Saturday, March 26, 2005

Statistically Improbable Phrases

I've just had a personal encounter on Amazon with their "SIPs" feature. This is a listing of phrases that appear in the book that are statistically unusual, based on the databases of all scanned contents of books on the site. Needless to say, they're sometimes quite funny, as things automatically detected as deviant often are...

For the Rough Guide Brittany and Normandy, the phrases listed are:

www vedettesdebrehat com, star campsite, menus that start, fishy menus, gulf tours, municipal campsite, brasserie downstairs, least expensive double room, room without shower, pleasure port, cheapest menu, modernized rooms, gare maritime, daily loam, excluding airfare, slower services, second fortnight, moules frites, parish close, pedestrianized street, petit train, low season.
Which makes me think that if I buy this book I could actually find a hotel in Normandy in low season on a pedestrianized street, featuring a brasserie downstairs boasting cheap fishy menus and of course moules frites, some fresh daily loam in my room at all times, and convenient access to a pleasure port offering gulf tours; but I think I can do without the typically European room without a shower and slower service all around. If I can get there by a petit train, that's a plus, though.

Another guide, Michelin's Charming Places to Stay in France for Less than 80 Euros, has "plush bourgeois" and "rooms with bathrooms." I guess maybe it IS statistically improbable to get a room with a bathroom for less than 80 Euros in France.

No comments :