Finding the Funny in Travel

When you travel full-time for just shy of a year, you encounter a LOT of funny things. Here is a portion of the images that we found humorous during our 2022-23 set of travels, grouped into sorta logical groups/sorta in chronological order.

Disclaimer #1: This page probably works best on a laptop/tablet.

Disclaimer #2: if you followed us on FB (back when I was still used FB), some of these will be familiar.

1. YOU GONNA EAT THAT?

Restaurants, both their names & menu items, are fertile grounds for humor. They’re rife with mistranslations, typos, and cultural references that Americans (at least, this American) find giggle-worthy.

Round Rock, Texas
Holy Shit! A 32 oz margarita to go? We must be in Texas!

Loire Valley⁩, France
French villages too small for a boulangerie (bakery) have baguette vending machines.

Basel, Switzerland
We did not patronize this bar

Basel⁩, Switzerland
We didn’t patronize this restaurant, either.

‎⁨

Regensburg, Germany
In retrospect, I wish I’d ordered this.

Passau, Germany
Pork, Pork, Pork, Pork. And “meatless happyness”. I found myself singing “Spam, spam, spam, spam…”

Sens, France
Another restaurant we didn’t patronize.

Conway, Wales
Way to really commit.

Barmouth, Wales
I think they should replace their “don’t compromise” slogan with “tasty going in AND going out”. We didn’t try one.

Tenby, Wales
This sign just outside a pub made me want to turn around and not go in.

London, England
Yeah, go get plastered against the other wall.

Glasgow, Scotland
Seriously?! They’re celebrating that their pizza is not fried? And what the hell are “fake chips”?

Stockholm, Sweden
This was a wonderful salad. Just a little startled since it was described as a Caesar salad.

Trondheim, Norway
We did NOT try this beer, because how could it not taste like a glass full of …. BTW, the brewery is still owned by the Aass family.

Aberdeen, Scotland
After divorcing the prince, Cinderella went into the restaurant business.

Patmos, Greece
This scary ice cream monster appeared outside several Greek ice cream shops

Mandraki, Greece
I’d be willing to try #18, but only if they’ve never been worn.

Rhodes, Greece
I wonder … are the children fried or grilled?

Rhodes, Greece
I was too scared to eat here. I will have nightmares about this guy forever.

Datca, Türkiye
Their menu is alway evolving.

Datca, Türkiye
Dolmas by Papa Smurf. I’m sure they’re delicious.

Datca, Türkiye
The Turkish versions of Doritos are scary.

Demre, Türkiye
So, this is where he spends his summers!

Kultak, Türkiye
While cycling through Turkish mountains we stopped for a snack at a tiny roadside cafe (why Joy looks so sweaty). Who knew Santa was a common decorative motif?

Antalya, Türkiye
A paper placemat for beginner waiters? Does the waiter get points deducted for not placing the fork & knife ON each appropriate image… and forgetting the spoon?

Isparta, Türkiye
“Roll of bread with flesh” One less cat in the neighborhood, Mrs. Lovett?

Sarria, Spain
Google translation for the win!

San Paio, Spain
Wow, practically a metropolis!

Santiago de Campostela, Spain
I could imagine an alternate universe where I might try #21, but there’s no way in hell I’d ever try #39.

Ocala, Florida
I thought this sign was funny. Just now, I realized that we opted to eat outside. Self-burn!

2. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Kids in other countries get to play with pretty cool stuff that would never be allowed in the US. We’re raising a country of wimpy kids, I tell you!

Cologne, Germany
Holy cow, look at how steep that slide is! No wonder the Germans excel at Olympic ski jumping

Brekstad, Norway
“Really, son, it’s a magic, invisible slide. It’ll be fun!” We were all perplexed about how to use this playground structure. The Norwegians also want their kids to excel at ski jumping.

Brekstad, Norway
“Really, son, you’ll have fun in this creepy barn-like structure that only looks like a place a mass murderer hangs his victims…”

Snowdonia, Wales
Up until you’re about 8, this would be a great school to attend. Telling strangers where you go to school after that would suck.

Oren, Tükiye
Even teddy bears have to unwind with a beer now and then.

Brekstad, Norway
This Norwegian playground had lots of ways for parents to torture their kids. Joy tries out this device while our friend, Karen, sends psychic vibes to help Joy spin. (Click the image to watch the video.)

3. FLUSH WITH EXCITEMENT

Bathrooms are inherently funny. Okay, maybe that only applies if your last name is “Navarrete.”

Basel, Switzerland
Not a subtle bathroom indicator.

Krems an der Donau⁩, Switzerland
A subtle women’s bathroom sign. Only after I saw the bike on the other door wasn’t a step-through did I figure which one to use. Sorry the image is blurry, but taking a photo of the women’s restroom door seems risky, if not risqué.

Attica, Greece
Another set of subtle bathroom indicators. Don’t these people realize I’m in a hurry and don’t have time for an intelligence test?

Krems an der Donau⁩, Switzerland
Is there another set of these in case you need to do more than pee?

