TopMan, it's as Travelnut said, the French have a reputation among many Americans as being unfriendly, standoffish, and even rude. That's what I was addressing. This was my sixth trip to France, and I've never found them unfriendly myself, but I've spoken French from the beginning (not so well on my first trip 44 years ago, better recently).

In planning this trip, we had friends express fears that French people would be hostile to us as Americans, because of the current political situation with the French mostly opposing the invasion of Iraq. In our discussions, we did indeed find most to be in opposition to the war (there was one single exception). But that seemed to make the French even more delighted to meet Americans who were visiting France <i>despite</i> the current political climate. The French tourist industry is definitely suffering from a reduction in the number of American tourists.

The people we met also had no trouble distinguishing between individuals and the actions of their governments.

- Larry

we all know the French are very reserved. My brother, SIL, and I were coming out of the Louvre and trying to get a cab (SIL has severe arthritis-no knees left at all) so I saw one dropping some people off and approached the driver and asked him connez-vous (SP) l'hotel ambassador? He said &quot;oui&quot; and I almost fell over...he actually understood me!!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!!! This is a piece of cake!!!! So we get in and my SIL said something to me and i answered je ne sais pas...I was getting pretty cocky by this time..Parlez-vous fraincais? You bet your sweet bippy baby!!!! Well, the driver thinks I speak french and off he went...the words pouring out of his mouth, looking at me in the rear view mirror while he was supposed to be looking where he was going, his arms flailing in the air instead of being on the steering wheel. You know how narrow those openings are in the wall around the louve and he was heading for one like a rocket!!!! He was laughing, and talking, and flailing...I got about a third of what he was saying...something about &quot;jorge boosh&quot; and showed me his ID card...something about being born the same day or ....oh I don't know. He never stopped talking which was good because I never could have answered him and we just laughed right along with him..I interjected an occaisional &quot;oui&quot;..he never looked at me funny so I guess I &quot;ouied&quot; at the appropriate times. I was beginning to break out in a cold sweat. We get to the hotel, get out of the cab, my brother pays him and he's slapping my brother on the back, pumping his hand, all the while talking away and laughing. Brother probably over tipped him but the entertainment was worth the price. With big au revoirs et merci's all around he went on his way and I walked into the hotel and collapsed in the bar totally exhausted. At the same time I was trying to explain to my brother how reserved the french are and it was a cultural thing, and not to take it personally if they seemed kind of aloof.

We also found the French to be friendly and helpful. My husband's conversational French is pretty good (he is Canadian, and I think he had to take three years of French in school). Mine isn't good, but I try, which seemes to charm the French more than annoy them like some people claim. I haven't taken my toddler abroad yet, but we are working on the language basics. I think that is important. Just the other day I asked him how the French say &quot;hello&quot; and he said &quot;aloha&quot;. Like I said, we are working on it.

crefloors, thanks for a great and funny story!

Larry, I to found the French to be courteous and friendly. On our first trip to France, my son who speaks french quite well, taught me, how to say, &quot;Pardon, my french is terrible, I am an Australian&quot; I found each time, I spoke this sentence, the french, would smile, and say, &quot;Ah Australian&quot; in englsh, where possible. I feel its terribly important, to try &amp; speak someones elses language, to be humble, and respect other peoples culture.
In one Paris Restaurant (back street restaurant - just wonderful)a female french university student was earning money by waiting on tables. When she realised that we didn't speak a lot of french, she read out the blackboard menu in english, and apologised that english wasn't the best. I told her that her english was beautiful, and so was she. What else could I say, with those beautiful brown eyes and pretty face.

Gosh, I just thought the French were friendly, period! I speak NO French (I know, I gotta learn) and get along fine in France. Everyone is so nice, and in spots where the person I'm communicating with does not speak English, we draw pictures. Or I bust out my dictionary and point, which gets a good laugh.

This is such a non-issue. I think people the world over respond to rude people and friendly people in generally the same way. Human nature is fairly consistent. We have been to France the last 2 summers and have met mostly incredibly hospitable and friendly people, and a few not so friendly and stand offish. Isn't that exactly what you run in to on a daily basis wherever you live?

It is unwise to generalize about the people in any country. Many of the misunderstandings between French people and Americans come from misunderstandings about the respective cultures. The French are not standoffish. They are just more formal and polite in their dailing interactions. That can come across to Americans as being standoffish. It is just a difference in cultural norms.

Overall, I haven't had anything but good experiences with the locals everywhere I travel. I remember once looking for someone's apartment in Paris and pulling out a map. A nice French lady stopped and asked if she could help me. She did and pointed me in the direction of the apartment.

Ever have someone you chatted with at an adjacent table pay for your meal? Well I did. I am going to top off my Pre Catalan story again. And, no one has ever done that for me in the US. I am still blown away every time I think of that kindness.

I do speak French but the key to positive interactions is simply being polite yourself. If you are polite, you will get politeness in return--wherever you travel.

Larry,

Vous avez raison. We have visited France in each of the last 13 years and with few exceptions found the French courteous and pleasant. My wife and I speak a fair French and that is one of the keys. Another is to try and learn French ways and customs, often different than ours.

One little incident I will never forget. I work in Wall Street. When 9/11 occurred our hotel proprietors in Provence sent us flowers to express their concern for us. They did not even know that our daughter was in the WTC and barely escaped. These folks run a little country hotel, not the Meurice or Georges Cinq.

The hotel proprietors, pere et fils, of the Caron de Beaumarchais in Paris are another example of the fine people we have met in France.

Bonne route!

