On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 20:16:01 -0500, Morris Dovey wrote:
Dave Hinz (in ) said:
| It's not just speaking French; you need to speak the _right_ French.
| First time I was there, was Paris in 1986 or so. Went with a
| French-speaking family from Belgium. Alas, they spoke the 'wrong
| French'. But, it wasn't just our group that was getting the
| treatment; the French were being rude to each other as well.
Perhaps "wrong" French - but I hope to tell you that it doesn't get
much "wronger" than mine. :-)
It was gramattically correct I'm sure, as it was their native language,
but it was Belgian, rather than Paresian, French. I'm told that somehow
this matters.
Sounds like you arrived right at the end of a hectic tourist season -
and it sounds as if there might have been a lot of stress going
around.
Well, if stress towards tourists is to be expected, than the absence of
this tourist is likewise to be expected.
The rural French are very much like rural Iowans. They're hard-working
and deliberate - not inclined to be in more hurry than necessary - and
were universally willing to pause to give directions and tell a bit
about their town.
Well, sure, rural folks are much the same everywhere I've met them.
But the difference in the cities was profound. London, Newcastle, or
any other city I went to in England, no problems. Pull out a map and
you're approached with offers of help, that sort of thing.
| Maybe that's some cultural thing, but I kind of expect to be, you
| know, acknowledged and seated when there are visibly open tables.
You make me glad I wasn't along. It really does sound as if the
national stress level was high. I can't remember what was going on
then. I dimly recall reports about transport strikes and farmers
dumping produce on the roads (something to do with the politics of
subsidies, I think) but can't remember when either of these took
place...
I don't know, but I interpreted both of those situations as overt
rudeness.
| The taxis - well, I don't have time to describe that craziness.
I never rode a taxi in a metro area. I walked nearly everywhere I went
in town (I was afraid of missing something - anything - along the
way).
The drivers seemed to aim for the expensive cars to get over a lane. I
finally asked one, and his response was that of course, that's the only
way to do it. Yikes.
If the French taxis bother you, try riding a taxi almost anywhere in
the middle east. In at least Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, whoever honked
first when approaching an intersection had the right of way. Even
Kama^H^H^H^HJapanese taxis seem tame after that. :-)
I have a list of parts of the world I'd like to travel to, and the
middle east isn't on it. I narrowly avoided being sent to Haifa when I
worked for G.E., because I was late to a meeting and nobody there knew
if I had a valid passport or not. They sent someone else. I was not
sad.
| Never been to Philly, but yes, Kobenhavn is great, I also liked
| Oslo and London rather a lot.
I guess I'm a country mouse at heart (actually more of a desert rat -
I did a lot of my growing up on the Nefud). I like places where people
feel that they can slow down when they choose. London is one of the
Great Cities of the World - but it's not where I'd go to relax. I've
never been to Norway or Sweden; but think I could enjoy both.
I was there in November, it was starting to get cold and snowy. People
were apologizing for the weather - a response of "That's OK, I've been
away from home for 3 months and this reminds me of home" worked well.
Philly is somehow a major metro that never got far from family
business. You can actually walk into a lot (perhaps even a majority)
of its stores and be greeted by the owner, ask questions and get
knowledgable, straight answers, and dicker over prices. If you're
trying to get a business off the ground, everybody has an uncle who
can get whatever you need cheaper. I'm addicted to Philly cheese
steaks, gyros, and big soft pretzels with mustard. It's the most "in
your face" city I've ever visited; but never found a person too busy
to give directions or solve a problem. I worked on a project there for
about a year and enjoyed the city and its people immensely.
So a training class there would be a good choice. I'll remember that,
thanks.
| Ah, for me that's still fun. Best art for centuries was done for
| the churches and kings.
That's true. Somewhere along the line I started thinking about the /by
whom/ and /at what cost/ aspects and much of the shine started to come
off.
Makes sense.
| What was your impression of the people?
They're like people everywhere in every major way. I found them warm
and hospitable and open to social interaction with a non-threatening
stranger. Many were curious and inquisitive, wanted to know this
American's reactions to almost anything, and were completely willing
to fill me in on anything I could find the vocabulary to ask about.
OK, maybe one more trip, if I run out of places I haven't been to.
The 9-11 attacks seemed to have hit them hard. They were worried about
us - and they were worried that similar attacks might be directed at
them (there was a lot of concern about the Louvre and the Eiffel
Tower). French TV was full of images from New York for weeks.
I wonder what it's like today...
Short story to illustrate:
I stopped in a sandwich shop in Paris. It was a squeeky clean place
with little round aluminum tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk.
(snip lyrical description of a sandwich)
Her response was a pleased-looking smile and a slow nod. It wasn't a
"foot dance", there was no music, and the only touching was in the
moment the sandwich moved from her hand to mine. It was all body
language from the shoulders up. But it /was/ a dance and a most
enjoyable, if brief, flirtation. Sadly, I can't imagine it taking
place in the States.
I think you're a remarkable person to have perceived the situation as
you did. You've definately got a gift.
| (thinks) I was to Paris in July or August. I remember the odor of
| urine and dog **** was overpowering. Beautiful buildings, though.
It must be either temperature-related or a solved problem. I never
noticed either - and I'm sure I would have.
Maybe one more trip...