A web site somewhere in Wales
Wales has a national requirement for local toilet strategies! Brilliant!

Aberfeldy, Scotland
Scotland’s equivalent to Wales’s toilet strategy: a comfort scheme!

Basel, Switzerland
Ah Teslas. I always knew they’re silent but deadly.

Pitlochry, Scotland
Wait. Aren’t you teaching your child to eat poop?

Stirling, Scotland
I burst out laughing at this sign.

Glasgow, Scotland
Scots really like word play. They may also like bathroom humor even more than I do. (See what I did there?)

Callander, Scotland
This may be my favorite signs of 2023

Callander, Scotland
If the Yoga sign doesn’t work, resort to this one.

Lochearnhead, Scotland
Owner of the restaurant said this shtick has actually increased business.

Lochearnhead, Scotland
When you’re on the toilet, this is what you’re staring at.

Lochearnhead, Scotland
We saw lots of variations of this one, but this is the only one with a Roman Centurion.

Glasgow, Scotland
Glaswegians have their own incomprehensible slang. “Nae Menchies” means “no graffiti.”

Liverpool, England
We didn’t have time (or the need) so not sure what makes their loos famous.

Passau, Germany
“Pimp your coffee/Pipi Lounge” — I couldn’t decide whether to put this picture into the food humor section or the bathroom humor section.

4. IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD

Random stuff we thought was funny.

Round Rock, Texas
In case you can’t make this out, it’s Texan driving a riding mower, and another sitting on the second set of blades to weigh it down. I image that this started with a, “Hold my beer…”

Merida, Mexico
Door-to-door piñata sales! Does he also sell candy?

Saint-Laurent-Nouan, France
Joy’s timing as she cycled past this field was impeccable

Staffordshire, England
So disappointed. Not a single box of Raisinettes or buttered popcorn for sale anywhere along this trail.

‎⁨Breda, Netherlands
Too clever by half. Wish I’d thought of it.

Saumur, France
Who knew that troglodytes were so agile?

Ulm, Germany
When you’re a 600+ year-old building, you’re allowed to sag a little (or even a lot).

Regensburg, Germany
Are we were in the Red Light district of Amsterdam?

York, England
Okay, so is it good for 24 hours or not? This packaging was designed by BOTH Marketing and Product Engineers.

London, England
Our London hotel was air-conditioned by Daleks. “You will be exterminated!”

Guess where?, Wales
If you think that name is long, I’m bummed we missed the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Watch a weatherman say it.

Grittleton, England
Two questions: 1) How in the world do you bail sawdust? 2) Someone buys sawdust?

London, England
NOT what you want to see when you step into the elevator.

Kenmore, Scotland
Oh, crap! Did we miss the turn?

Callandar, Scotland
Context is everything.

Bolfraks, Scotland
Our B&B said they’d be put Ham & Cheese sandwiches in our lunches. Turns out it was a ham sandwich and a cheese sandwich.

Aberfeldy, Scotland
I burst out laughing at this sign. I’m fairly certain the owner didn’t hear me, though.

Pitlochry, Scotland
This liquor store had tons of good joke signs, like “Soup of the day: whisky.”

Glasgow, Scotland
Let me guess: you have to build your own roller coasters.

Edinburgh, Scotland
Scottish liquor stores are really funny.

Edinburgh, Scotland
I was tempted to jump onto his back and give him the address to our restaurant.

German⁩ train ticket website
Apparently, you can only buy German train tickets if you’re a professor or a doctor. But, ideally, a mixture of both.

Broadford, Scotland
Call me a wimp, but I’d rather sleep in the woods than spend the night in a hostel run by funeral directors.

Scourie, Scotland
I guess this hotel doesn’t really want you to use the TV.

Kalymnos, Greece
Pottery created by Gary Larson’s (Far Side cartoons) great, great, great, etc. grandfather thousands of years ago.

Kalymnos, Greece
If you display it in the store window, is it still secret?

Oren, Türkiye
Joy at a bank of banks!

Sultaniye, Türkiye
Not the kind of sights we were expecting to see while cycling in Türkiye.

Portomarin, Spain
I was worried that our hotel room might be really, really small

Santiago de Campostela, Spain
We were perplexed. Yep, laundromat, big comfy chairs to sit and read, expresso machine…

Madrid Airport, Spain
I bet all their products stink.

Kent, England
I was nervous what people might think of us if we used this path.

5. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

I have a weird fascination with capturing warning signs. Sometimes the images themselves are amusing, sometimes the wording catches my attention, and sometimes the stuff they’re warning you about is weird. This is a small fraction of the warning signs I photographed. Not surprisingly, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland had a LOT of warning signs.

Calakmul, Mexico
Yeah, watch out for jaguars. And if you get a flat, do NOT stop to fix it!

Havana, Cuba
The hand-drawn clarification of this sign was fantastic. Or, maybe they’re capturing what it’s like to have a child in his terrible twos.

Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Someone in the Park Service really enjoyed creating this warning sign.

Melk, Austria
Yeah, this sucker was scary steep to cycle (Melk, Austria). Why do I like pictures of cyclists flipping over head-first?

