+11Some things you bring home from a trip don’t fit in a suitcase.
Have you ever picked up a word or phrase from a local that’s become part of your everyday vocabulary?
One of my personal favourites came home with me from Slovenia. The expression “Tristo kosmatih medvedov,” which translates to “three hundred hairy bears.” It’s a traditional Slovenian expression used to express surprise, frustration, or mild exasperation.
Tell us: What word or phrase came home with you?
+10I have a fond memory from a sleeper from Germany (Cologne, I think?) to Prague about 20 years ago.
The Brazilian couple in my compartment were struggling to communicate with the Czech attendant. Somehow, I ended up ‘translating’ via Spanish and German to sort out their ticket and breakfast. I don’t really speak either language (and neither did they), but we all understood enough to get a message across.
It was one of those lightbulb moments for me, realising how far you can get if everybody’s willing and patient.
You don’t need to be anything near fluent - just give it a go.
+1Talking to people is my favourite occupation when travelling.
On this night train from Stockholm to Narvik, I had a wonderful time with my five lovely Swedish companions. They talked English just for me, they explained to me the landscape through the window. We compared some cultural and social issues between Sweden and France.
We ended up talking linguistics : when she could not find the English word, one would use the Swedish word … and it sounded like the French word ! We discovered that the French and Swedish languages have some common roots.
We had fun, and now, whenever I hear the words “perron”, “persienne” or “balcon”, it reminds me of this delicious journey.
+11Thanks so much for sharing this
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