The File

01 February 08

Dodgy signs

More and more Ryanair travellers are finding examples of mad signage! This time it’s Ronald Radioni of Dublin, who snapped this classic in Charleroi, Belgium. Tongue firmly in his cheek, he tells us: “Apparently, the local council wanted to be sure that everybody got the information right.” Ronald wins a copy of Doug Lansky’s book Signspotting 2 (Lonely Planet)! Email your dodgy signs (at 300dpi) to ryanair.ed@ink-publishing.com. We’ll print the funniest one each month, and send you a copy of the book, as well.

How to…

say it with flowers

Flowers signify different things in different countries. Colours, types and even how many you give are all points to take into consideration.

SPAIN Whatever you do don’t take dahlias to a dinner party. These flowers are associated with death for the most part, so only bring them to a funeral if you don’t want to cause offence.
AUSTRIA If you happen to hit Austria in May, or more precisely on May Day, there’s only one flower to present to your host, friends or business contacts — red carnations. These are especially reserved for 1 May and 1 May only!
POLAND Here, carnations are associated with funerals, as are marigolds. So again, only present someone with these if a person has died.
SWEDEN There’s only one rule to remember without fail — don’t bring them wrapped in paper. It’s considered the height of rudeness!
GERMANY Whatever you do, the rule here is don’t bring an even number, because an even number of flowers signifies bad luck.
HUNGARY In Hungary and many other Eastern European nations, don’t bring yellow flowers. Anything yellow signifies separation, and could be seen as a way of trying to dump someone softly.
FRANCE It may seem obvious, but only give red roses in France if you are interested in courting. Red roses here are strictly reserved for romance!