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BBC 08
06-03-2012, 10:55 AM
Now that my sister has finally graduated Xavier my family has decided to go on a trip to London and Paris. Since I have never been I thought I'd turn to the illustrious members of this board who have been to London and Paris for any and all advice you have for what to do and where to go while over there.

We are going in July for 2 weeks so yeah, what do you all suggest we do over there?

ballyhoohoo
06-03-2012, 11:08 AM
My advice. Skip Paris. It blows. Go to Lisbon

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:11 AM
Extreme caution for London this year. With Olympics many rooms are sold out. We're advised at work that this summer there will be difficult.

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:13 AM
If you go to either one go online and get Parus Pass or London Pass. They're a value if you're going to many places. With London pass get the option with transit and you can get in the tube or busses. Subways in Paris are also easy but have to be purchased separate.

GoMuskies
06-03-2012, 11:16 AM
Wimbledon if it's still going on when you get there. Find a way in. Jack the Ripper tour organized by Tower of London guide was also an excellent experience. Cheap show tickets (Trafalger or Leicester Square?) Is a must, too. Otherwise, I recommend all the normal touristy stuff in both places.

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:19 AM
Must see

Tower of London
Churchill Bunker and War room
Windsor Castle (although a bit out of town)

Nice to see

Westminster
St Paul's Cathedral
Buckingham Palace

BBC 08
06-03-2012, 11:19 AM
Bourbon - already got rooms for both. We've been planning this for a long time so rooms are good to go. Also, family is looking into the passes that you've mentioned. I think we are getting them, not entirely sure.

Go - will be there for both men's and women's finals. That is already on my list and agree that I will do anything to get in.

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:20 AM
The passes mentioned above will get you in a "fast pass" enters ce at many locations

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:25 AM
Paris must see

Invalides (great war museum) as well as much more. ( yes, their tanks have one forward gear and 7 reverse)
Louvre
Notes Dame
Sacre Coeur
Coneirge(sp?)
Eating in any side walk cafe away from touristy area

Nice to do

Eifel Tower
Versailles (a bit removed and extremely long lines with no fast entrance option)

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 11:26 AM
Bourbon - already got rooms for both. We've been planning this for a long time so rooms are good to go. Also, family is looking into the passes that you've mentioned. I think we are getting them, not entirely sure.

Go - will be there for both men's and women's finals. That is already on my list and agree that I will do anything to get in.

Great on rooms. Get the passes with transit in London. One of best decisions I've made in visits.

Porkopolis
06-03-2012, 11:28 AM
Must see

Tower of London
Churchill Bunker and War room
Windsor Castle (although a bit out of town)

Nice to see

Westminster
St Paul's Cathedral
Buckingham Palace

I second all of those suggestions. The Churchill Bunker is spectacular. I also recommend just picking a few (safe) neighborhoods and strolling around on your own. Kensington & Chelsea is a great borough to do this in and you can check out Royal Albert Hall and the museums on Exhibition Road.

joebba
06-03-2012, 12:46 PM
See if you can get into the studio audience for an episode of Top Gear!

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdB3LZvUVYoviSWUSVxOn7EyNmr8Xqb AfUKRbeHC4IGteEfWum

Muskie
06-03-2012, 12:53 PM
Its worth it to see a play at Stratford in my opinion. Saw Macbeth when i was there in 1996.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

xudash
06-03-2012, 01:33 PM
Do any of your family members travelling with you speak French?

That will make your trip to Paris much easier. As you know, the French "enjoy" a certain reputation over here. Their point of view is that Americans typically come to Paris in "Ugly American Mode" - in other words, they would prefer to see a little more real or perceived respect for their culture.

Knowing the language makes things go more smoothly there. Otherwise, brush up on some basics and go from there. It's hard to not go to Paris if you're making a European trip, but you have to find a way to make it work for you with respect to human interaction. Obviously, not every Parisian is a snob, but some ability to speak their language will help improve your overall experience.

As far as attractions go, another possibility for you is to carve out some time for The Château de Chantilly. Get your energy level up: you could spend a month in the Louve alone, let alone packing in London and Paris sights in two weeks.

Have a blast. You're timing is good, as the Euro is coming back towards the dollar (oh really).

GuyFawkes38
06-03-2012, 01:47 PM
Both cities are awesome. Arguably 2 of the greatest cities on earth. It can be intimidating trying to see everything. It's important to try to prioritize. I've been to each city 3 times and still have several sites that I wanted to see but didn't have time to see.

