Zoo
I work at a zoo, and every day brings a new head-scratcher. Once, someone asked me at what age penguins turn into orcas. When I placed a snake on a lady’s shoulder, she seriously asked if it was a robot snake. A dad pointed to a hyena dog and told his daughter it was a lion—right within my earshot. One time, a man handed me a turtle at the exit, saying he found it and didn’t know where to put it.
Flags
Two of my favorites: a man asked how we got all eight flags on the castle wall to wave in the same direction, and a woman wanted to know which side of the Berlin Wall Hitler lived on.
Storm
Once, I had to explain to an angry group of tourists that the city sightseeing helicopter tour was canceled due to bad weather. They didn’t get what I meant by "a storm is coming, it’s not safe." One lady indignantly asked, "What does the weather have to do with a sightseeing flight?" and several others murmured in agreement.
The Elders
In autumn, many senior tourist groups visit the museum, and honestly, they’re the most challenging visitors by far—worse than school groups! Once, right in the middle of an interesting explanation, a lady interrupted me asking when lunch would be served. Another said she hadn’t taken her medicine and felt unwell. When I told them I was the guide and their own guide could help with those questions, a gentleman called me a typical good-for-nothing young person.
Winners
While talking about the significance of a World War II memorial battle, a man around 60 stepped up and asked, "Who won?" He wanted to know who won World War II.
The Ruins
In Greece, I was leading a group through the ruins when a woman asked how it was possible that it never rained back then. She assumed it hadn’t rained for thousands of years because none of the buildings had roofs. An American tourist asked at the Acropolis if we’d visit the pyramids in the afternoon.
Bodies of Water
On white-water rafting trips, I’m often asked when the river tides come in, then they’re surprised to learn rivers don’t have tides. Once, someone asked if the river loops around because if it didn’t, how would we raft back to the starting point?
Allergies
I lead "seafood" food tours for groups arriving by riverboat. Every time, I start by asking if anyone is allergic to crab or shellfish—and about two out of ten raise their hands. (These allergies can cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock.) There are about twenty other food tours to choose from—I’ll never understand why they pick seafood.
Bygone Eras
An American woman didn’t believe me when I said the Colosseum is older than America. She was also the one who came running to me at the market the next day, out of breath, asking me to call the police because she felt cheated. It turned out she paid in dollars but got change in forints and couldn’t grasp the concept. I told her it would be the same in America if someone tried to pay in euros. She replied that if we learned English, Europe could definitely adopt the dollar too.
Selection
I’ve worked in many places around the world, and here are a few favorites. In the Netherlands, someone asked where the windmill’s engine was—they couldn’t believe the wind actually powers the blades. At the Sherlock Holmes Museum, visitors often think he was a real person who lived there. In Edinburgh, people asked when Scots celebrate New Year’s. When I said between December 31 and January 1, several murmured in surprise that it’s interesting it’s the same time as in America.
