xavsan

hello anotherparislover,

I had the same expirience as you, people in Paris could not have been nicer to me! sure the metro smells, but, I had no problems, granted that the waiter was not "friendly" by american standards, but, in France they don't work for tips! I hate it when I am in an american restaurant and as soon as I take a bite the waiter/waitress comes over and ask you if all is ok...I hate it!! Rita, everybody told me how awful Paris and Parisians are before my trip! so, I was prepared for the worst, the people in my hotel could not have been nicer to me!! The only bad experience I had was in Toulouse, and it was not a french man, it was with someone from Morocco, I love Paris!! the good and the bad!!!
try it again, go again and open your eyes to all of what Paris has to offer!!

ira

Hi PopGear

>Nutty? I think not...I am much more of a legume.<

You are a peanut?

ira

Hi xa,

>I hate it when I am in an American restaurant and as soon as I take a bite the waiter/waitress comes over and ask you if all is ok...<

And every 5 minutes until you leave..

Amen!

francophile03

I like that the waiters leave you to enjoy your meal in peace and won't throw the check at you. The table is yours for as long as you want to sit there. I never experienced any rude locals in Paris.

larry1257

Paris in winter?

We love Paris an are considering a Christmas/New Year trip.

Has anyone been at that time? Is it miserably cold? Or is it bearable?

Any feedback is appreciated.

kwren

Here's how I deal with the snooty Parisian waiters...PATIENCE and a sense of humor. I keep talking and talking to them until they finally break down and talk back. (It helps that my version of French must be rather entertaining with the misconjugations of verbs, etc). The last time I did this with an impersonal, bored waiter, probably thinking 'oh great, another American', I had him joking with me by the end. He even told me he'd make me go into the kitchen to wash dishes by the end of the meal if I couldn't pay. I could have ignored him the whole meal, but it was so much more fun to be talking to him once he came around.

Scarlett

kwren,
my husband calls that &quot;<i>nicing them to death </i>
I do it too ~

AnthonyGA

Why is it necessary to &quot;deal with&quot; Parisian waiters? They are as they are. Many non-Americans find the compulsory (and often insincere) friendliness of Americans to be very disagreeable. The waiter is not your best friend, so treating him as if he were is seen as dishonest.

pamplemousse

Good threads are like good wines... (is it sufficiently aged yet?)

One thing I find interesting is the certainty of some posters that foreign visitors receive a good reception in the US. I have a theory that you can't fully know a country without knowing something about the distinct experiences it offers natives and foreigners.

My French friend, visiting the US, told me he thought Americans made a big deal out of accents -- a surprise to him since he finds French people tolerant of accents. Meanwhile, I was surprised since everyone I know here in the US is used to accents and thinks nothing of them. And I've had obnoxious French waiters flirt with/patronize me by teasing me about my accent in French!

Oh, and I'm pro-Paris, but anti-nostalgia (go smelly Metro!).

Props to Margie for speaking her mind.

Voyager2006

&quot;...I was surprised since everyone I know here in the US is used to accents and thinks nothing of them...&quot;

Really? You are fortunate only to know such folks &quot;here in the US&quot; and I wish I could say the same.

eurovoyages

I don't know why you seem to have a rather apologetic attitude for not liking Paris. Frankly, I find it refreshing when someone honestly states his experiences and tells the bad with the good. I was in Paris on vacation for 10 days in November, 2004, and another 10 days in March, 2005. When I travel, rather than just blow through a city, I like to stay a while to see whether I can really like it. Well, some of the most snotty, arrogant, haughty and overbearing people I have ever met in my life are in Paris, especially some of those who work in museums. Such officious attitudes! At the end of my 20 days there, my impression of Parisians in general is that they are just silly and pretentious, and really should get out more. I'm not saying that this is true of everyone. I did meet really nice people, and people who were capable of doing their jobs in a polite and objective manner, and could be helpful, either in French or English. But generally, the attitudes were not good.
And I tried so hard to do things right. I always spoke French, (though not perfectly), and people couldn't have cared less. In Italy, on the other hand,
in Venice, Florence, and Rome, when I made attempts to speak Italian, people were just so kind and indulgent and helpful. It was a truly rewarding experience, and I have such fond memories of Italy. In one museum, we were not allowed to take photographs, but there was a marvelous view from one of the windows. I asked one of the museum guards in Italian was it permissible to take a photo from the window, and he got up and threw the windows wide open for us - and this was in February! The Italians are so down-to-earth, not so smug and pretentious as are so many Parisians. As for Paris itself, yes, it is a lovely city, but after 20 days I found it just too too planned and precious and self-satisfied. It doesn't have nearly the hustle and bustle and vibrant atmosphere of London. Now that is one fast-paced city, and I loved it. Anyway, good for you for being honest enough to tell us of what you exprienced. We all have different and unique experiences, and they can't all be good. That's reality.