Purchase Rick Steve's guide books on the cities (his are easily the best).

Day or week underground/metro passes will save you money over purchasing individual trips.

Museums are free in London. And the museums are awesome in London. The British Museum and the National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery are must sees. The Tate/Tate Modern are really cool. The Victoria and Albert Museum is kind of nice too. If you like war, visit the Imperial War museum.

Visit a street market. Notting Hill has a nice one (although it is touristy). There are lots of markets on the east side.

Visit St. Paul and go to the top for a great view. Visit the Temple Church (yes, of Da Vinci Code fame). Visit Westminster Abbey (really pricey, but cool). Yes, the London Eye is touristy, but awesome. Visit the Churchill war Cabinet rooms.

Have dinner in a traditional pub. London has an awesome foreign food scene. Great Indian and middle eastern food.

I love Paris. There are less sites to see than London, but walking around is a lot of fun. Walk around the left bank by St. Germain. Visit the churches in the area. Purchase a baguette or a sandwhich at a local shop. Rick Steves has some nice Left Bank walks outlined in his Paris guide book.

Lots of great art museums. My favorite museum is the Musee Cluny. It's an underrated gem filled with spectular medieval art. There's the Louve (which honestly is exhausting...not my favorite). I loved the Orsay/Rodin/and Piccaso museums.

Visit the Le Sainte Chapelle. Right next to Notre Dame and much more spectacular. Amazing stained glass windows. I also loved the Basilica Sacre Coeur.

The best view of the city is not from the Eiffel Tower, but from the arc de triomphe. But visit the Eiffel Tower at night. It's cool. Especially when you see it from getting off the Trocodero metro stop. Great view of the Eiffel Tower in front of the city. You'll remember that view for the rest of your life.

I'm sure I'm missing a lot.

Edit: just to add, you can find some great half price theater tickets in London at Leicester Square.

MuskieMark
06-03-2012, 01:55 PM
The Paris metro is very useful for getting around and much cheaper than taxis. Père Lachaise Cemetery is a very cool stop, with some famous people like Jim Morrison, Chopin, and Victor Hugo buried there. You've got to stop and see the outside of the Louvre, but the museum itself is way to big to see all of. You're better off going to Musée d'Orsay, an old train station turned museum. The Rodin museum is pretty cool as well.

SlimKibbles
06-03-2012, 02:19 PM
My advice. Skip Paris. It blows. Go to Lisbon


Paris must see

Invalides (great war museum) as well as much more. ( yes, their tanks have one forward gear and 7 reverse)
Louvre
Notes Dame
Sacre Coeur
Coneirge(sp?)
Eating in any side walk cafe away from touristy area

Nice to do

Eifel Tower
Versailles (a bit removed and extremely long lines with no fast entrance option)

I was kind of surprised at how dirty Paris was when I was there almost 11 years ago. I'm not sure what I expected on the visit but I can tell you I enjoyed Bavaria and Munich (2nd-leg of the trip) much more. Yeah the the touristy stuff in Paris is kind of cool to see though. One thing I will say is had it not been for a friendly French guy I recognized from the train I took from Munich to Paris for my trip back home, I may never had made it to the airport. Don't speak a lick of French, which made things a little difficult, for me anyway.

The one thing that pissed me off though is I observed a bunch of, what appeared to be Arabic folks (likely Algerians since they are plenty of them in Paris) burning an American flag in the street while I was walking with friends to the train station to go to Munich. I wanted to do something about it but then remembered where I was and that it was only a couple of weeks after 9/11. I was happy to leave Paris at that point, let's put it that way.

BlueGuy
06-03-2012, 02:31 PM
visit the Eiffel Tower at night. It's cool. Especially when you see it from getting off the Trocodero metro stop. Great view of the Eiffel Tower in front of the city. You'll remember that view for the rest of your life.



This is a great tip. Definitely one of the best views in the city. There is a cafe right on the corner there by the metro. Grab a table outside at night, have a few glasses of wine, and enjoy that view. Just as Guy said, you will have that image in your head forever.




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Blue Blooded-05
06-03-2012, 03:39 PM
I just got back from Russia/Ukraine/Romania by way of Paris...

