Spending time in Paris (and other cities)

When we went to Paris in the ‘90’s and again in 2010, we had that legendary Parisian experience others are describing.

However, we went in 2022, and I don’t know if it was due to covid leftovers, so they were really courting tourists, but we were treated wonderfully at every turn. I had to buy masks and nasal strips in a drug store, and the clerk was exceedingly patient with me…I bought some fancy oil for a gourmand friend of mine in one of the shops in Les Halles and a pepper grinder in another for myself, and both shops were very helpful - the clerk at the pepper grinder shop explained I was very likely buying the wrong thing and had an assistant personally shop with me, and the clerk at the oils shop went over everything and complimented me on my French (which consisted of “Bonjour!” - he said I said it “the right way”).

Waiters at every restaurant were jovial and friendly, going over the menus when we needed help, suggesting things…workers at the train stations…conductors on the trains…everyone was warm and friendly toward us.

It really was a good visit, so much so that at the start, we didn’t even really want to be there, but by the end, we were saying, “We should come back!”
 
I did have one unpleasant experience with a clerk in 2006 at Galleries Lafayette, the clerk was rude to me.

But I don’t like to butcher my French because whatever I said might be totally wrong, not just grammatically, I can get bad results.
For example, we rented a car, the car was low on gas, however we didn’t want to put the wrong gas in the tank, we asked several people, they confused us, I don’t remember what happened eventually, perhaps we got a hold of a police officer and he escorted us to the right station.

Anyway, we try to do everything locally, taking the bus, etc..
This is it makes traveling a bit exciting, the unknowns.
 
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Speaking another language,learning another language or even butchering another language is always an interesting experience. I won't bore you with the 3,567 amusing encounters I've had with foreign languages ( including one where I was sitting next to a very attractive Spanish girl, accidentally spilled her drink and said "pedĂłn" instead of perdĂłn: fart vs sorry).
If you're in a foreign country, you should at least make an effort to speak a word, two words, or something of the language, and the local inhabitants will love you for it.
Big cities, ie. Paris, Rome, London, New York, are full of people who are always "busy", so perhaps the replies are not what one might expect. That's their problem, not yours. I've been to Paris 3 times (many, many years ago, when I spoke fluent French) and anyone who gave me a curt answer was given one back. 'Nuff said. :hyper: :laugh: :laugh:
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
For sure. You must absolutely start by attempting to speak French or you can forget about getting fed at all 😂
I always start wherever I am by learning to apologise for not being able to speak the language in their language. By the time I’ve butchered that sentence they’re normally laughing and agreeable.

Making an arse of yourself using school boy French is 100% the way to go.
It’s just that doesn’t navigate you around the bit where the favoured answer is still NON.
Add into that the French don’t believe anyone but the French can cook and I wouldn’t be putting my name down for a class in France.
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Yes, I find the best thing, particularly in Paris is to start the conversation in French. It won't take them long to enjoy your basic mistakes, that will then move on to a feeling of smug superiority and they will continue the conversation in perfect English.
Let a Frenchman pity you and you can get him to do anything.
 
Mom and sister are leaving to go to Germany today for 2 weeks. I'm not that inconsiderate to contribute to pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds of jet fuel exhaust into the atmosphere for any of the as yet unborn grandchildren to deal with.

Pippi and I will have ham for Xmas, right here. 🙏
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
Yes, I find the best thing, particularly in Paris is to start the conversation in French. It won't take them long to enjoy your basic mistakes, that will then move on to a feeling of smug superiority and they will continue the conversation in perfect English.
Let a Frenchman pity you and you can get him to do anything.
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Yep that sums up my experiences up in the mountains too.
 
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