This strange obsession with Paris...
May 17th, 2002, 11:54 AM
#41
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Frankly, I think discussions like this are at least partly responsible for fanning the flames of Paris' rep--any city that incites such extreme passions must be worth checking out, no?<BR><BR>And although uberwhomever is correct, Paris is not a large city (neither is that other wonderful city of romance and mystique, San Francisco), I cannot comprehend how anyone could say Paris was not diverse. Just visit the Marche d'Aligre or Belleville or the Goutte d'Or or the 13th. We have met people from every continent who live in Paris.<BR><BR>
May 17th, 2002, 12:05 PM
#42
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Well, an interesting post takes another deviation, now to the issue of language. I’ve been told that over 70% of the vast amount of information on the World Wide Web is available in English only. I’ve also read that EVERY air control Tower on Earth communicates in English except for one (guess who?). it is also said that Chrsler-Dailmer (SP) informed their German facilities and officers to brush up on English within a certain time frame or…<BR><BR>Without being overtly egalitarian I think we can safely say that English/American English is the language of international commerce. I think that we might also safely assume that a higher percentile of tourists in Paris probably speak a language other than French, be it English, German, whatever. <BR><BR>In some schools here in the States we’re teaching Hispanic kids English as a second language which is probably a grave injustice to the kids. It may happen someday, but for a while at least I don’t think they’re going to work their way to the top of the ladder and hold any significant station in the corporate world without a good command of the English language. <BR><BR>Anyhow, back to the question at hand: Why Paris and not Prague, Vienna, etc.? Seems no one want’s to tackle the original question. Myself, I have no answer.<BR>
May 17th, 2002, 12:10 PM
#45
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Little of the original message rings true. When the author writes of meeting only crabby people, it says more about the writer, don't you think? He wrote that most of the grass and open space he saw was covered with dog droppings? Stereotype based on a grain of truth, of course, but an enormous exaggeration. What was most telling was the comment about Monaco being upscale as compared to Paris. Yes, indeed, there's a place with a reputation that doesn't match reality...but you'd have to know more about the 98% of poor and working class people who live there to understand that Monaco is all built on myth perpetuated by the "royal" Grimaldi family. But you'd have to go there to know the truth about Paris and Monaco, and I'd venture that the troll called Ubermench hasn't ventured that far from the underside of the bridge he calls home.
May 17th, 2002, 12:31 PM
#47
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Just back from 2 weeks in France (1 week in Paris.) Based on what I saw first hand Uberdooper has some issues, but if there was an exaggeration it wasn't about dog droppings. It really was amazing. Advice: don't wear any kind of shoe or boot with a "waffle" sole or your work will really be "cut out" for you.
May 17th, 2002, 12:56 PM
#50
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Arf!<BR><BR>If I'm such a public health risk, then why don't I pass hookworms to the people I live with? They allow me in the house when they cook and eat.<BR><BR>Oh--could it be because any responsible, loving dog owner (and one would assume that those who take their dogs to restaurants are both) would have their dog wormed and vaccinated and take all other responsible measures for the safety and well-being of their animal and those who come in contact with it, regardless of country or situation?<BR><BR>
May 17th, 2002, 03:56 PM
#55
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Beth - thank you for your insight. It seems that most people who have posted here don't realize that you reap what you sow. If you come across with a bad attitude, then what do you expect in return? There are people everywhere in the world who will not be kind to others and that is part of there nature. As s, we should recognize that fact and not let it bother us to the point that it ruins a vacation. I noticed the dog poop in the streets of Paris, but when there's so much beauty around you, why focus on that one insignificant thing? For me it was part of the overall experience of Paris. Being a native New Yorker, I can say that I have stepped in far more dog poop here than anywhere else! And I still think that New York is one of the greatest cities in the world...imperfections and all. My experiences in Paris and other cities in France were totally positive, as they will be for anyone who travels to Paris or anywhere else for that matter...it's all in your frame of mind and your expectations. Go everywhere with an open mind, respect and good manners...they will almost never fail you. Expcting others to cater to us just because we are Americans just doesn't work...remember that you are in someone else's home country and not your own. Part of being a "world traveller" is the ability to accept others. even if you don't agree with their politics, or love the landscape...after all you're only a tourist, you aren't moving in.
May 17th, 2002, 04:07 PM
#56
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This is off the topic, but I wanted to answer Blanche, who said, "In some schools here in the States we’re teaching Hispanic kids English as a second language which is probably a grave injustice to the kids. It may happen someday, but for a while at least I don’t think they’re going to work their way to the top of the ladder and hold any significant station in the corporate world without a good command of the English language."<BR><BR>Blanche, I don't think you understand what ESL is. In our area of the U.S. we have kids from Mexico and El Salvador, and English IS their second language. ESL classes give them the extra help they need to learn English and catch up with the other students their age. It usually doesn't take long because kids are quick learners, and then they don't need it anymore. English as a second language isn't a permanent program.<BR>
May 17th, 2002, 06:10 PM
#57
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I've been to Paris a number of times. It's physically beautiful from the rooftop level. At the street level it's a bit more......prosaic. Yes, the dogs do leave their droppings all over. Oh well. <BR><BR>Yes, the Parisians pretend not to understand anyone who does not speak Parisian French. This includes everyone who learned French as a second language, including Canadians. (Canadians really don't speak a form of French that's recognizable to Parisians, and barely recognizable to other French).<BR><BR>They're rude, mainly in the heavily touristed spots. My cure for this is not to go to those spots. If I find myself in one, like the Louvre, their rudeness is quickly cured by being rude back....in German. Then the stack of pre-signed surrender papers comes out.<BR><BR>Other than that, Parisians are generally like denizens of other large cities. And the city *IS* beautiful, physically.<BR>
May 18th, 2002, 07:03 AM
#60
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"If you're a responsible, loving dog owner you carry a pooper scooper and clean up after him/her."<BR><BR>Yeah. Right. IF!<BR><BR>(What color is the sky in your world?)<BR><BR><BR> Oh, and Arf!<BR><BR>"If I'm such a public health risk, then why don't I pass hookworms to the people I live with? They allow me in the house when they cook and eat."<BR><BR>Here's a surprise, pal. YOU DO pass on numerous ailments to your human counterparts (including hookworm, ringworm and several other lovelies), THAT'S WHY DOGS ARENT ALLOWED IN CAFES IN THE UNITED STATES, we have more sense!<BR>