My only advice is to give yourself ample time to navigate through Charles De Gaulle Airport. CDG is such a sh!tshow, it makes O'Hare look orderly and organized. The following actually happened to me last month in Paris:

I had an international connecting flight, which meant I needed to retrieve my checked bag, go through customs and then go through security... just to make my flight which was departing in 1.5 hours after I landed. This is a bad enough problem but then they changed my landing gate at the last minute from 2E to 2A and needed to get to 2F. In hindsight it would have been better to take a taxi even through it was in the same frickin terminal! Then, they announced the conveyer belt was broken and the minimum-wage-I-hate-my-life-baggage-handlers had to bring in all the bags up by hand.... slowly of course.

After finally getting my bag and clearing customs, I was sprinting to my gate (gate 43 of 45... waaaay at the end of 2F... figures)... out of nowhere, some dude in full army fatigues with an automatic weapon starts yelling at me in French. I look around and there are 4 more just like him. I spent the next 45 seconds in sheer terror as I had no idea whether these guys were police or terrorists. Fortunately, they were the former. Turns out, there was a bomb threat and the terminal needed to be shut down and the people quarantined behind caution tape (as if that's going to block the shrapnel)... but I only found this out when I asked if anyone spoke English and some middle aged lady told me... before she proceeded to bitch at me for the next half hour about everything wrong with America.

As a result, I missed my flight to Bucharest and spent the next 5 hours spending way too many Euro to taxi into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower... which looks exactly like it does in all the pictures.

Paris sucks. Go to Nice or Cannes instead. Beautiful beaches and topless women. Enough said.

LadyMuskie
06-03-2012, 04:19 PM
London:

Jack the Ripper Tour is pretty awesome - especially the ones that end when it's dark out!

Tower of London is an absolute must. If you do nothing else tourist-y in London, you must do this.

The New Globe Theater in London is pretty cool if you're a fan of Shakespeare, but wait to see one of his plays if you're going to Stratford just because there's something awesome about seeing a Shakespeare play in Stratford.

Abbey Road is neat to visit if you're a Beatles fan or a music fan in general. You can sign the wall (along with every other visitor in the world) and walk across the street on the white lines. Although, be careful because the oncoming cars do not stop. Friends of mine almost bit the dust posing there.

For your sister and your mom - tea at Harrod's is incredible. It's pricey, but definitely worth it. Tea at Harrod's and the Tower are the two things I do every time I go to London.

Windsor Castle is outside of London, but definitely worth the trip. If the royals aren't there, you can walk all over the grounds and see most of the castle. Really awesome.

Stratford and Oxford were both amazing side day trips. Seeing a Shakespeare play in Stratford is sort of mind blowing as I mentioned above. Oxford is great because of the history and because you can take a Lewis Carroll tour (if you're a big fan - like me).

Charles Dickens's house was fun to visit. Picadilly and Trafalgar Square are great to visit so you can say you've been. The British National Museum is incredible. Westminster Abbey and Temple Church are beautiful too.

Paris:

I would live in Paris in a heartbeat. As a French minor, there's no city on earth more beautiful to me. The great thing about Paris, IMO, is that everything seems connected to everything else, with a few exceptions.

Notre Dame is beautiful,but Sacre Coeur and La Madeleine are the really great churches to visit in Paris.

Place de la Concorde is near La Madeleine and L'Arc de Triomphe. You can also visit Tuileries Jardin which are beautiful gardens.

If you're going to Paris, you can't leave without visiting the Louvre. It's cliche, but you have to go to see Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa.

My favorite museum is the Musee D'Orsay. It is a museum in an old train station and houses some of the best art in the world, IMO. I'm a huge fan of French Impressionism, so this was the place for me.

Musee Rodin was also fabulous if you're a fan of his work.

L'Orangerie is another fabulous museum chock full of impressionistic work and post impressionism. It is located very near Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries.

The Paris Opera house is amazing. The chandelier and the Marc Chagall ceiling are worth the visit alone, but the staircase is also incredible.

Shakespeare & Company is great to visit just to say you've been.

Eat at the little places in Montmartre near Sacre Coeur. The view from Sacre Coeur is one of the best in the city because you get to see the Eiffel Tower and can get pictures that are encroyable!!

Visit the Paris catacombs! It's a fantastic tour and one of the few in Paris I visit each time I go.

If you like visiting cemeteries, Pere Lachaise is the one to visit. Sarah Bernhardt and Jim Morrison are both there, among others. I wouldn't say it's a must visit unless someone you're a huge fan of is buried there, but if you have extra time, it's a great place to visit.

Take the time and money and definitely do a twilight boat tour on the Seine! It's absolutely gorgeous and a great trip. It's very relaxing and you'll get to see a lot.

