I Have to Share Some More Random Signs from My Travels

Photos from my 2019–20 trip to Iceland, Morocco and Spain

Signs in Iceland

I simply had to take a photo of this sign — a lesson in how to make a positive out of a negative. Or as Abraham Lincoln said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Did I eat a pizza at Bazilika? Sadly, no. So I can’t give you my professional pizza-eating opinion. I think the chef must have been pretty confident of his pizza to advertise his establishment this way, don’t you?

Not only were we warned verbally by our driver, but this was one of the signs meant to warn you from going anywhere near the ocean. But this beach proved to me that people are basically stupid.

People were playing “chicken” with the waves running in and then dashing out again. The sign wasn’t joking about the deadly sneaker waves. Five people have died here in the past seven years, and there have been another twelve emergency rescues. It’s lucky I’m not in rescue because I would have let them drown or die from hypothermia. Maniacs! Don’t they know you don’t mess with the ocean, especially when there are signs expressly informing you of the danger.

I loved Iceland. I had high expectations after drooling over photographs and brochures for many years and especially after watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. And Iceland not only met al my expectations but surpassed them.

This sign was my only disappointment — and you can imagine why. We were travelling in a minibus so I had been “busting” for quite a while. I jumped out of the bus and made a beeline for the loo. I almost cried when I saw the sign. The door was securely locked, it was no joke. I did not hang on one minute longer.

Signs in Morocco

I took this photo in the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. In case you haven’t guessed, it’s easy to get lost here. I don’t read Arabic but I can read French and I can follow an arrow. Interestingly, Bahia means palace so it’s the Palace Palace. You always wanted to know that piece of useless information, didn’t you? Amazingly, I didn’t get lost but by my daughter did, and I had to show her the way out.

We pulled in here, but I preferred to wait rather than venture into these toilets. I didn’t even climb up to have a look. Who knows? They may have been clean and beautiful inside. Is there a saying, “Never judge a toilet by its exterior?” No, didn’t think so.

I’m not normally the photographer when I travel, apart from when I’m travelling solo, but La Jardin Majorelle was on my must-visit list in Marrakesh. Stacey wasn’t keen so it was the last place we visited on our way out to Ouarzazate. I loved it! Cobalt blue is my very favourite colour and it contrasted beautifully with the colours of the garden. An understated sign pointed to the memorial to Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé.

Signs in Spain

If there’s such a thing as information overload, this sign is the perfect example. There were so many dos and don’ts I’m sure no one can remember them all. But there really was wheelchair access to the beach!

We were in San José just before Christmas; it was completely deserted — not only the beach but the entire town. Our apartment was above a pizzeria closed for the winter. No wonder it was so cheap. It wasn’t really cold but boy, it was blowing a gale. Did you notice the 112 emergency number is the same as in Iceland? In Australia, it’s 000 which I think is much easier to remember.

In case you didn’t know where you were, several Spanish towns had unmissable signs. If you have heard of the White Hill Towns of Andalucia, of which Ronda is the most famous (and the most crowded), I think Frigiliana can be considered one even though it’s only a stone’s throw from the coastal city of Nerja.

On my previous visits to Córdoba, I had completely missed the beautiful patio houses. Perhaps I was completely enamoured of La Mesquite?

A annual competition ensures they are kept looking their best all year round. Each one displays the awards it has won in the various sections. Stacey managed to find a free tour of several of the patio houses. I’m so pleased she did.

This is not what I intended to share at all. I started with the sign outside the Pizzeria in Reykjavik because I was going to present a collection of signs outside cafés and shops and coffee houses, but the “sneaker waves” sign distracted me and that was it. I’ve had fun looking through my photos from my trip 4 years ago and reliving some of the more memorable moments.

Sam Newbound writes of a different sort of sign: you can’t see it, but you can hear it.A fascinating glimpse into life in Cairo.

And Purbita Chakraborty writes about the serendipitous signs from the Universe that changed her life. An amazing story!

I hope you enjoyed reading all of the signs and the stories associated with them. What a fun prompt this was. Thank you goes to Anne Bonfert and Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages for promoting the challenge and to JoAnn Ryan and Michele Maize for their entertaining stories.