Misadventures With The Wrong Language Group, Wrong Coach, Wrong Taxi

Flag of France from Wikipedia.

Problem
Have you ever lost your tour group or had trouble finding your coach or taxi in a car park during a travel trip?

Story of My Misadventure
I once joined an English speaking group on a guided tour of a stately home in France - and I stopped to take a photo. We had joined the English tour group of the stately home. I did not know the guide or the other people on the guided tour, and neither the guide nor the other guests knew me.

 I was with a group who had an English speaking guide - easy, ok?

I saw a group at the end of the gallery and ran up. From the back of the crowd I worked my way forward. When I could hear, I realised the guide was speaking German!

 Okay, so maybe we had some Germans in our group. Eventually I asked him if he could repeat his story in English. He told me, "You are with the wrong group. This is a German group."

I tried three different group before I found the English group.


If only they had carried flags!

That's one story of my French misadventure. It was not my only misadventure. Call me Miss Adventure.
Flags are very handy.

Learn A Language
On the other hand, if I had learned to speak German fluently, I could have stayed with the German speaking group. But then I would have my husband, got back to the car park at the wrong time and boarded the wrong coach.

You also need flags on coaches. Several time I have been on a tour and the guide has told us to remember our coach number plate. Trying to remember a coach number plate is much harder than recognizing a flag.

Identifying A Taxi In India
As for a taxi, I once remembered the ending of a taxi number plate in India. When I emerged from the museum, which had four exits and four car parks, I discovered that all taxis had number plates ending with the same two digits or letters.

If only I had brought with a little Union Jack and Blutac to stick it on the front windscreen. It is easy enough to take a picture or flag from a magazine or newspaper or free map and keep it in your handbag or travel bag to add to your suitcase or taxi windscreen.

Useful Websites
For a free learn online language website for French, German and English from other languages, try:
duolingo.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Trafalgar Square and the Twelve Days of Christmas

Christmas Tree to see in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square in London always has a Christmas tree, a Norway spruce sent to England from Norway, a custom started the Christmas after the end of WWII as thanks to Britain for supporting Norway.

Why Is the Tree In Trafalgar Square?
Why not Piccadilly, centre of London? Whilst Piccadilly with its statue of eros, god of love, stands at the start of Shaftesbury Avenue, at the lower end of Regent Street, famous for fine shops and toy store Hamlets, Trafalgar Square is an open space where you have room for pedestrians to gather and happy crowds to sing carols. You can stand under Nelson's column, near the National Portrait gallery featuring famous heroes and heroines of Britain and the world.

Even if you cannot visit Trafalgar Square at Christmas, as an armchair traveller, book reader, news reader, shopper, or TV news follower you will see Trafalgar Square in countless souvenirs and pictures and news events.

Why is Trafalgar Square Called That?
Trafalgar Square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar. Where is Trafalgar? The column supports the statue of Nelson, famous for sending the message, 'England expects every man to do his duty'.

How do I know this? I learned all about the message at a museum in Wales, and later I remind myself by checking up on the internet. This easy to remember message and its history is a reminder to keep things simple. Nelson was going to use a longer words but the man sending the message from ship to ship with flags in a hurry needed s simpler message with fewer letters.

Christmas Carols
One of the Christmas carols most useful to people learning English is the twelve days of Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree.

Learning and Teaching English Through Songs
Using The Twelve Days of Christmas:
You learn (or teach) both the simple cardinal or quantity numbers: one, two, three, and the ordinal or order numbers, such as first day of Christmas.

You also learn (or teach) me and my.  My true love gave to me ...

Guide to Stars:
***** Cross the world to see this. Major attraction or landmark in major city.
**** Divert to this city to see it. Major city and major attraction
*** Stop at this city if en route. Top of the list of attractions in this great/small city or town.
** Major site in this city, town, suburb.
* Quirky little thing. If you happen to be nearby, have a look.

Travel Visit Checklist
***** 1 England: Trafalgar Square, London (See Nelson's column)
*** 2 Wales : The Monmouth Museum or The Nelson Museum about Nelson
* 3 Finsbury Square fountain.

http://www.uncoverdiscover.com/facts/the-worlds-10-most-famous-christmas-trees/moscow-russia/

http://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/gallery/2013112815880/top-ten-christmas-trees-in-the-world/1/

Follow my posts of blogger, my pictures and news items on Facebook, like me on Facebook, link to me on LinkedIn, see me reading poetry or talking about restaurant etiquette on YouTube, or read about my books on Amazon and Lulu.com
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, English teacher, author, speaker.