The Eiffel Tower is best at night, IMO, although you can't get great panoramic shots then of the rest of the city.

Versailles is a day trip from Paris and well worth the visit.

If you have time, the Loire River Valley is where all the chateux of the French royalty are.

I don't know if your travel plans are concrete yet, but my favorite trip was when we went to London first and then traveled by ferry from Dover to Normandy. Normandy was beautiful. My grandfather was a part of the D-Day invasion and I loved being where he had been. More over, the villages are small and beautiful, and there are still bunkers, etc. present for you to visit. There are many military museums that you can visit and there are American flags and British flags flying everywhere. The American cemetery featured at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is one of the most beautiful, most solemn cemeteries in the world. Second only to Arlington, IMO.

The French in Paris aren't that fond of Americans. The French in Normandy adore Americans.

Porkopolis
06-03-2012, 04:38 PM
Jack the Ripper Tour is pretty awesome - especially the ones that end when it's dark out!

The Jack the Ripper Tour is spectacular. I also took one called "Alleyways, Apparitions and Ale" which was a tour of haunted places focusing on pubs. It was very enjoyable, especially if you like English ale.

LadyMuskie
06-03-2012, 07:14 PM
Another thing to do in Paris is to take in a mass (if you're Catholic or if you don't mind sitting through a Catholic service) at Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur. It's really wonderful! All that history surrounding you is pretty special, IMO.

Also, the shopping along the Champs Elysees is something your mom and sister might really enjoy! I haven't been in a while, but there were some great shops - high end and boutique that were great!

And if you're in to modern art and architecture, then Beauborg and the Centre Pompidou is a must. I'm not much of a modernist, but you can see some great Matisse works there.

Another piece of advice for both cities is - walk when you can. The subways are super efficient and great, but you get to see so much more when you walk - especially in Paris where things are tied together a little bit more. The Tube and Le Metro are super easy to navigate, but being above ground means you can experience the street vendors and natives and just see things without having to take a tour or anything. Some of my favorite memories of both cities are when my friends and I were just wondering around trying to blend in and "exploring".

Oh, and don't wear anything with an American flag on it, an American team on it, etc. It makes you a target for many different things. The bigger places in Paris you won't need to know much, if any, French. But, if you get the chance to eat or shop at some of the smaller places, a basic understanding of French would be helpful.

LadyMuskie
06-03-2012, 07:18 PM
The Jack the Ripper Tour is spectacular. I also took one called "Alleyways, Apparitions and Ale" which was a tour of haunted places focusing on pubs. It was very enjoyable, especially if you like English ale.

My sister did a haunted tour in London too, although I don't know that it was the pub one. But, she loved the one she did too. There are some really great off the beaten track things to do in London.

bourbonman
06-03-2012, 10:13 PM
?.. but I can tell you I enjoyed Bavaria and Munich (2nd-leg of the trip) much more. way.

Bavaria area is definitely my favorite. Northern Italy, southern Gremany, Switzerland and Austria.

danaandvictory
06-04-2012, 07:10 AM
Visit St. Paul and go to the top for a great view.

This was the coolest thing I did in England.

I would say that this summer is kind of a nightmarish time to try to go to London, though. It's going to be nothing but gridlock and crowds. Plus it is not a city built with hot summers in mind, so be aware of that before you go.

nuts4xu
06-04-2012, 09:34 AM
...spend some time in London, see the Queen, then skip Paris and head straight for Amsterdam.

Two words --> SPACE CAKE!!

http://chzallnighter.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/party-fails-the-pot-weed-drugs-icing-cake.jpg

xudash
06-04-2012, 09:39 AM
Bavaria area is definitely my favorite. Northern Italy, southern Gremany, Switzerland and Austria.

With you all the way on that.

All kidding intended, Southern Gremany is nice, but it is harder to find than Southern Germany. You also have to be weary of Gremans in genarel.

BBC 08
06-04-2012, 12:09 PM
Thanks everyone for the advice.

paulxu
06-04-2012, 04:04 PM
All kidding intended, Southern Gremany is nice, but it is harder to find than Southern Germany. You also have to be weary of Gremans in genarel.

Dash...don't know what you are drinking...but I want a shot or two.

Mrs. Garrett
06-04-2012, 06:22 PM
I would have told you to go to France in August. The French take the whole month off and most leave the country. Thus I have few bad things to say about the French based on my visit.

