I love these stories. Maybe they bore our family and friends silly but they illustrate the quirky and amusing things that happen on the road.

As a college student, I toured the European continent with three friends. We were riding rented mopeds in Monte Carlo (aside: taking a moped from Nice to Monte Carlo on the coast road was one of the best experiences I have had travelling). While cruising through Monte Carlo, we came upon a red light at an intersection. Being casual and cocky college students, we considered waiting for a green light to be optional. We looked left and right. Nobody coming so we went through the intersection. A siren screamed. A gendarme pulled us over and started yelling at us in French. My friend Jim had just spent several months studying in Tours. He understood every word but pretended to barely comprehend. Eventually, the gendarme said in French very slowly, In America, does red mean stop? Long pause. Oui. In America, does green mean go? Another pause. Oui. Completely frustrated at this point, the gendarme waved his hands over his head and walked away. We had escaped.

Mark in Los Angeles who is glad he never had to experience a Monte Carlo traffic court