The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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The Late Night Gourmet said:
I saw this sign, and I chuckled until I looked more closely.

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I assume what this really means is that there are businesses that try to steer you towards their establishment. I’m sure it happens for tourists without them realizing it. Are there signs like this in other major cities that I have just missed somehow?
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It happens in the Tourist places around the Med, mostly I think in Greece and Turkey. Every restaurant, particularly along beach fronts or tourist towns, has a barker outside who engages with people and tries to tempt them in. Most are good fun, and a funny or original barker can sway you towards a place. Occasionally you get the ones with a bit of attitude, or who may try to guide you by the elbow to their establishment and you have to be firm.
The very best ones don't do the hard sell, but recognise you and say hello again every time you pass their restaurant. After a couple of days you realise you are having conversations with them and like them, and before the week is out you are eating at their place. They would make excellent fishermen.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
It happens in the Tourist places around the Med, mostly I think in Greece and Turkey. Every restaurant, particularly along beach fronts or tourist towns, has a barker outside who engages with people and tries to tempt them in. Most are good fun, and a funny or original barker can sway you towards a place. Occasionally you get the ones with a bit of attitude, or who may try to guide you by the elbow to their establishment and you have to be firm.
The very best ones don't do the hard sell, but recognise you and say hello again every time you pass their restaurant. After a couple of days you realise you are having conversations with them and like them, and before the week is out you are eating at their place. They would make excellent fishermen.
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Soon after I posted this, my wife made me give 20 Euros to a woman for her flowers because she said she was supporting 6 children. We are now getting swarmed by people with flowers who are telling me I look like George Clooney and my wife looks like Shakira. :laugh:
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I saw this sign, and I chuckled until I looked more closely.

View attachment 69025

I assume what this really means is that there are businesses that try to steer you towards their establishment. I’m sure it happens for tourists without them realizing it. Are there signs like this in other major cities that I have just missed somehow?
Click to expand...
I found this funny cause it's all over the place in tourist places here in Portugal. Restaurant staff will be out on the streets approaching tourists to show them menus and lure them into their restaurant. You're not forced to go, but I personally find this approach very annoying.
 
LissaC said:
I found this funny cause it's all over the place in tourist places here in Portugal. Restaurant staff will be out on the streets approaching tourists to show them menus and lure them into their restaurant. You're not forced to go, but I personally find this approach very annoying.
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I first thought that showing that we already bought roses would ward off other people, but instead it attracted more. I realized soon that seeing these roses translated into Greek as “I am gullible”.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I first thought that showing that we already bought roses would ward off other people, but instead it attracted more. I realized soon that seeing these roses translated into Greek as “I am gullible”.
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You should have jumped right in, waving your roses about and shouting, "ROSES! ROSES FOR SALE! CHEAPEST ROSES IN ATHENS!" :laugh:
 
By the way those kind of tourist scams are sadly very popular in Europe... I believe Paris is considered the biggest offender with acts such as folks pretending to drop stuff on the ground and then trying to rob you, or fake sellers putting a ring on your finger and forcing you to pay for it, taxi drivers who agree on a fare and then charge you a lot more, and fake money collections for all sorts of fake charities. My personal approach to this is never ever give money to people asking on the streets.
 
LissaC said:
By the way those kind of tourist scams are sadly very popular in Europe... I believe Paris is considered the biggest offender with acts such as folks pretending to drop stuff on the ground and then trying to rob you, or fake sellers putting a ring on your finger and forcing you to pay for it, taxi drivers who agree on a fare and then charge you a lot more, and fake money collections for all sorts of fake charities. My personal approach to this is never ever give money to people asking on the streets.
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I am a very familiar with the "gypsies" in European cities, and especially tourist destinations. :(

CD
 
caseydog said:
I am a very familiar with the "gypsies" in European cities, and especially tourist destinations. :(

CD
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It was one of the things I read a lot about while preparing for my trip to Paris, the scams kept coming up in everyone's reports. Yet it was 8AM and there I was walking in front of the Louvre when I found myself surrounded by a group if 5 or 6 people who wanted me to give 10€ for some fake charity! I did as a friend told me, hold my bag, pretend I couldn't understand th, babble some things in Portuguese and run! By the way speaking Portuguese is a good way to deter people who approach you in english I can easily pretend I don't understand what they say 😂
 
My parents went with my sister to look at a senior living community they've been researching, and really liked it. Looks like that are ready to pull the trigger... now. I'm going to go down and see the place during the Labor Day weekend (end of the month).

Looks like my life is about to get very busy.

CD
 
Bugger, hubby's now going to be home for a minimum on the next 7 days as ACT goes into a snap lockdown. Until today ACT (Australian capital territory, aka Canberra) had not had a single case in over 13 months. And whilst we don't live in ACT, we're what is known as border residents. Both for NSW and ACT. That means we have to live by both sets of rules and keep track of border zones changing. He works (normally) in ACT, we shop in ACT but live in NSW. He actually can't do his job unless he's on site for defence (just think about levels of security and some networks can not be logged into unless you are in a defence building).

And it will mean that the chimney isn't going to be fixed so no fire and next week is going to be clear skies all week, so cold nights, cold mornings...

At least on a sheep farm we're not confined to living inside the house unlike our friends. We've no neighbours, but also no food shopping etc. In fact the closest food shops are over the border in ACT unless you want fuel.

Guess I'll be getting more creative with the contents of our freezer. Panic buying has already started apparently.
 
Hubby's just rung. The Colonel he's working with at the moment has told him to go home. So 1pm and he's heading to the shops (Thursday is our normal shopping day) and then he'll be home.

Glad I had my 'lie in' this morning (I snook back to bed after her went to work).
 
caseydog said:
My parents went with my sister to look at a senior living community they've been researching, and really liked it. Looks like that are ready to pull the trigger... now. I'm going to go down and see the place during the Labor Day weekend (end of the month).

Looks like my life is about to get very busy.

CD
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So both of your parents need more assustance and are ready to move into a senior community?
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Hubby's just rung. The Colonel he's working with at the moment has told him to go home. So 1pm and he's heading to the shops (Thursday is our normal shopping day) and then he'll be home.

Glad I had my 'lie in' this morning (I snook back to bed after her went to work).
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Hubby's only just walked in. The weekly shop and filling up with fuel has taken 4 hrs instead of the usual 1½hrs (usually ½hr in the shop, ¼hr to fill up and ¾hr to drive home).

It's at times like this that the beauty of living rurally really hits home and totally out does the hardships.
 
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