We just returned from Paris and Spain. The Parisiens were friendly, warm and helpful as always on our many trips. We normally greet and speak, if possible in French, but use English if things get complicated. This was our first trip to Spain and, surprisingly, we found the Spanish (in Andalucia) more reserved. We also spoke Spanish where possible. I guess I had a preconceived (and incorrect) notion that the Spanish were outgoing and welcoming. They were pleasant and polite but not nearly as warm as the French. That is why travel is so facinating!

I have my own theory on why the French are viewed as unfriendly - and it starts and ends with Paris.

First, many Americans that go to Paris probably don't spend much time in large, bustling metropolitan areas. By contrast, Paris (or New York) get bad rap simply because the pace of life is different then what the average tourist is used to. That pace, sometimes leads to a conclusion that the natives are unfriendly. Actually, they're just in a hurry.

Second, if you go to Paris in August, you will hate the French and believe they are rude. That's because those who can are gone for vacation in August and they abandon Paris. Those who can't are surley and annoyed that they are dealing with tourists and not on the beach themself. (If you only come to NY two weeks before Christmas and interact with a native trying to navigate the sidewalks near Rock Center, you'll also view us as rude.)

Third, the French don't hold the Parisians in high regard either. As two friends orginally from the South of France have told me &quot;If you think Americans dislike Parisians, you should hear what we say about them.&quot;

So, if more people just went to the non-Paris parts of France in a month other then August, then this whole misconception would go away.

I was in Paris in February. I was thrilled to be there and it probably showed. Because of all I had read, I was expecting to be treated poorly since I am American. Wrong! Everyone was very nice except one taxi driver, and we sure have enough rude people in the US, particularly the big cities. I speak a little French, I tried to say the few words I know, was friendly and polite, and I was treated very well. There are rude people everywhere, and I wonder sometimes about people who complain how rude people in other countries are - how are they approaching them? If a foreigner approaches me here, doesn't speak English, and acts impatient and demanding, I probably come across as rude too in my response. Treat people the way you want to be treated.

I don't know much French but love the chance to use what I do know. I will never forget the elderly French gentleman who walked us from the train station into the metro stop we were searching. I thought he was going to get into the car with us! On our first trip another eldery woman saw us reading a map and tried to help us in French. She saw we did not understand so she stopped another couple on the street to help us! I could tell of more French kindness...

Even French people who are travelling feel lost, I was waiting for my connecting flight when this wonderful lady sat next to me, and asked if I spoke French, and I said &quot;poorly&quot;, but I speak Spanish, so an hour later (speaking a mix of French and Spanish), I got to know she was: a pro golfer, had 3 children, loved Mexico (I`m Mexican), and after returning home she would be on a diet because it was impossible to eat accordingly when there was so much temptation when on tour. She complimented me on my French???, and for making an hour go by so easily. Of course I felt totally flattered and way more confident in just making an effort of speaking another language and not doing it perfectly.

I too do not speak any french but learned the basic phrases before our trip in 2000, and always said bonjour (or what was appropriate), that I did not speak french and asked if they spoke english. That was about the sum of my french. We were well received, bought a watch in Samartaine's in Paris using only sign language (which turned out more complicated than it sounds because the first price charged was wrong and the band had to be changed). The only &quot;rudeness&quot; we encountered was a waiter in St. Remy who was annoyed when we sat at his outdoor table in mid-afternoon and ordered only ice cream.

crefloors, that was a great story and kind of reminded me of our trip to Spain. I studied spanish in school many years ago and brushed up on it before our trip. I could usually communicate my thoughts, but then they answered me and I had no idea what they were saying. It was pretty amusing and sure taught me the limits of my linguistics.

Except for the taxi driver who put his hand on my thigh on my first trip when I was 14 (I had to sit in front because my whole family was in the car-he also drove way out of the way to jack up the fare), I have always found kindness in France.

This one rude taxi driver incident made my parents vow never to return to France. I wonder what they will do when I win the lottery and move there??

I agree that Paris is the NYC of France. I recommend that new visitors fly in, immediately jump on a train to a smaller town (Rheims is my favorite), then tackle Paris when they are &quot;acclimated.&quot;

The people in Rheims could not be sweeter, the champagne is fabulous everywhere, and their cathedral is gorgeous.

Never once had a problem and when things got sticky and I could not remember the words I would use signlanguage and describe it another was and usually ended up laughing with people. Showing warmth and a smile can usually crack most people. We were happy and on a holiday weekend shopping. We ate, drank, laughed and shopped. Hard to be nasty to people hving fun...maybe its the Irish thing as well as most people we meet when travelling have a nice opinion of the Irish compared to some other countries. We cause less problems.

I was in China many year ago when things were less open. I read a book about experiences people had in different cultures etc before I left. In one it describes how there were PLA (Chinese Army) soldiers around for some reason and it was quite intimidating. She gave them her best smile and figured most people find it hard to be nasty to someone smiling at them. She got most of the soldiers she passed to acknowledge her or smile back. I really think it works...I tried it in China myself!

We spent almost a week in Normandy, and everyone with whom we came in contact was pleasant and helpful. Quite a few towns were having commemerations of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, with American flags everywhere and signs in buildings welcoming returning veterans.

My wife and I will most remember the unexpected kindness. Like the man waiting for a taxi on rue de Seine who, upon seeing us with a map, spent a couple minutes making sure we were oriented and headed in the right direction. Or the young woman who translated the Metro ticket machine, then offered the .40 euro exact change it required.

Interesting survey by the Guardian newspaper in the UK: People in 10 countries were polled for their views on Americans. In France 72% had a favorable view of Americans.

Go to:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,1327656,00.html
and click on Survey Results, then Americans - good or bad? to see the list of countries. Italy and Germany weren't on the list, but France had a much more favorable view of Americans than did the UK or Spain.

There is also an article on the Guardian site by an American journalist saying that America-bashing in London has become pretty bad:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/st...328663,00.html