Why Brits make the best tourists

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10 Comments

1.  

   aussiepam ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Les Français!!!!! C'est vrai ça !!!!
   They know how to live!
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2.  

   japaneseboats ~ 16 months ago

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   Bien sur! And I shall be joing them in 10 days - keeping a low profile as I relax and enjoy the good food, wine, polite and cheerful service, beautiful scenery, and clean beaches more or less free of my fellow Brits (who thankfully mostly jet off to Spain) heaven indeed :)
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3.  

   aussiepam ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   I just got back to Oz from a month in France, japaneseboats!! I always love my time there - not just in Paris but I wander off in different regions on long walks each year. This time it was in the Dordogne area - land of truffles, foie gras, walnuts and some great wine. Where are you going?
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4.  

   japaneseboats ~ 16 months ago

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   Normandy - it is our heaven on earth - we have a little ruin there...:)
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5.  

   aussiepam ~ 16 months ago

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   Ahhhhh !!!!!!! How lovely. I've only been through the north, never yet managed to stop there and gaze. One day soon!!! I did walk the Pink Granite coast of Brittany last year.
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6.  

   georgie ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Next month I have been invited by my mentor, a French woman and psychiatrist, to visit her family in Paris and their cottage in the country. Thrilled about this invitation, and I will be putting on my very best version of American tourist I can manage! *L* Any hints, ladies, on how to put the best foot forward on a much-awaited visit to France?
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7.  

   aussiepam ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   What a great opportunity, Georgie. Parisians are a little more in-your-face than other French people, in my experience. Like inhabitants of any big world city they seem more hurried. More formal. But I've always found the French everywhere to be extremely polite and friendly, a little reserved at first. The old 'arrogance' thing is a myth. They never launch straight into business as Americans and most Australians do. When you enter a shop even, you always greet everyone there, first. When you leave you always say thankyou and goodbye. And a smile goes a long way. So does an attempt to speak French, even if you only have half a dozen words, pronounced tentatively - bonjour, merci, s'il vous plait, au revoir. It's a sign of good faith. Certainly in Paris, most people can speak reasonable English, but they naturally resent foreign visitors expecting them to do so, as a right. I've been told by locals there that they are delighted to hear someone not assuming that English, especially American English, is the world language. Which it isn't yet anyway. Quite. Grin.
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8.  

   snak ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   I absolutely love Jeremy Clarkson. His sense of humour would match mine totally, but for one thing: He's not joking.
   
   He is the (and he would admit it himself) epitomy of Male Chauvanism. The absolute example of British arrogance. He 'says it like it is' (or as he sees it) and I for one, admire him for that.
   
   Besides, I like anyone who can make me laugh. Remember that most caustic humour is funny because......it's generally true.
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9.  

   japaneseboats ~ 16 months ago

   0 votes
   
   Jeremy Clarkson is great - don't always agree with him - but he makes me laugh - especially the caustic aspect. You're so right snak - he usually hits the nail on the head. The only real disagreement I have with him is over Australia - he thinks it's the pits - deadly snakes, spiders etc. Well that bit's true but even an arachnophobe like me loves the place ( I just don't look in the corners!)
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10.  

    japaneseboats ~ 16 months ago

    0 votes
    
    georgie - re France - aussiepam has got it absolutely right about trying the language and the accepted good manners when entering shops etc. You might be interested in a couple of background points though. Re the 'cottage in the country' - the French have never really left the land in their hearts - unlike the UK where the industrial revolution effectively destroyed most people's connection to the land. It could be very likely that yr mentor's country cottage is her parent's home - or in the village that her family came from. Also while many Parisians do actually come from Normandy, lots of them have maisons de vacances in Normandy because it is relatively close by road. This may be a protective move as in fact most rural French people are not over fond of Parisians. Our neighbours in Normandy jokingly told us that they dislike Parisians more than the Anglais! Luckily my partner is Scottish and the ecossais are seen as brothers! ( The auld alliance from when both where united against the English.) I have been in love with Paris since my first visit aged 18yrs ( a while ago now!) and have never had any problems with Parisians, including waiters and taxi drivers. Well anyway you will have a terrific time.
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11.  

    AdGuy

    22 votes
    
    This is my two cents...
    
       
    Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)