We stayed in St. Germaine and had I coffee in Luxembourg Gardens every morning. We only spent a couple days there and were in the countryside most of the time. There are a lot of gypsies in France. Just ignore them. They will ask if you speak English,. Pretend like you don't & keep going.

Blueblob4life
06-04-2012, 08:17 PM
I was fortunate enough to go on the Xavier London study abroad program during summer 2009 and I loved every moment of it. Needless to say, I'm quite jealous of you but really excited for you too!

I second the Harrod's suggestion. It can be nice for both the men and the ladies because it is a super ginormous department store with EVERYTHING. You could spend a half a day there easily. It is kinda pricey for some things, but you can also have some legit meals there as well. Plus there's a chocolate-heavy eatery on the 2nd floor I believe, so that might interest the ladies in your party.

Imperial War museum is really cool. I'm not big on most museums, but the WWII stuff was really cool to see. I believe there's a really depressing Holocaust exhibit there, but it was powerful.

Borough Market is absolutely fantastic and a must see. Go on a Saturday during the early afternoon and bring your appetite. There's a lot of fresh food all around and really nice things to bring back to your hotel for snacking on. I had some of the best strawberries ever from Borough Market and that's just the beginning of everything they offer. Another place you could spend several hours exploring because of all of the food and goodies there.

Platform 9 3/4 is in King's Cross station, kind of hidden if I remember because they moved it, but that's kinda cool to see for the HP fans.

I doubt there will be any friendlies taking place, but if you can get to Wembley Stadium for a tour or to just see the place, go. It's what stadiums should aspire to be.

And definitely try to take in a show while you're there. There's plenty of discount ticket stops to choose from, and you can get a lot of great deals on the day of the show.

And if you can manage to get away for a day trip outside of London, I'd recommend either Bath or Dover. Bath is beautiful and home of the Roman baths as well as Sally Luns' buns, the greatest dinner roll you'll ever have. Pair it with some of their cinnamon-sugar butter and tea, and life is good. Dover is wonderful as well, very pretty and the castle is really something to take in.

I hope you enjoy your time there, and be safe whilst traveling! Londoners are nice people and most of them are as interested in you as you are in them. And the tube system is absurdly efficient. Protip: pick either the very front or the very rear of the tube to travel in, won't be as congested in most cases.

MuskieMark
06-05-2012, 06:23 AM
Le Refuge des Fondues is a cool restaurant to check out in Paris. It's a fondue restaurant that serves wine out of baby bottles (great place to get a nice dinner drunk).

blobfan
06-06-2012, 01:10 PM
It’s been 15 years so my info may be outdated but:

London:
1 - definitely worth a day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon. My favorite part of that trip was sitting in the orchard of Ann Shakespeare’s childhood home, listening to the sheep.
2 – the museums are awesome. There’s some cool weirdness there like the Lindow Bogman. My first mummy.
3 – the parks are beautiful.
4 – see a play or 12.
5 – there is LOTS of shopping in London. Lots. If you aren’t into shopping, find a pub.

Language: they don't speak American, they speak English. You may enter a small shop or restaurant and discover you don't understand a word the person is saying. Don't be surprised by this. I found cockney harder to penetrate than some of the French immigrant accets.

Paris:
I agree with Lady M except on a couple counts:
-The French aren’t rude. Big city residents are rude. They’ll find an excuse to hate you and Americans are easy to pick out of a crowd. After a year in Paris I started hating American tourists. The rudest people from my trip to Paris were the New Yorkers at JFK.
-Cemetiere Montparnasse is far more interesting and easier to navigate than Pere Lachaise so unless there’s someone specific you want to see, go see the sculptures in Montparnasse and skip the gray sepulchers of Lachaise
- Forget Versailles. It’s nice but probably a wasted day on a 2 week trip, unless you have a specific desire to see it. Do take a day-trip outside of Paris if you can fit it in. There are many small towns a short distance by train or even accessible via RER. Saint-Denis was a favorite of mine. Very old and lots of history. I believe Auvers Sur Oise has a lot of Van Gogh history and I heard it was a lovely visit although I did not make it when I was there.

As for language – don’t worry about it. Learn the polite phrases and use them. Learn to say “I’m sorry but I do not speak French. Do you speak English?” Ping me if you want a specific list but I bet you can find it online easily. Many speak English and the youth will want to practice on you. Remember, when they are rude, it’s not because they are French but because they are in a big city and all on top of each other. They get cranky.

