On the language thing ...
I was showing off my high school French when buying overnight train tickets from Paris to the south (yes, TGV would have been ideal, but we wanted a smaller station). I asked for "deux chaussettes"
Yeah ... the French speakers will know that I should have asked for "deux couchettes"
Couchettes, chaussettes ... meh, what's the difference
I'm SURE the ticket agent went home and told the story over dinner of some dumb-... Canadian wanting to buy socks.