Travelnut

The beauty of a forum is that everyone can have his own opinion.

I think accents are the 'spices in the melting pot' of America... makes listening to others' speech more interesting.

lucielou

I love Paris, and i agree you can meet people there who appear bored, disinterested, and downright rude, but I dont think thats its just Paris, people say that the Irish are friendly, and hospitabile, well I'm Irish and have lived in Ireland all my life, and I have to admit, I have encountered some downright rude little so and so's here in restaurants, pubs, shops, in fact all walks of life, it happens everywhere, just ignore them, and dont let it spoil your fun.

muskoka

Not my experience at all: Canadian and just spent two weeks in Paris and Provence. My French is quite passable while my husband caused much mirth with his attempts. But, not one person with whom we interacted was rude, indifferent or sullen. They may not smile much, but indifferent? Non. At a hotel in Greoux les Bains, my husband spent an eternity explaining in French what it was he wanted changed re: our mattress. The head housekeeper listened patiently and with good humour to him, showing no sign of impatience (I, however, was ready to cream him). Maybe it's the tourists' attitude?

GSteed

Change...too many people, too many cars.
Today's Paris is not the one we read or heard about 20 years ago or longer. I also suspect that 'Paris Complainers'are not on Five Star tours. Paris is touted as a number one tourist destination. Too many tourists! Parisian residents don't have the leisure time necessary to accommodate visiting foreigners.

satnitcboy

I've only read Margie's post, and none of the 175 replies, but I want to say:

After I came home happy from my first visit to Paris, people said to me, &quot;Didn't you think they were rude?&quot;

&quot;No, &quot; I would reply. &quot;The worst treatment I got was indifference. I live in New York, and here I get open hostility every day.&quot;

Now, New Yorkers can be fantastic, polite and lovely. But there are a lot of folks here, and we come face-to-face daily with our sidewalk way of life and the subway, crowds, etc. So easily one out of those 1,000 people you deal with daily is in a FOUL mood. You learn to live with it.

So, yes, Margie, indifference is something you might run into in Paris. Does that matter a lot? A lot of people find the &quot;friendliness&quot; of waiters in the US to be downright impretinent - and a lot of waiters get tired of having to &quot;entertain&quot; their customers.

Parisians, like many people who deal with tourists ALL year round, in huge numbers, grow weary of being expected to provide a &quot;personal&quot; bienvenue to every one of them. I had a lot of fun in Paris over a Thanksgiving, when the people who deal with us invaders had had a bit of time to recover from the summer crowds.

My sister lives on a resort island in Florida, and I can tell you, by the time Spring rolls around, they are exhausted by the tourists who, although they bring money to the island, also bring lines of traffic, complaints if it rains, loud and uncontrolled children ... we all need to remember that not everybody's kids, family or spouse is as charming and well behaved as our own!

Paris can be great, or it can be tough and feel harsh. It's the same way for the people who live there - more so, no doubt, just like any place is more complicated to those who live in it (or at least know it) than to those of us who are passing through.

francophile03

You said it well, satnicboy.

satnitcboy

By the way, the last of my past Thanksgiving trip to Paris we woke up to 4&quot; of snow - gorgeous, and they don't get much of it in Paris as a rule. Our cab driver coming in the week before asked when we'd need to return tot he airport - and there he was outside the hotel at 10:00 AM as promised 8 days later. In the snow.

On the other hand, a friend of mine who LOVES Paris spent a week there when it rained every day and HATED every minute. Just never dried out the whole time, and that's no fun wherever you are.

francophile03

I've been wanting to see Paris when it snowed and while I've been there during winter I wasn't lucky. I guess I don't mind the snow for a change as it does not snow where I live. And I've seen photos of Paris under snow and the same views during dry weather look absolutely stunning under snow to me. It's rained alot of times when I've visited and whatever the weather I don't mind.

degas

&quot;Parisian residents don't have the leisure time necessary to accommodate visiting foreigners.&quot;


Interesting. You'd think they would since 10% are unemployed and those that have a job only work 35 hours a week.