Funniest thing

Touring the Eastern European capitals, our group came to Moscow. The day was hot, and no matter how comfortably I dressed, sweat rained off me.

I could not wait to return to the hotel for a cold drink. I went to the dining room, where the waiters were preparing for lunch, and said, “Orange soda.” The waiter understood and brought me an orange soda, but it was warm!

Having learned that the Russian word for “ice” was yad, I pointed to my glass and said, “Yad. Yad.” 

The waiter viewed me with a stunned look and, astonishingly,...

Tell us about the funniest thing that happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Include your full mailing address. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged. 

This month’s winner is KATHLEEN ROBERTS of Pleasant Hill, CA:

While traveling in France in June 2010 celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent several wonderful days wending our way through the...

This month’s winner is JOHN WEISS of Canton, CT

In 1971, my wife and I spent three days of our honeymoon in Budapest, Hungary, at the Béke Hotel.  When we walked into our double room, we found it had two single camp beds at opposite ends. The first night, we unmade the beds and discovered that the sheets on one of the beds were filthy. After complaining to the hotel staff, nothing was done (this was during the Communist days), and we wound up both sleeping in the other twin bed for three nights. Thirty-three years later, my daughter and I visited Budapest on a one-week...