16 September 2019

People

Back home now.

Of course, we were not alone in The Aminess Grand Azur Hotel in Croatia. There were around two hundred other guests there too plus a small army of staff. In the course of a week, many mental notes were gathered. I guess we are all people watchers.

There was a thirty something Croatian couple with two small boys. The mother was clearly pregnant a third time. At dinner or breakfast, the two little boys were a law unto themselves. They just would not remain seated at the family table. They wriggled down and ran around, getting under other guests' feet and yelling or laughing crazily. Eventually the mother would get up and herd them back to base while "daddy" continued eating, oblivious to it all.

One evening, the smallest boy seemed keen to investigate the coolers where desserts were displayed. Being only two feet tall he simply could not look in so rather cleverly he proceeded to shove a dining chair over there. Soon both boys were standing on it, looking in and they managed to grab some cakes before "mama" appeared to spoil their fun.

There was a German man with one of those hideous raspberry coloured birthmarks. It covered half of his face and was raised and pitted like the surface of the moon. The other half of his face appeared perfectly normal as did his pretty blonde wife. Another German woman - probably in her mid fifties -  was clearly recovering from a stroke that had affected all of her left side. She was slim and elegant but ambled around with much difficulty

Round the pool, flesh was of course exposed. There were several huge women with blubbery bodies shaped like barrels and a young fellow whose belly was so big that it wobbled right over his swimming shorts pulled up beneath. From the front, it looked as though he wasn't even wearing swimming shorts!

Every night in the far corner of the restaurant, a fifty something man sat on his own. He seemed perfectly content as he guzzled free beer and wine and  gobbled several towering  plates of food along with numerous desserts and pieces of fruit. Surprisingly, he wasn't especially fat. We referred to him as "The Axe Murderer" and after two hours his consumption would be halted by images on his smartphone which he beamed at with disturbing glee. It was an odd place to pick for a solo holiday.

Perhaps the strangest people of all were a sixty something English couple. The man dressed like a ragamuffin wearing a "Panama Beach" T-shirt, khaki shorts and worn out dusty sandals. In contrast, the woman was well-groomed and nicely dressed each evening. She picked away at salads while he sought to follow the dining habits of "The Axe Murderer". They seemed to spend much of their time observing other guests and as he lay by the pool I noticed that the grumpy old man was reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.

17 comments:

  1. It's all part of the fun of a holiday, watching other people and often making up your own stories about who they are, like the Axe Murderer. We once saw Rasputin and his wife on holiday, along with Uncle Albert (from Only Fools and Horses) and The General.

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  2. Replies
    1. You seem to know what you are talking about Councillor Dunham.

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  3. Sounds like the setting for an Agatha Christie novel. (Clearly, that last character is the murderer.)

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    1. He did look like the kind of fellow who could do some damage.

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  4. Never mind people watching on holiday...... we have our very own Robert Plant in our Midlands town. He lives in the old people's flats and walks around the town every day with his long grey flowing locks, black shirt unbuttoned to the waist revealing a grey hairy chest and oh so tight jeans. He must be at least 80! Every time I see him I want to burst into a Led Zep song!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for calling by Mrs Lavinia Hogg. Perhaps that Robert Plant lookalike is singing:-
      Ah, sometimes I grow so tired
      But I know I've got one thing I got to do
      Ramble on

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  5. Okay. So much for people watching. I admit that I people watch too. Now your next post should show the beautiful country side. I expect to see my friend and his wife who are touring some of the islands by bicycle.

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    1. I will watch out for them Red. How will I know that they are Canadians?

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  6. I must admit, that last fellow is the scariest one.

    I would have liked to haul that father of the little boys off to detention by the ear! What must that woman's life be like at home?

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    1. Small children need to be raised with loving discipline. Those small boys were being allowed to break the rules. It wasn't fair on them.

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  7. I love people watching and imagining outrageous stories about everyone I see! I do wonder about that English couple though....

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    Replies
    1. Yes. They were quite odd - the husband especially.

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  8. That lovely, well-groomed lady described at the latter end of your post had a stalker, obviously! There are times one just can't shake them off...or lose them/leave them behind!! At least, he didn't wear socks with his sandals! :)

    Parental discipline appears lacking throughout the world these days, which is very disturbing...and annoying! Many parents lack discipline, too...as well as common sense and respect for others.

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    Replies
    1. Loving a child does not mean allowing them to do what they want.

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    2. That is for sure!

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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