Pushed our Luck

When you are in a foreign country and cannot speak the language, you can feign innocence once maybe twice when you break the rules. After that, Karma comes around and bites you in the butt.

Although we never found a true geo-thermal spa, bubbling up from the ground, we did have access to several pools, hot tubs and saunas in Ptuj- the Slovenian Wisconsin Dells. The hot tubs weren't too hot and the pool was crowded with a constant influx of school children, but it was a nice break from driving and apartment life.

There is one slide at this aquatic haven- a slow, steady progression to the water below. The kids laughed because to descend requires paddling to the bottom- a far cry from the death drops of the Dells. Even DD6 made the 2 story run with a smile on her face.

In fact, the life guard was in his booth over at the entry, smoking a cigarette. From the top of the rusty staircase, not a soul is guarding to see how and when children enter the slide. Groups of children are ignoring the posted (in Slovenian) signs to go down one at a time, feet first at the green light.

"Mom, Dad Can we make a family train? The other kids are doing it?" Not at first. We took turns going with each other- one, two then worked ourselves up to the forbidden 5 person train. It's fun! We emerge laughing. In the interest of family fun, knowing we'd be ejected from any park in the States, we agree for one more train. Down we go for another joyous event. Except this time, there stands the lifeguard- yelling in Slovenian...but not at us. Ha! The train of kids behind us is caught and the rules enforced. We escape without a hitch.

Here, I think, is where our bad luck begins. We never should have let those kids behind us take the heat for all the naughty doings of the water park that day.

As I write this, we are 2 days in Vienna. We were fined as we crossed the Austrain border for not having a highway toll sticker. Our phone died and we could not contact the hostess for our apartment. As we unloaded our suitcases, we returned to a parking ticket. And now my wallet is missing. Luck? I don't think so. I think God fed us a big dose of humble pie.