about campsite? i think iam but feel like crying

[heraldgerald]

I know I need to get a grip, so please be kind! We have driven to northern Italy and are camping in a deserted campsite. I think it's expensive at 40 euros a night, but that's another aibu. A family have arrived with their baby and have camped directly facing our tent with their entrance facing ours. I just don't understand why they wouldn't want privacy too which they could easily have. I'm pregnant which might be fuelling this. O feel like crying and leaving. I'm being an idiot aren't I.

Kate

I have a feeling that means "poo". Am I right, given you actually saw what was going on?

Two-year-olds, eh? Toilet humour is international!

Before I stomp off in my ballet shoes to spread wisdom elsewhere: Bales whilst you and I can afford to rent detached holiday homes because after all we prefer to only have one chance a year for a family holiday - so lets go outdoors in a foreign country (coz it won't rain like the UKJ) and have a good old freedom-nearly time. Does that answer your question?

Another way to spot Dutch - many of them have these strange trousers that have zippy off legs to become shorts. This appeals to their common sense (ie tight) attitude with money. And yes many of them will be rather more relaxed about being dressed than we'd like.

Try and peep in their tent and see have they brought cheese and potatoes. I know one family that go to France every year and they bring wine. They like the one they drink from the local supermarket.

But do be nice tonight, they will be in mourning.

IME many families hope that the kids of theirs will make friends with kids of yours and entertain each other while the adults relax. Sometimes nice, sometimes a nightmare!

And on Dutch MN (thanksKate) they are saying:

Those strange UK campers - making babies get dressed to undress and go "kaka"and then get dressed again - and then get naked and swim in sea getting dressed on and off twice again to do this. And why do they keep moving their tents or aibu (or however they say that in Dutch).

Last year a couple and their son set up what could be described as tent village was bloody annoying his cooker was right next to us its so awkward and their little
lad was always trying to sit beside us even unzipped our awning

we were leaving in 2 days but was the longest 2 days ever on a campsite we can even remember the boys name as they just hollered it and never came to get him, the mum said oh he is usally shy , anyway im rambling move your tent ,

Kate again, I have had a near-religious experience thanks to you - this time the dog was salivating at my sausage sandwich which kept me earth bound. The posts here must explain why ds and I just keep going to Albania for holidays. I'll see what happens when We try to 'family camp' there .

We've had people pitching their tent so close to ours that our pegs actually ended up under their tent walls - and then the kids insisted on running through our "kitchen" - the carefully dimensioned space between the front of our tent and our car, which we parked across the entrance. And these were Brits, in Britain!

Kaka (that word takes me back!) means poo, but I've only ever heard it in the US. I had no idea it was a European term

Before I prove that it is indeed possible to die from MN induced laughter, I'm calling the dog in and will lie down.

Last words on tombstone: "and they spoke through our tent (in Dutch)"

Caca is poo in Italian. Cazzo is 'shit' as in swear word.

Kate we had a similar experience with Brits here. it was awful. We were in a corner and they boxed us in with a tarp linked between their tents in front of out tent! The only way into our tent was to go through their encampment.Then they got very drunk and very sweary and awful. I snapped and asked them to be quieter at 2am as we had a young child.
It then turned into the night from hell :( they got ever so threatening, shining lights at the tent revving their car at it. We couldn't get a phone signal so we couldn't phone the police. Both of us got desperate for a pee but didn't dare leave the tent. As soon as dawn broke we decamped.

Awful awful.

So, what did you do?
Years ago I was on holiday with a friend. We were on a near deserted beach. She stopped right next to a family and said this looks like a nice spot! I was so taken aback. She was quite put out when I insisted I wanted to walk on a little further.

I saw a large group of Germans on motorbikes assemble a small town, complete with lampposts, from their panniers. They stayed one night, then left to do the whole thing again at the next site.

Did they put their towels on all the best places?

ben ik onredelijk om te denken dat alle engels families zijn gespannen bij het kamperen in Europa?

Whenever there's a thread about performance parenting in Waitrose I always think: 'Have you never sat on a beach between two rival Italian families?'

I don't know why they don't campaign to make it an Olympic sport. They'd walk it.

Worst of all is when they bond and start shouting over to each other about cold English parents, not realising until you respond angrily, that you can understand everything.

Then you only confirm that other stereotype about the English: that we're really aggressive.

We were in a static caravan in Garda last month and the first row of the campsite at the lake front with the best view was reserved for towing caravans. It was an alternating row of German and Dutch cars and vans.

There was a huge german group traveling together with four caravans, awnings, kids, dogs etc

We walked past them along the lake every night. Every night they were sat with their backs to the lake and sunset, watching a huge flat screen that they had erected on a fixture on the outside of the caravan.

We also noticed the just married posters and balloons on the middle van. One of the couples was on honeymoon.

When I lived in Spain, my flatmates thought it was odd when I wanted to sit in my room alone, some nights. I think it's just a cultural thing, whereas I would want to spend some nights reading/on my laptop/studying by myself, they didn't really get why I couldn't just do it in the living room with them all the time.

I would give the family a chance, OP. My nightmare was always sleeping in a shared room in a youth hostel, and the one time I did (friend accidentally booked a shared room instead of a private one), we ended up sharing with 2 American girls who, when we asked if we could turn the lights off at 11pm, said "yeah, we were just waiting for whenever you guys were ready to sleep". I was expecting them to want to go out and come back in the wee hours (not because they were American, just being students abroad, like myself back then), but it was fine. :)

That said, I wouldn't use a youth hostel again just because DP and I aren't students on a budget anymore and would prefer a private room, but it can be an advantage having a friendly family nearby!

Ok that is me put off going camping ever for another year - Cheers MN Happy Camping