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That's me circa 1999 in Wales. Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia to be exact. My husband was stationed in England from 1996-2000. We were married in 1998 and I joined him in England from 1998-2000. It was an awesome experience! I would love to go back! We visited so many wonderful places- all of which I would love to visit again.
My most vivid memory of Wales was while driving through a village, and elderly woman with a cane flagged us down. We stopped and she asked us for a ride to church. We agreed and she immediately informed me there was no way she was climbing in the back seat of our little English car and banished me to the backseat. I obliged and she climbed in.
Once in the car, she informed us that church was the next village over. We were heading that way anyway, so we drove where she requested. When we arrived at the church, she got out of the car, left her cane in it and went inside to see if her friends were there. They were not, so she requested we take her somewhere else. We drove her around for forty-five minutes from church to church and village to village each time with her leaving her cane in our car so that we couldn't leave her. Finally, hysterical with laughter, at yet, ANOTHER church, DJ and were hurriedly trying to discuss what to do before she came back. We decided to just leave and she could get another ride if she needed it. I worried about her cane, so he quickly threw her cane on the little walk right in front of the church and we sped away, laughing hysterically and certain all the other villagers were laughing at the stupid tourists that gave a ride to the village nut.
So.. if you find a lost elderly woman in Wales...
...OR if you hear about the time the Americans kidnapped the Welsh lady...
...well, you haven't seen us. Alright?
**Disclaimer: My husband wants me to add this disclaimer because he is afraid this sounds too mean-spirited. The villages in Wales (England too) are all very close together and when we left her, she was within 5 miles of where we picked her up. We didn't just dump an old woman off in the middle of the countryside. She was sharp as a tack and had all her wits about her. It was clear after the fourth stop, that she was just using us as a taxi cab to go from place to place and we had to get on our way. We don't normally pick up hitchhikers, but as we were driving through the village, she literally stepped in front of our car to flag us down. We had to stop to keep from hitting her and when she asked for a ride to church, we didn't see any harm in it. Europe is not like America. I think I'm done now. Carry on.
OMG, I can't believe that you left her there. I would have never been able to do that. Poor lady.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything. Mumm's the word!
ReplyDeleteonly thing i see is i am envy you were in elgland...we never been there
ReplyDeleteif we go we will never pick up the old lady...=)
That is hilarious! And I love how shit like that only happens in Europe, never in America. If that had been America, you would have been shot in the head or mugged or roped into some multi-level-marketing scheme. In England, it's all just good fun!
ReplyDeleteYou were really sweet to take her all around. Mentally, I threw the cane out on the sidewalk the first time you stopped. My husband, on the other hand, would still be driving her around.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you have some good memories of your stay with us!! Miss you guys and when you come over please come visit us xx
ReplyDeleteI LOVE looking at old photos and reliving the memories. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the cane would have left our car after the 2nd or 3rd stop. What a great story!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how these unplanned somewhat annoying moments can become so memorable. I think you should share this story with the kids and plant the seed that annoying people get left in villages. That should keep them in line in your next car ride.
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