Spitz, Austria
Down with the tyranny of two wheels! … It was a freakin’ steep, unpaved part of the bike path — which I chose to ride down.

Tullin, Austria
Spelling bees conducted in German must really suck. And as someone commented in FB…. require a LOT of patience!

Vienna, Austria
I can usually figure out warning signs without knowing the foreign language. The middle one had me perschmuggled. Google translation: Beware of storms.

York, Englad
This sign was amusing all on its own, but I was really hoping we’d meet an adult so I could ask if they were really giving away their kids and animals.

Fountains Abbey, Ripon, England
Another super-nice, wordy British sign. In the US we’d just say, “Slippery when wet.”

London, England
Spiderman must hate London.

Masai Mara, Kenya
Tents are okay on this side because the wild animals apparently respect the sign.

Conwy, Wales
Does the image in the middle mean. “Watch out for headaches”? Turns out the tiny wording says “Please let your eyes adjust to the darkness.”

Beaumaris, Scotland
Watch out for evil bats? Nope. Aggressive seagulls.

St Davids, Wales
Everyone who works at Toyota probably has this photo over their desks.

London, England
They’re so tiny, how can you even tell they’ve been tipped? (If you’re American, Google “fly tipping”. I had to.)

Gairloch, Scotland
This was at the start of a public walking trail. Yeah, this sign made us feel all warm and fuzzy about our hike.

Thrisk, England
I posted this to FB with the blurb, “I know the Brits really prefer dogs over cats, but this is beyond the pale!” Several fellow Americans were highly wound up about this sign until I explained it. (Cats eyes are what we refer to as “Dots Bots” – reflective lane dividers.)

Nairobi, Kenya
This sign must be intended for travelers going to a nudist beach.

Ardvreck Castle, Scotland
Was this enough of a problem that they had to create a warning sign? Gross!!!

Rhodes, Greece
Ummm, so what are you supposed to do?

Kos, Greece
In case you’re tempted, don’t dance on pillars at this archaeological site.

Ephesus(?), Türkiye, (1999)
We were NOT dancing. Honest. We do look kinda stiff, though. (photo by John Klemm?)

Lindos, Greece
I may have violated the bottom left rule a time or two while visiting archaeological sites.

Lindos, Greece
Only people with healthy diets are allowed on this bus.

Everywhere, Türkiye
I cycled past several instances of this sign before I figured it out. “Watch out for nuclear weapons?” “Watch out for ET conducting an orchestra?” I finally figured out it’s a forest fire warning with a match, flames and a tree.

‎⁨Iztuzu Plajı⁩, ⁨Muğla⁩, ⁨Türkiye⁩
Look at the “do not feed” image on the right. Who the heck is going to pick up a crab bare-handed … and then feed it to a sea turtle?

Agullu Kaş, Türkiye
As I cycled up to this sign I wondered, “Are there wild dogs around here?” Nope. Just local dogs that like to lounge in the middle of the road. Some of them were so inured to traffic, you to had to swerve around them.

Zaferier, Türkiye
Tortoise & the ~~hare~~ deer. These two signs were about 100 yards apart. You came to the tortoise warning before the deer warning, of course.

Everywhere, Türkiye
This is what happens when DOT employees insist on geological accuracy.

Sipahiler, Türkiye
This Turkish road is incalculably steep! So glad we were cycling down and not up.

Airexe, Spain
This sign had me laughing for hours. The translation is: Attention. Crazy Dog. Knows Karate. Black belt. Jackie Chan.” Though I have to admit I stared at the last line for some time before I figured it out. I kept thinking it was a word in Mayan.

Segovia, Spain
Those are some mean trees if they’re throwing their own branches at you. The funny thing is none of these trees was taller than 10 feet and they had thin little branches.

Santiago de Campostela, Spain
We weren’t sure if they meant, “don’t litter”, or “keep out”, or maybe something else. There was no Spanish version of this sign, so I couldn’t see what their original intent was. Or maybe they just don’t anyone fucking with the fence because that it makes the fence feel … defensive?

Madrid, Spain
…. Or maybe they could get less clumsy construction workers.

6. SIGNS OF TROUBLE

Every now and then, you spot a sign that leaves you doing a double-take or just laughing out loud.

Whistable, England
They really know how to spoil their oysters. Hmmm. Spoiled oysters sounds like a bad idea.

Loch Lomond, Scotland
Well, maybe they just spell “grammar” differently in the UK. Or maybe this lady has grandkids and she’s a GRAMarian?

Whistable, England
Yep. We only sell shoes. Exclusively shoes. Just shoes. Except for all the other stuff we sell

Paris, France
We immediately understood that this area in front of baggage claim means, ”Leave area free for folks are mobility impaired, vision impaired, hearing impaired, and ….., ummm, ummm.” We spent a long time guessing what that last image meant. We discarded several possibilities, including: “people who suffer from split personality”, “people who talk to themselves”, “bi-racial travelers”. We asked airport employees who were wearing vests with this set of images. They didn’t know what that symbol means, either.