The items below are mostly repeats but as an Xhooper, I want to have my say ;)
1 - Take an evening Bateau mouche tour that goes up to the Eiffel Tour and the maquette of the Statue of Liberty
2 - See the Eiffel Tour at night but I believe Tour Montparnasse still has a restaurant and bar and you may be able to get a free elevator ride to the top for the price of a couple drinks. That’s the tallest point in Paris. However, the view of the city from the steps of Sacre Coeur was one of my favorites, both day and evening.
3 – if you are into museums, and they are worth it in both cities, do the quick tour of the Louvre: Mona Lisa, David, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo. Go early and you can be in and out before the crowds hit. Or pick your top faves and don’t try to see them all. The modern art museums were more interesting to me. The garden of the Musee Rodin is awesome and would be my #1 museum pick. Musee d’Orsay may have been my 2nd. Dali was weird and small so worth the time. You’ll want to visit Montmarte for the Sacre Coeur anyway and I think Dali is nearby.
4 – if you have the time and inclination, tour the catacombs. It’s the old tombs and where the resistance hung out during the war. Lots of history, high spookiness factor. I missed it during my stay and it’s probably the one big regret I have because everyone else loved it.
5 - Parc Montsourris near American University is bliss on a sunny day with it’s lake and grass but the Jardin du Lexemburg provides a more traditional Parisian park experience.
6 – Go to Notre Dame for mass if you can but if you are just visiting, I found the outside the more interesting part. There are other less crowded equally beautiful churches to visit.

GuyFawkes38
06-06-2012, 02:51 PM
Lots of good recommendations by blobfan.

Just my experience. But I never had an issue with rude Parisians. In fact, I found them more warm than Londoners.

In my experience, Parisians can glance at you and tell that your an English speaking foreigner. But they still appreciate it if you make some effort to speak a little french or at least ask them if they speak English.

Never just start speaking in English to anyone.

blobfan
06-06-2012, 02:52 PM
Just my experience. But I never had an issue with rude Parisians. In fact, I found them more warm than Londoners.

Me too but I was in London around Easter and the weather wasn't great so I blamed it on that.

bourbonman
06-06-2012, 03:23 PM
In my experience, Parisians can glance at you and tell that your an English speaking foreigner. But they still appreciate it if you make some effort to speak a little french or at least ask them if they speak English.

Never just start speaking in English to anyone.

My experience is not to expect everyone can speak English in any foreign country. If you start with English assuming they speak it in their homeland you're putting yourself at a major disadvantage and you'll get what you earned.

My best experience of no English was a rude waiter in Rome. Of course in Italy if it's not rude service it won't be authentic service. Turns out after he got over the group I was with I got him in a conversation and it turns out he was a student from New Jersey working there for the summer. He was simply playing the role tourists expect.

LadyMuskie
06-06-2012, 04:23 PM
I agree with Lady M except on a couple counts:
-The French aren’t rude. Big city residents are rude. They’ll find an excuse to hate you and Americans are easy to pick out of a crowd. After a year in Paris I started hating American tourists. The rudest people from my trip to Paris were the New Yorkers at JFK.


Just to be clear, I never said the French were rude and I wouldn't say that because I didn't find it to be true (or at least no more true than any other nationality). I said Parisians weren't that fond of Americans, and I believe that to be true - in general. I didn't really experience what I consider "rude" Parisians, so much as I witnessed a general annoyance or lack of fondness with Americans who think that because they're Americans they can do and say whatever they want. Once you showed that you weren't that kind of American, I found Parisians to be great, but the citizens of Normandy were that way without having to get through the rough exterior.

All that said, I generally dislike Americans in large groups myself. I find I'm annoyed by American tourists in my city because they act like the fact that they're American means that they're special and they can say and do whatever they want - like the group from Illinois at King Island yesterday.

SlimKibbles
06-06-2012, 05:07 PM
My experience is not to expect everyone can speak English in any foreign country. If you start with English assuming they speak it in their homeland you're putting yourself at a major disadvantage and you'll get what you earned.

On my trips to Spain, France, and Germany, I always did this. Parlez vous anglais is one of the few things I know in French. I speak German and Spanish much better. I had always heard prior to my trips that they appreciated the effort to at least try to speak their language. So I tried to do that while over there.

MuskieMark
06-06-2012, 08:19 PM
I lived in Paris for a year and found the residents to be more friendly there than any of the other European cities I visited. It's a big city though and everyone won't go out of their way to make you love them. Some people are nice and polite, while others not so much.