Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Overzealous Parisian

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Overzealous Parisian

Paris 5 - Overzealous Parisian It was Thursday 11/18/99-Day 4 of our 7 day Paris trip, our designated museum day. We descended on the Louvre late in a very rainy wet morning, an ecstatic break at Angelinas on Rue de Rivoli late in a surprisingly sunny late afternoon, and drowned in Impressionist work at the Musee D’Orsay till 10pm (they are open late on Thursdays during Winters only I think). This is not a report on our museum visits but on the overzealous French (just one for this story). Armed with instructions from a very charming and handsome Louvre officer, we knew how to get to the D’Orsay from the Louvre. But we still had to find Angelina's (all I knew was it was near the Louvre and since I was a Chocoholic I was just going to let my nostrils do the walking) and we were confident it would be a piece o cake to find D’Orsay from Angelina’s (NOT !!!). Looking back now it’s pretty simple but when you’re new to Paris, a bit wary, and it’s turned from day to night one’s perspective changes. Anyway, having found Angelina’s and deemed ourselves quite satisfied with our chocolate (and fresh cream), espresso, and pastries we were ready to ask directions on how to get to the Musee D’Orsay from Angelina’s. Surprisingly quite a few didn’t know or they would spit out brief instructions in French (which we couldn’t understand cuz it was the standard tourist French for: to the right or left or straight ahead). Finally we asked a well-dressed elderly gentleman (who was a bit cross-eyed) who was coming out of a clothing store on Rivoli. He scratched his head, looked real confused and looked concerned for us foreign women, he immediately beamed up and asked the store clerk from where he came from. We understood all this just by watching their body language (shrugs, arms pointing everywhere). He enthusiastically told us in very loud French (like speaking louder would make it easier for us to understand French) and beckoning arms (we understood the beckoing arms) to follow him and at the same time he tried to smooth our worries by saying he was a good man etc ... (that’s what we hoped he said, he could have been saying I’ll mug you and relieve you of all your Louvre mementoes when the conditions are just right). We kinda knew the general direction of where the museum was ( on Rivoli and facing down the street towards the direciton of the Louvre, D’Orsay should be to our right) but this gentleman (who was slowly not becoming a gentleman in our view) was leading us to left up and down so many streets away from the general direction of the Louvre and the Seine etc ... Kim (my travelmate) was getting real worried but we both started to laugh anyway since we were stuck - no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t tell this man that we were okay and that we can find our way to the D’Orsay (while we both tried to ignore images of ourselves getting mugged in a dark alley). But deep down inside I was confident that between the two of us we could beat him up pretty good in a dark alley with my rusty Taekwondo, our umbrellas and our Louvre gift bags. Plus we didn’t really have the heart to tell him don’t help us anymore (that is if we could) and just leave him there because he was a very possessed man on a mission to help to not bad but confused looking foreign women and besides this was a miracle to write home about, a very helpful Parisian .. gotta let this little vignette play out. It turns out he was taking us to a bus stop. He wanted us to take the bus to the museum. When we got to the stop we just discreetly (yeah right) walked passed him as quickly as we can (as if he wouldn’t notice) and when we dared to look back the poor man was just standing there with a look of total dismay and loss. Then we had to pick up our pace so he wouldn’t be able to run after us. We easily found our way back to the Louvre (back to square one), and then we confidently found our way to the D’Orsay using our original instructions from the handsome Louvre officer. The walk was magnificent (very very cold), it was gently raining, the lights were a flickering and a shimmering, we walked over a Pont, over the Seine, spotted the D’Orsay (we knew how it looked from memory because during our Bateaux Mouche ride the previous Sunday night plus we spotted the large poster for “Theo Van Gogh” which was the current show at that time - you see depending on the area of Paris on a rainy night most buildings start to look the same). We were both cracking up, laughing, and trying not to feel bad for Monsieur Overzealous. Kim kept on telling me to not forget to write about this incident. Hope you all enjoyed it ... we did but we know of one Parisian who didn’t. I pity the next tourist that would ask him directions on how to get to the D’Orsay. Could this be one of the reasons why Parisians are rude to American tourists?

A second yes!! Also, how hard is it to find the Musee d'Orsay from anywhere in Paris with a good map? More fodder for the Anti Tacky Tourist brigade!!

Uh oh ! At least we didn't beat him up in a dark alley. What map? Uh oh ... more flak after this ... we didn't have a map that day why do you think we were asking directions for ! Now more flak ! Hi Bob! What did you decide regarding where to go? If it's Paris make sure you don't ask any cross-eyed Parisians for any directions but you're an expert on Paris you'd probably know everything there is to know ...

How interesting; Wes Fowler has posted a series of questions, one of which is how and do you interact with locals besides waiters, tour guides, etc. I think Georgia did a dandy job by asking for help. Being a big believer in maps, I would never have had to ask - but, then, I would have missed the experience she and Kim had. Yah gotta give to get; yah gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette; and a few other trite cliches but I won't do it.

I'm not even going to get into about how you could have missed the D'Orsay from rue de Rivoli. My concern is that you, two women in an unfamiliar city and language, followed this man to parts unknown! I don't why people assume that the way you dress determines your character (as if you WERE going to ask the smelly homeless man with shabby clothes for directions). Remember that Ted Bundy didn't look like a serial killer either. Believe me people, I'm not overzealous. It just alarms me that while on vacation in big cities; people let down their guard and do things they wouldn't do in most major cities at home. By the way, you could have bought a replacement map at any of the tourist shops on Rivoli!!

