Frenchmen
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Eastside Parkway
Well-known member
Well I was stuck in Paris because the entire transportation industry was on strike. I rented a car and drove to Italy, so I met quite a few rural folks as well.
Funny, I had the exact opposite experience in France, every time I've visited. The friendliest people anywhere - much, much, much friendlier than the Germans for example (who seemed to me horribly rude and unpleasant - really the worst Europe has to offer, in my experience). Even the famous snooty Parisian waiters didn't seem to have any "attitude". Of course, generalizations are seldom accurate - France is changing and so is Germany and all of Europe (and the world!) - there are places in France I never go to, mainly the heavily crime-ridden areas where immigrants from Northern Africa predominate, and I suppose like anywhere in the world (including the U.S.) if you find yourself in one of those bad areas you may get a very unpleasant experience (so this is not a racial, ethnic or religious etc. issue).
slimchrisp
Well-known member
i second that. i was in nice 4 years ago, and everyone seemed to go out of their way to be friendly. that goes for italy and spain as well. italy was probably the most extreme in that manner, as far as friendliness goes. i think you get what you give.
of course, there are gonna be some a holes everywhere i guess. maybe i've just been lucky thus far.
Simon Höfer
Veteran
Shut your mouth bastard!
j/k.... I don't like the most germans as well
But I don't feel like a real german at all. I don't really fit into our society. I just came back from the yearly parish fair in my town. Jeeez, I felt so uncomfortable and left after 30 minutes! All those customs and false community friendship... :zombie_smiley:
Well, here are also some really nice folks, but they are the minority in my eyes.
Last edited:
ugafan
Looking for a woman
j/k.... I don't like the most germans as well
admit it simon, you're american at heart.
hvpz
Well-known member
Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what travels books are recommending to see, to visit, to eat...
But being on dvxuser and if you're in Paris before/until 08/17, you can go to "cinema de plein air" at La Villette (north east). People is going to picnic and watch movies on a big screen in the park. People is very friendly and it's one of the best way to meet Parisians.
Here, the screening schedule : http://www.villette.com/images/PDF/programmecine2008.pdf
(As usual it's eclectic and you can see great movies from 1910 to nowadays (about 50% US movies (subtitled in french) but also Spannish, German, Italian, Japanese and French movies of course) )
ex : August 14th - A classic : Gilda with the gorgeous Rita Hayworth.
The best way to go there is by walk along canal St-Martin (captured just below)
Just off the top of my head things I supposed not (yet) in travels books :
To have a drink (bars and cafés) : "Rue Mouffetard" which was at the origin a Roman road !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_Mouffetard,_Paris
Walks :
* The "Planted Stroll" (2.5-mile) that locals call "La coulée verte" a viaduc turned into a suspended garden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promenade_plantée (with pictures in the links)
*La "Nouvelle Athènes" in the 9th arrondissement close to Pigalle ! Often overlooked, this is a quiet and small aera (only 3 streets !!) which worth the walk. Many artists and musicians lived there, including Berlioz, Chopin, George Sand, Jean Cocteau, Delacroix and Guillaume Apollinaire.
http://www.metropoleparis.com/1996/60805024/paris-athens.html
The 3 streets :
rue de la Tour-des-Dames (beautiful houses)
rue de La Rochefoucault (the museum Gustave Moreau is there (in his house/atelier) if you like this painter)
rue Saint-Lazare
You can also perhaps look at this site "walks in unknown Paris" (unfortunately in french)
http://www.parisinconnu.com/promenades/index.htm
ex : on n°2 - historical Paris, you have 12 propositions (parcours) of walks (on the right in the sub menu) .
Just 2 pics for the pleasure (from beautiful galleries depicting Paris => http://www.pbase.com/didierv/paris)
From "paris_en_couleurs" gallery => http://www.pbase.com/didierv/paris_en_couleurs
And "paris_city_of_light" gallery => http://www.pbase.com/didierv/cityoflight
(Btw, from the gallery "paris_sans_couleurs" => http://www.pbase.com/didierv/paris_sans_couleurs (pic 7th row, third column= - A stop at Café Le Nemours at the Palais Royal is highly recommended (even if more bourgeois !!))
Hope this helps (at least a little !!)
Enjoy your stay ;o)
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
So he is an ahole!
rogar-Love(DBG):Just kidding for those of you without a sense of humour.
slimchrisp
Well-known member
it helps more than just a little. we won't be there until the end of september, so we'll miss some of the things you mentioned, but plenty more in your post.
:dankk2:
We went to France with the kids this summer. If you're asking what to wear to look less conspicuous, I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you know little if any of the French language.
Do whatever you can to learn some key phrases and how to apologize in French for knowing so little of their language. It will go farther than you can imagine. In the Provencial regions, you'll find that people dress in the European manner. You are likely to see men in proper slacks and sometimes in jeans. Not a lot of shorts. I don't wear pants when it's hot, so I rocked shorts. But I don't care about looking like a tourist. That's what I am. I always try to be a good ambassador and act as a courteous and gracious guest. That'll go a lot farther than disguises and fakery.
France is an amazing country. Have a great time!
e
Do whatever you can to learn some key phrases and how to apologize in French for knowing so little of their language. It will go farther than you can imagine. In the Provencial regions, you'll find that people dress in the European manner. You are likely to see men in proper slacks and sometimes in jeans. Not a lot of shorts. I don't wear pants when it's hot, so I rocked shorts. But I don't care about looking like a tourist. That's what I am. I always try to be a good ambassador and act as a courteous and gracious guest. That'll go a lot farther than disguises and fakery.
France is an amazing country. Have a great time!
e