Spanish Couple's Pronounciation Costs Them 5,000 Dollars

A Spanish couple's language difficulties cost them several thousand euros after they mispronounced their destination while giving instructions to a Norwegian taxi driver.

The couple, who were touring Norway, wanted to travel to Olden on the country's west coast. But instead, they ended up in Halden, hundreds of kilometres away -- a trip that cost them over 5,700 dollars (3,870 euros).

The pair in their 50s were on a cruise in the fjords when they had to be briefly hospitalised while on a stopover. Once out of hospital the two decided to rejoin the ship in Olden. But their taxi driver misunderstood and took them to Halden, 560 kilometres east of Stavanger.

Oblivious to the mistake, the happy holidaymakers paid the 15,000 kroner taxi bill and added a generous 1,000 kroner tip to boot. But after spending the night in a hotel, they discovered there was no cruiseship in the Halden port.

So the couple jumped back in a taxi, this time headed for Olden, which was now 610 kilometres away -- and paid another 15,300 kroner.

The couple ended up spending more than 31,000 kroner on their misadventure, or the price of a 10-day cruise in the fjords for two people in a luxury suite.

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