JamesBranam's Blog

Vacation Follies

Hello,

Last week, I was on vacation for a couple of days. I spent the time traveling around the Czech Republic, visiting castles and other historical sites. I had a great time, but made one major mistake, and it really got my goat, so to speak.

The mistake happened on day 1 of the trip. We were visiting the Helfenburk Castle ruins when I noticed a small group of goats grazing in the castle courtyard. I walked over to the goats, and while I was engaged in interesting conversation with a couple of them (international politics), a larger goat walked up to me and starting rubbing itself against the side of my body. No big deal, I thought, but by the time I realized what it had done it was too late. And nothing could have prepared me for the stink that was to come.

As a child, I grew up in a rural area, and became familiar with lots of different animals. However, goats (and the smell associated with them) never made into my learning curriculum. So, I have an excuse for my lack of "goatlore." I have to say that everything was OK at first, but when we arrived back at the car, my social status quickly plummeted to that of a pariah. A little bad judgment on my part led to a weekend of nostril nausea. Simply, no-one had ever told me that goats tend to stink. Now, I'm not talking about the aroma of a fit of flatulence or even the scent of a simmering cesspool, flatulence fades, and you can walk away from a cesspool. I'm talking about blunt force nasal nastiness that followed me everywhere and refused to go away. The give that keeps on giving, if you will. I tried nearly everything to get rid of the smell, and almost went through a whole can of deodorant.

The weekend was long for all parties involved.

So now I've learned my lesson. And now you can learn from this writer's adventure. Don't let a goat near you until the last day of your trip. And even then, be prepared to walk home.

See you tomorrow.

--James

Posted at 01:21PM Sep 08, 2007 by branajam in Personal  |  Comments[2]