THE OLYMPICS: WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : DATELINE: ALBERTVILLE

If travel is as broadening as they say, it probably is because travelers are exposed to such cultural differences.

Take France. Or at least the Savoy region of France. Things are not quite the same here as they are at home.

Shower curtains, for instance. There aren’t any. But then again, there are no showers, at least not the way we understand them. There are hand-held showers, much like kitchen-sink dish rinsers, but they defy proper use. If the hose is long enough, you can stand to use one, but you run the risk of flooding the bathroom. So are you supposed to squat? Kneel? Those are no good for a relaxing shower. You can sit, but then you might as well fill the tub and soak.

Then there’s the linen situation. Some lodgings have hand towels and wash cloths, but no bath towels. Some have bath towels, hand towels and . . . dish towels? But no washcloths. Bathmats are a sometime thing, too.

The beds tend to be cot-size, with pillow rolls all wrapped up in the bottom sheet and flush with the headboard. The roll-pillow also defies proper use. The sheet serves as the pillow case, so you don’t want to unwrap it. And if you use the pillow as is, you are sure to bonk your bean on the headboard. The best idea may be to sleep at the wrong end of the bed and use the pillow roll as a footrest.

Elevators here are another revelation. They are about as big as phone booths and slower than a toddler at bedtime. And if you want to go to the lobby, don’t look for an L on one of the buttons. Look for a 0 instead. Oh, well, at least the elevators say Otis.

One other thing--the folding money is beautiful, but much too big for hip-pocket wallets. You really have to fold it to tuck it away.

Ah, but these things, really, are not terribly important. The country is beautiful and the people here are unfailingly friendly, helpful and extremely forgiving of Americans who speak no French.

The food is superb, too. That’s only natural, though. After all, travel is broadening, isn’t it?