Members of a family who decided to try speaking the local language while on vacation quickly learned their skills weren't as solid as they hoped.
Niklas Ekstedt, 45 and from Stockholm in Sweden, was on a summer vacation in Switzerland with his wife and children, and they did their best to speak the local language while there.
Switzerland has no fewer than four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch. Close to two-thirds of the population speak more than one language at least once a week, according to the Swiss Department of Federal Affairs.
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"My wife and I try our best with languages when we travel—she tries to speak German and I try to speak French—so it's always a fun challenge," Ekstedt told Newsweek.
And while in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, after a long hike in the mountains, the family stopped at a café for something to eat.
After arriving, Ekstedt's wife put her German skills to the test and asked if they accepted Apple Pay "since we didn't have any cash," he said.
"We were happy to hear that they did, but, instead of coming back with menus, the server returned with two apple strudels."
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The brilliant miscommunication was caught on video and shared to Ekstedt's Instagram page @niklasekstedt, where it has racked up over 116,000 likes since being shared on July 22.
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The clip shows his kids tucking into a plate of apple strudel, holding in a laugh, along with words on the screen: "I need to work on my German. I asked if they accepted Apple Pay and was served apple strudel." Ekstedt added in a caption: "Yes, Apple Pay and apple pie are very similar of course."
Ekstedt told Newsweek it was a "funny misunderstanding," and thankfully "the strudel was delicious, so no complaints there."
Instagram users were in stitches at the video, with one commenter joking: "Mission failed successfully."
"Win is a win," another wrote, and a third asked: "But are you mad tho?"
Others shared their own stories, with one revealing they had the same situation while visiting Iceland, "and got a nice fresh slice of apple pie! A delicious mistake."
"I asked for a diet coke in Austria. I got three cokes," another posted.
Ekstedt, a chef and restaurateur with restaurants in Stockholm and London, "didn't expect it to get such a big reaction," but his teenage children, aged 13 and 15, "found the whole thing hilarious and insisted I post it on Instagram."
"It was such a simple, funny moment that resonated with people, probably because we've all had those travel misunderstandings," Ekstedt said.
"The response has been overwhelming, but it's great to see that something so lighthearted has brought joy to so many."
Update 09.27.2024 9:17am - This story has been updated with additional pictures.
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