I posted this on Instagram 4 days ago. I first saw the sign in Brussels, Belgium, and since then, I've seen it Gent, Belgium, as well as Dusseldorf, Germany. I wondered where else this sign might be, since I had never seen it in the United States. It got me wondering--how universal are signs?
Here's the sign again in Dusseldorf at the harbor, but this time it's blue and white instead of green and white. It's also missing a 4th head, which was one of the comments that I got on Instagram. The sign indicates an assembly point, a place outside for people to go in case of an emergency. I didn't know this until a Dutch friend told me in a comment on Facebook (I also posted the image there)! |
Now, I still have no clue what Treffpunkt Bootsfahrschulen means, though I do know that boot in German and Dutch means boat in English. I had seen the sign (right) on a previous trip to Bruge, Belgium, and had laughed, since I imagined a boot floating down the river! I have seen hundreds of signs with spelling errors, and since I'm a teacher, I always seem to spot them! Signs are everywhere. One universal one that I've seen in every country I've visited is the red and white stop sign. I include the colors, since in my example of the assembly sign, colors can be different for similar signs. Continue scrolling for a bunch of "signs" that I've seen throughout my travels, and please keep in mind that signs aren't always printed on metal or paper! |
First, a few hand signs--stop at left, and thumbs up below. Both of these hand gestures can be considered offensive in some countries, especially if your fingers are spread apart in the stop gesture, or when you move you hand up and down in the thumbs up gesture. Before you visit any country, find out what different hand gestures mean before using any extensively around strangers. |
Though we tend to look around and up while sightseeing, occasionally there are important signs written on the ground, as is the case with these two--from London (left), and Dusseldorf (right).
The "Look Right" message was everywhere in London, and I was extremely grateful, since I'm so used to looking left. If you're from the U.K., I'm sure you wish the Americans were as kind, especially if you are experiencing traffic in your vacation to New York City, for example! The red in front of the BUS indicates a bike lane, and the color is consistent in Germany and the Netherlands. But some of the sidewalks for pedestrians in the Netherlands are also red, so you always have to be aware. | Speaking of being aware, I think that is the message this sign (left) was meaning to convey. As we passed by, we laughed, and wondered, do pedestrians act like zombies or are they violent?! Since there were many people around, the thought was even funnier. Guess you had to be there! Speaking of funny, I liked this one below! |
Signs aren't limited to cities; I've seen them when taking a river cruise in Koblenz, Germany (left) and walking along a trail in the Netherlands (right).
While in Belgium, we saw the sign above advertising Belgian waffles for 1 euro each. That explained the line! Of course, after we stood in line, we discovered that yes, a waffle was 1 euro, but you had to pay extra for any of the wonderful toppings; they had examples of all of the different possibilities. Talk about false advertising! We did get a waffle, with dark chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream, for a little over 4 euros. All the examples at the counter, though, made it possible to point to order, and not have to worry about any language barriers!
There's no doubt about her boyfriend's sign of affection at my daughter's college graduation. Her smile is a sign of happiness, and that is the sign that I most like to see, anywhere I travel! So, in conclusion, be aware (!!) of all of the signs around you; are they universal or unique?