It's All In the Translation
In Czechoslovakia (before it was the Czech Republic) I once visited the ruins of an old castle perched atop a high hill that jutted up from the surrounding plain. Ruins is the operative word, it was just piles of stone rubble, barely recognizable as having once been walls. Here and there the remains of a stone stairway started upward and ended nowhere. The guide spoke only Czechoslovakian, so we tourists were provided with a printed translation of his spiel. "This beautiful castle," it began, "has not been lived in for over 500 years, which is why nowadays it is in such poor shape." I figured they abandoned it because they had trouble keeping help.
posted by John M Crowther @ 6:44 AM
3 Comments:
I am presently visiting that part of world which is near to Transylvania. This weekend a friend of mine has promised to show me to the castle of Vlad the Impaler, AKA Vlad Dracula or simply Drăculea, the inspiration for Brad Stoker’s novel of the same name. Although Vlad III did many terrible things back in the 15th Century, there is no evidence whatsoever that he was a blood-sucker. Nevertheless, people come from far and near to see his old place of residence. Surely, Vlad must have had more than his share of trouble keeping help, and yet his castle is in tip-top shape. Go figure.
There's nothing quite like the threat of having the blood sucked right out of the hired help to keep your castle in tip top shape. Perhaps John's castle owners lacked the necessary powers of persuasion! (grin)
In my humble opinion, it was the fault of the pest control people. The owners simply forgot to pay their quarterly statement. Termites and beetles of the world unite!
Good cartoon, John C
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