Caught out in Corfu
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We are currently buying a property in Naxos so over this past year we have met and engaged solicitors and the like. I'm also frantically studying Greek so can you imagine my horror when I learnt that my name 'Pippa' translated, is a sexual act! No wonder everyone remembered me! I will be calling myself Philippa in future!
My daughter got married in France, recently, and wanted her hair put up for the big day. We were showing the French hairdresser photographs of how our English hairdresser had created the style. I thought I had said 'she used a brush, rather than a comb'. Several hours later, it dawned on me that I had confused 'peigne' (comb), with 'peignoir' (robe). No-wonder she looked puzzled....and carried on with a peigne....!
On our first visit to Greece we were given a delicious liqueur by the taverna manager. We asked where we could buy a bottle of it. He said he made it. We nagged him so he said it was called "Tipota". We trudged around the booze shops asking for it. They all laughed and shook their heads. Tipota means "nothing" or "anything". Nice one! We live in Greece now and are a little better!
I once was in Athens, Plaka (near the Akropolis). I was standing near a kiosk when an Asian looking tourist said to the man who worked at this kiosk: voulomai es parthenonan ienai, which in Ancient Greek means, I want to go to the Parthenon (Akropolis). I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time when the man responded back to him: 'I don't speak English...'.
I was in Athens and I showed a Greek man a photo of the Acropolis. He said something that sounded like, 'och aye' and moved his head up and over his shoulder, then he walked down the street in front of me and my family. Thinking he knew how to get there we started to follow him and he started to jog. We jogged after him, he started to run, we started to run, he ran up alleyways, we followed. Then he disappeared. My wife shouted at me to give her the phrasebook. 'Och aye' in Greek means 'no' (Όχι).
On my first visit to Greece I wanted to try very hard to speak the language so for days I had been greeting the locals with 'kalimari' (sounds like 'kalimaree') instead of 'kalimera' (sounds like 'kalimeara'). Little did I know that I was greeting them with 'squid' instead of 'hello'.
The local bus driver and conductor always laughed, I did wonder what the joke was. ME! Having said that, on the same trip I got into a short conversation with a Greek lady who wanted to travel to England saying that English husbands seemed so kind, unlike Greek men, who were SO SHELLFISH! I had to smile. : )
While paying the bill in a restaurant in Corfu, before leaving I tried to say " (ev-ha-rees-toh poh-lee)" which means "thank you very much" but I said "(ev-ha-rees-toh poo-lee)" which means "thank you bird".
The man, a large burly Greek gave me a very strange look. I departed quickly.
In Skiathos at a periptero (kiosk) I purchased a box of matches...I wanted to ask, "how much are they?" but instead asked, "how old are they?" to much amusement!
I once called a Greek priest patata (potato) by mistake instead of Patera (Father).
My classic error was confusing the words kouresmenos(tired) with methosmenos(drunk) I had helped a friend paint his taverna overnight I went to the local Kafe at around 6.30a.m. and when the local priest asked me how I was instead of replying very tired I said that I was megalo methesmenos(very drunk) The priest railed at me for five minutes saying I was a typical Scotsman but my Greek friends all found it highly ammusing.
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