I’ve just been writing about Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village. Andy and I visited some years ago. While the setting and the story behind its subscription library, one of the oldest in Europe, left a lasting impression, so did a sign in a window. It was this.
It made us laugh, but whether anyone who wasn’t genned up on Scottish lingo would understand it, is another matter.
Most places have signs that catch the eye for one reason or another. Some are personal, while others are official, or even a slice of street art.
Gulp!
This one was in Corsica, which has the highest murder rate per capita in Europe. This doesn’t really impact visitors as it generally involves local feuds and organised crime. The sign is pretty accurate. They don’t.
It’s all Greek to me
We had no idea what this sign said. It was on a makeshift gate blocking a walking route on Crete. I took a photo and showed it to the owner of the family-run hotel we were staying at. He told us it basically said if anyone ignored it and entered, the person who wrote it, a bit of a local arse apparently, would mess them up big time. We totally ignored it as it was on a public right of way. Nobody messed us up.
Tell you all about a place
There are three signs here which told us something about the town of Beja in Alentejo. The azulejos (traditional Portuguese tiles) depict what the town is known for, the cultivation of wheat, while the graffiti declaring it as being anti-fascist is a reference to its political stance during Portugal’s Carnation Revolution.
Ha! Very funny
As marketing goes, this sign in Ljubljana was at least original. How would we know when all the air guitars had been taken though?
A warning to be heeded
The first and last two words are the most important on this sign in Bavaria. Thanks to Commando comics, Achtung was probably the first German word I learnt, not that there’s been an avalanche of them since (see what I did there). ‘Mortal Danger’ got the message across loud and clear.
Unique shopping opportunity
In this instance, it was lavender for sale in Drôme Provençale, but makeshift signs like these could point the way to wine, cheese, honey, all sorts.
A sweet instruction
Besame en este rincon – kiss me in this corner. There are a few of these around Spain, places where the local tourist board encourages people to share a kiss, and a selfie of it. This one was in Corteconcepción in Andalusia, a tiny town whose main attraction, apart from kissing sprees, was the view over a rambling lake, a rarity in those parts.
Morbid much
There’s something that feels like Gothic horror about this graffiti in Bologna. It could have inspired a short story . . . if I’d hung around long enough to think about it.
Wha’s like us
Maybe I’m biased, but Scottish signs seem best at conveying personality, even if non-Scots might struggle to understand them, like this final one from Ullapool.
