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Thread: French stuff

  1. #11
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    Default Re: French stuff

    Sounds to me like she could have been in Quebec.
    Similar thing happened to me there in my sea days.
    Nothing has changed.

  2. #12
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    Default Re: French stuff

    So apparently someone feels that they have been mistreated by Parisians. Well, that has nothing to do with the fact they're a Brit, not even the fact that they’re a foreigner. It has everything to do with the fact that they’re Parisians, and most of them don’t know any other way to treat people, they even mistreat each other. This is how most Parisians see human interactions.

    Simple as that.

    And when it comes to winding up the French we've been at it for a thousand years.

    If we dish it out, be prepared to take some back.

    In general / reality, I certainly have never found the French people to be anything less than charming and hospitable – nothing like what we’d been led to believe. And I’ll be happy to say so anytime I hear someone mentioning how unfriendly the French people are.

    Keith.

  3. Likes Rodney Mills liked this post
  4. #13
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    Default Re: French stuff

    Hi Den.
    I was in Montreal going ashore with a mate; asked a bloke the way to the pubs, he pointed down a road which is where we went it was an industrial estate.
    Des
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  5. #14
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    Default Re: French stuff

    Hi John how are you going mate ? Something similar happened to Joy and I in Paris in some years ago . We had stuffed up our hotel booking in central Paris and ended up in an outer suburb in some dump . However looking on the bright side we went out for dinner. We found a cheerful looking brasserie and took a table . Now I guess you know all the good tables in these cafe's are out front near the street. We were in the back .
    Joy remarked that our waiter looked like Danny Kaye the movie comedian , he smiled and asked, "Anglatier ?" Joy smiled back and replied proudly, " non Australian ." The atmosphere changed dramatically . The guy actually smiled and moved us closer to the front . I also have to add that in those days Joy was a stunning redhead and poor old "Danny" was smitten . Did not help with the tip though .
    All the best guys . Mort.
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  6. #15
    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
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    Default Re: French stuff

    The locals usually sit at or near the inside counter, cheapest price wise. The closer to the street and on / nearest the tarmac the more you pay.

    Similar to Italy, unless your feet are just killing you, avoid sitting down in the kind of place that Italians call a “bar” and we call a “cafe.” Why? Because as soon as you sit down, the price of whatever you’re eating doubles, triples… or worse. That’s why you see Italians usually taking their coffee and cornetti standing up.

    It occurs all over and most savvy world traveller's are wise to it. Spanish restaurants often have two, sometimes three pricings. There'll be a bar price (barra), a price to sit in the main restaurant (salon) and a third price to sit outside on the terraza. It's nice to sit outside and the surcharge isn't much, but just don't be surprised if your bill is a little higher as a result.

    Keith.

    .
    Last edited by Keith at Tregenna; 7th October 2020 at 03:28 AM.

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  10. #17
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    Default Re: French stuff

    We were in Marsailes a few years ago on a cruise, only two Australians on it the rest were Poms, a few Yanks and other EU persons.

    We walked around on the fore shore after a tour of the Cathedral on the hill.

    I had my big Oz hat on which has a small Aussie flag on it.

    At one stall to buy a couple of things and there were a few Poms there as well.
    The guy must have seen my hat as he called to me, You Australian'?
    Yes mate, how ya goin?
    Well no worries we got served but the Poms when we left were looking at us and wondering no doubt why we got served and they were still waiting.
    After all the Brits did for them in WW2 you would think they would be a bit friendlier, but no obviously they still remember Agincourt when the Brits stuck it up them, good and proper.

    Now of course leaving EU, France will have to find more money to prop up the smaller countries now no money from UK.
    Last edited by happy daze john in oz; 7th October 2020 at 05:45 AM.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

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    Default Re: French stuff

    Marseilles is where the RN shelled the French fleet to stop it falling into German hands and killed about 1300 French sailors, so some would not too kindly on the British, but as the French Admiral was anti British he left Churchill no choice but to give the order. The RN sent over many officers to plead with the Admiral, but the only response they got was 'when the time comes I will do the right thing' not a reassuring answer, had the French fleet fallen into German hands then the Medi would have been closed to Allied shipping, both Naval and commercial, not an outcome to benefit the world. French intransigence once again brought the result upon their own heads.

  12. #19
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    Default Re: French stuff

    Quote Originally Posted by Keith at Tregenna View Post
    So apparently someone feels that they have been mistreated by Parisians. Well, that has nothing to do with the fact they're a Brit, not even the fact that they’re a foreigner. It has everything to do with the fact that they’re Parisians, and most of them don’t know any other way to treat people, they even mistreat each other. This is how most Parisians see human interactions.

    Simple as that.

    And when it comes to winding up the French we've been at it for a thousand years.

    If we dish it out, be prepared to take some back.

    In general / reality, I certainly have never found the French people to be anything less than charming and hospitable – nothing like what we’d been led to believe. And I’ll be happy to say so anytime I hear someone mentioning how unfriendly the French people are.

    Keith.
    Keith, you should take a trip to Quebec.
    They are a different kind of French.
    And that is saying something.

  13. #20
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    Default Re: French stuff

    I've been to Paris a dozens or more times, I used to have to go on business almost every two or three months for almost five years and I've been for pleasure at least ten times.

    I mentioned I bought a car in England and after touring we crossed over to Paris. It was a bit hairy to say the least driving around the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs des Elysee in an English car. Steering wheel on the wrong side, driving on the wrong side...Merde! But nothing beats the the French bread or the food. Getting up early in the morning and walking the streets of Paris, buying a still hot loaf of bread and four coffee Americain (means large ones) for my wife and I back in the pension, wonderful memories. and spending days in the Louvre Museum, not a quick hour in and out like most tourists have to.

    I never had any problems. I recognized as Keith does, the Parisienn is a separate breed of French, they do not like French people from other parts France, if they live on the right bank they don't like those on the left bank, if they live in the eighth district, they don't like the other districts, they don't even like themselves. You just get with the groove, if you're in Paris. They have every right to be proud of their lovely city.

    I speak or spoke passable Spanish and German and could grunt and groan Farsi (and can still remember enough to get around) I have a good ear for languages...except French. My French vocabulary is limited to excuse me, Where is, left of right and a couple of other words. Remember I told you I had an English car, (with English license plates) I got around by stopping someone and say Excuse me where is....?
    Listen closely as they rapidly in French gave direction. picked up next left or right took that and asked again and slowly got to where I wanted to go.

    We needed to go to the international airport and we were lost in deepest, darkest Paris. I stopped a man and got out of the car and did my where is bit. He looked at me, and all I got was "OOo-la-la- Merde" (Sh&t) and a rapid load of French. I said Merci climbed back in the car and said Ass#@%$! cranked the car up, there's a beep alongside me and it's the guy, only in a car, He shouts out to me, throws his arms up in the air in frustration, puts one index finger behind the other then taps the finger in front and points to himself, taps the rear finger and points to me...Follow me!

    So I do, we are driving for at least thirty minutes through Paris then up onto the Autoroute for a few miles then I see him wave out of his window, then I see him point up and there's big sign saying Aeroport Charles de Gaulle, he waves and takes the next exit off and is gone.

    And don't forget I was driving an English car. And this guy took me all across Paris and then had to drive back to his home.

    Cheers, Rodney

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