This is a side-note to your adventure. Captivated by the magic word Chocoholic, I did a search & found the address for Angelina's -- but also the note $28. Tell me, please, did this wonderful cup of hot chocolate cost $28??

For the locals: don't be too nice or you'll be misconstrued?

For the record, I am no expert on Paris. My speaking ability in French is 5 degrees above absolute zero. And have no illusions about it. That is why I always carry a map with me. More than an AE card, I don't leave home without it. I don't usually carry the big Michelin jewel on the street, but I grab the little ones so that I have multiple copies and spend hours studying them before I arrive. I just wish now I had printed the diagrams of CDG before I had to fight the bus to go from one terminal to the other. For those of you who know CDG, can one walk from Terminal 2B over to C?? And do it faster than the shuttle bus??

Hey you guys! I'll chew out Kim for forgetting the map. She was in charge of the map ! Anyway, he was a cross-eyed gentleman. He was seeing four of us. How could he believe that he could win ! Anyway, we basicially knew where we were, we just didn't want to have to walk all the way back to the Louvre and pick up the trail from there. Don't forget (boy look who's defensive) we made our way back to the Louvre and we merrily found D'Orsay with no problems. I don't think we really let our guard down I don't think. I know what a big city is like. We never traveled by ourselves, we always were either with her relatives or together. Harumph ! Between the four of us we could have taken down this overzealous Parisian.

Marion, The cup of chocolate is not $28.00. It was either 28 francs or 38 francs. Just beware of a buxom elderly French waitress. Don't try to say "One Moment" in French to her. She does not like the way it sounds coming from an American tourist.

Georgia did what most tourist would have done when lacking a (good) map. So far, so good. What I found kind of rude was to just split without giving this, obviously very nice man, proper thanks for his help (as little as it may had been). I don't mean to sound too judgemental, but if you are going to take on a city like Paris, including night outings, it is almost common sense to make sure you have a "kick-a--" map with you! I predict the next tourist that ask this nice man for directions, upon return, is going to post on how rude the French people are...

I too feel sorry for the Frenchman. He was responding to your request for directions and because he couldn't speak English and you couldn't speak French he was doing the next best thing to help you. If I was in the same situtation I would have turned to him and said "Merci monsieur" at the very least before I went off. Obviously by taking you to a bus stop there was no bad intent.

Ditto, ditto. Makes you wonder whether it is safe to help some not bad but confused looking American women tourists - this suggests that in trying to help one incurs condescension and ridicule, rudeness, and phantasies of violence! Sorry you do not speak the language and forgot your map and wanted some hot chocolate, this still does not justify nastiness toward someone who merely wanted to help.

Hi guys, no. 1 - who said i was nasty to the man. no. 2 - we thanked him profusely, it was markedly absent from my piece. If we were rude we could have dumped him early on. we didn't want to hurt his feelings. we did not want to take the bus. no. 3 - i am not want to be rude at all. no. 4 - my piece was written in a funny way, too bad some of you took it way too seriously. no. 5 - i was just being silly about my question regarding what the real reason why the French were rude. If you all think it's because of two silly lost tourists so be it.. If you all read back in this forum so many Americans behave so badly in a foreign country including Paris. Hell! A lot of Americans behave very badly and offensively in foreign countries and not only Paris. Don't judge me, you're all just waiting your time folks ... He was a nice gentleman and if there was a next time I'm sure he'll be very very helpful. You guys weren't there. no. 7 - it must be the chilly weather that's doing this. Chill out guys ...

Message to Marion: www.NormThompson.com offers 14 oz. of Angelina's Chocolat l'Africain #13756 for $29.50. Bon appetit!

I think your story is great... Really though, many of the French will go out of their way to help you if you are illustrating a great need, even if they don't know the answer. He probably thought he was doing you a favor by putting you on a bus. Furthermore, I too have found that for many Parisians, the shortest distance between 2 points is not always a straight line. But, rather, to circle the same area a few times and get lost for a while, even if you know the way! I don't think that this is why many Americans think the French are rude, and I don't think that you were being rude either. I think the Americans think the French are rude because of our extreme socialization of the importance of quick, "friendly", and efficient customer service. The French just have a different cultural perspective of service that many Americans sometimes can't grasp. It's hard for Americans to set aside their original values when they don't even realize that they were values in the first place. It's experiences like yours that make your trip all a little more interesting. I'm glad that you had a good trip and didn't let such a comical situation ruin it! It's all about the perspective in which you put it!

I agree with the second post, responding to your last question. Yes, indeed, it is the reason. Some people should probably stay home, including those who don't carry maps in a foreign city, who feel it necessary to ridicule the physical appearance of strangers who are helping them (ie, the totally gratuitous mention, then emphasis, of this gentleman's "cross-eyed"-ness), and get surprised when people in France speak French (!!!!). I have no sympathy for anyone who blames someone else because it's not their job to carry a map. Anyone in a foreign city should be carrying a map, it's a small piece of paper that easily fits in a pocket/purse.

Kiddo you need to write better and not shortchange yourself--you go girl!

Christina--I see you still have not gotten a life!