Eiffel Tower Trouble
Dec 7th, 2005, 07:42 PM
#21
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,099
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Eiffel Tower is a magnet for anyone visiting Paris -- and I did notice a "herd mentality" when I was there in September. It's also the one place in Paris where I took on a guy who wanted to pickpocket me (he was REACHING for my purse), and he was only stopped by my loud "WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" because I was lucky to have seen him first.
When I went with my Mom and Aunt (both in their 60s and both with various issues of limited mobility) we were 2nd in line, and a guy tried to cut in front of us, and thought his back was big enough to stop me. I said "Excuse me" in the 5 available languages to me (English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and German), and I finally just gave him a gentle nudge with my own shoulder to clear space for my family and got past him. I was horrified to turn around and see someone wearing an NFL Football jacket, speaking English, and clear as day knowing what I was saying about my Mom & Aunt being disabled and needing to move. I glared at him with a look that would have melted the South Pole.
Yeah, rude people are everywhere, and maybe he thought that's what I was -- but in all reality, it was clear who was first, second and third in line and so on, and he was clearly in the wrong as he had jumped ahead of us as his friend bought a ticket behind us.
We didn't have a problem near the top --it was a Saturday morning and the place was well-stocked with employees, but not when I needed them.
Now let's all just remember the REST of Paris.
Jules
When I went with my Mom and Aunt (both in their 60s and both with various issues of limited mobility) we were 2nd in line, and a guy tried to cut in front of us, and thought his back was big enough to stop me. I said "Excuse me" in the 5 available languages to me (English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and German), and I finally just gave him a gentle nudge with my own shoulder to clear space for my family and got past him. I was horrified to turn around and see someone wearing an NFL Football jacket, speaking English, and clear as day knowing what I was saying about my Mom & Aunt being disabled and needing to move. I glared at him with a look that would have melted the South Pole.
Yeah, rude people are everywhere, and maybe he thought that's what I was -- but in all reality, it was clear who was first, second and third in line and so on, and he was clearly in the wrong as he had jumped ahead of us as his friend bought a ticket behind us.
We didn't have a problem near the top --it was a Saturday morning and the place was well-stocked with employees, but not when I needed them.
Now let's all just remember the REST of Paris.
Jules
Dec 8th, 2005, 01:54 AM
#23
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I still think that stopping people with a physical disability, who are still capable of walking and could get down the steps if they had to, is uneccecary. It wouldn't be that much more difficult for them than for all the people that drag their children up there. It would be just as easy for someone to have helped my friends as it would for people to either herd their kids down the stairs, or if they were too young to manage the steps quickly and deftly enough, pick them up and carry them.
Dec 8th, 2005, 09:54 AM
#24
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,391
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Catbert
"I think it has a lot less to do about rudeness than it does about culture. Some cultures just don't make a practice of standing in line. Isn't traveling partly about discovering differences?"
Have to disagree with you on this one, catbert. If jumping lines is a cultural practice, then this confirms my view that some cultural practices are not only rude but quite frankly, stupid and not worthy of respect. As it is French air traffic controllers and French pilots observe proper queues for the runway, thank God, or those of us who went to Paris might never have left there except in a long box. Proper queues are safer and more efficient, period - on the runway, or anywhere else.
"I think it has a lot less to do about rudeness than it does about culture. Some cultures just don't make a practice of standing in line. Isn't traveling partly about discovering differences?"
Have to disagree with you on this one, catbert. If jumping lines is a cultural practice, then this confirms my view that some cultural practices are not only rude but quite frankly, stupid and not worthy of respect. As it is French air traffic controllers and French pilots observe proper queues for the runway, thank God, or those of us who went to Paris might never have left there except in a long box. Proper queues are safer and more efficient, period - on the runway, or anywhere else.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
wtggirl
Europe
45
Oct 6th, 2005 11:21 AM
Travelnut
Europe
23
May 18th, 2005 02:18 PM
