13 Lost in Translation

When Virginia told us that breakfast was included with our zimmer, we were delighted. I arrived early the next morning at their outdoor patio for my hearty breakfast while Petey finished her beauty treatments. The husband called out to his sister who brought a cup of coffee, a jar of honey and two slices of white bread. When Petey arrived a few minutes later, I figured the real meal was on its way. Nope, Petey got the same, except without the coffee … she got tap water … both days.

Before leaving Hvar, we had one last incident. The husband of our zimmer asked us to square away the bill. We really weren’t sure of the price since there was confusion over the last minute accommodations. We assumed the price was about 50 EUR per night so 720 KN seemed like a reasonable total. The man scratched out some figures on a pad of white paper and showed us his calculation of 756 KN. Rather than argue I was happy to call it even. We began packing our bags when he came knocking. “Wait, I make a mistake.” he exclaimed excitedly. We assumed he was going to return some money. He wasn’t. “You must pay another 26 EUR for breakfast.” Lost in translation again. Petey calmly suggested that 26 EUR (about $40 USD) for a couple of pieces of toast was a bit high. “Let’s talk to Virginia,” Petey reasoned. We did and Virginia waved her hand, "No, no, no." She assured us a deal had been arranged and told her husband to leave. We chalked it up to miscommunication and left on pleasant terms … at least with Virginia.