.
Cynthia,
Your blog post was hilarious! We also have been giggling or all the mistranslations. They are so funny! We find that we are “severely forbidden” to do many things. Ha! How can something be more forbidden? I love it.
The bathroom search is a real pain sometimes. Imagine being out with a child who is potty training…and trying to find a bathroom when they need to go. It’s a nightmare. It’s also a good idea to carry TP with you.
I hate the smoking too. It’s ironic because the [Germans] are supposedly healthier than Americans. They are more active and don’t have an obesity problem. Yet, they smoke.
Yes, I always carry a travel roll of toilet paper and hand sanitizer with me just in case. Potty training is a nightmare even with lots of bathrooms……
Ha! That squatter paints quite the mental picture…