The news thread

[Marie Monday]

Apparently pretty much every European country appreciates it when you try to speak their language when you're there, even if it's a few words. They appreciate the effort.

Except for the French. Who apparently just get annoyed and impatient.

I like a lot of things about France but my experience with the French is limited to just a French uncle.

@Dianne W thoughts?

in my experience that's a cliche that's not true. I've been in France a lot, I usually communicate in my scant French, and I've never had any unpleasant experience. The British are just odd about the french so I think that's how that notion came about

[DJChameleon]

Apparently pretty much every European country appreciates it when you try to speak their language when you're there, even if it's a few words. They appreciate the effort.

Except for the French. Who apparently just get annoyed and impatient.

I like a lot of things about France but my experience with the French is limited to just a French uncle.

@Dianne W thoughts?

That's what American tourist experience too. Even while attempting to speak French if you aren't Parisienne. You get treated like trash.

[jimmy jazz]

That's what American tourist experience too. Even while attempting to speak French if you aren't Parisienne. You get treated like trash.

Maybe a Parisian thing not specifically French?

I can certainly believe that.

[DJChameleon]

Maybe a Parisian thing not specifically French?

I can certainly believe that.

Possibly more localized to Paris itself and not a French thing overall.

I'm willing to concede that point.

[grindy]

in my experience that's a cliche that's not true. I've been in France a lot, I usually communicate in my scant French, and I've never had any unpleasant experience. The British are just odd about the french so I think that's how that notion came about

Same for me. I'm in France quite often and speak my rudimentary French every time. Never any bad experiences.

[DJChameleon]

Same for me. I'm in France quite often and speak my rudimentary French every time. Never any bad experiences.

What parts of France though?

[Marie Monday]

I've been to pretty much every region of france except normandy and Brittany and it's always fine, including in paris

[Janszoon]

Us Americans wouldn't have won the Revolutionary War without the French. For that, I'll always have big soft spot for them.

I will always have a big hard spot for them.

[jimmy jazz]

I will always have a big hard spot for them.

Get it posted in the workout thread then 

[Marie Monday]

By the way, although it hasn't happened to me, I can imagine some Parisians get impatient with tourists but I don't really blame them. I know what it's like having lived in Amsterdam, I'm impatient with the tourists there too, when they're obnoxious at least

[jimmy jazz]

Why do you get impatient with the tourists?

[Marie Monday]

because they walk on the bike lanes, get in the way in general and are unnecessarily loud, and they're disrespectful towards the prostitutes
tourists are generally very unaware of local customs and don't even try to avoid being obtrusive, which causes much more inconvenience than you might realise

[jimmy jazz]

We get tourists here though I've never been impatient with them. I know it won't be the same level of London but still.

Amsterdam does attract people going there for a certain type of thing so I believe you but also makes me think there might be truth to the Parisian thing.

Maybe I should go and find out.

[Lisnaholic]

Paris ...Amsterdam...London. I imagine it's a big-city thing everywhere, that tourists can kind of get in the way. It's understandable, of course, that a newcomer isn't going to catch on to how things are done locally, and that shows up more in big cities, where lots of people are rushing round on their tight schedules, trying to spend as little time as possible getiing from A to B. And the tourists? Those lucky b+stards are on vacation, doing everything wrong and doing it too slowly as well. Get out of my way, go to the back of the queue! I'm late for work!!

[Marie Monday]

It's not to be underestimated how disruptive the Amsterdam/central London/Paris levels of tourism are compared to most other cities and places. If you live in Amsterdam, you should be able to ride your bike from A to B in a reasonable way. It's not just a city thing though. I also partly grew up in a village which is a hugely popular tourist destination, and the tourists would be a nuisance there too. On one occasion they strolled into the garden and stood looking in at our kitchen window as we were having breakfast. Many tourists are shockingly entitled and have no grasp of the fact that people actually have to live in the place they're visiting and that as a tourist, you're a guest and should act as such