I thought I would share it.
I don't get into the Muslim situation here, because I don't have the time tonight.
It is significant and I have seen the problems and have lived the problems.
Maybe for another post.
Went to France for two weeks in the mid 90’s with a buddy. Met a grand total of TWO rude Frenchmen. Well, maybe one and a half.
The half was a guy I beat at pool. He did not like losing to a Serbian (I posed as Serbian in bars to excuse my poor and barely sufficient French).
The other was a cafe owner who was insulted that two Americans asked to eat lunch on his patio. No idea why that offended him. We went across the street, and a very nice cafe owner actually opened up his patio for us. We spent the equivalent of about US$200 there. Great food. Better wine. And the waitress? OHLALA!!!
And what did the rude cafe owner do? Stood on his patio ignoring his customers and staff to glare at us. For well over 2 hours!
Both of those incidents occurred in Paris.
We did have one dinner in Nice with some American business associates. One was a classic Ugly American. The wait staff was very nice to us — except for him. He finally got his salad when the rest of us were finishing desert. It was fully deserved and well played. I insisted on tipping well.
All that said, the nicest people I met in Europe were in Milan. Second nicest were in Nice. Best Italian food I ever ate was also in Nice.
PS If you want to hear English and you are near Nice, go to Antibes. It has a Britt expat enclave. And they buy Americans pints. Lots of pints.
I don’t understand how the Europeans survive without pickup trucks. I guess you have to pay someone to deliver everything for you.
My experiences from Paris in 2010. I was up the first few nights, walking around, absorbing the atmosphere in the canal district. Couldn't sleep due to jet lag.
Saw a lot of young, drunk people walking home after partying. Universally friendly. A couple would come up to talk to me, in English. Apparently, I stood out as an American.
Also had a carful of gangsta wannabee's drive by and say "s'up". Almost thought about flashing some fake gang signs and saying "jes keepin' it real". Picture that I am a 50 year-old man. Decided it was best to not engage, and they drove on.
Also saw a really dapper Rabbi early in the morning, I assume going to a synagogue. Interesting city.
The "banliues" of Paris are indistinguishable from Paris proper, with the exception that the best known monuments are within the "peripherique." I don't need to list all of my adventures in Paris, the subject of your thread, so I will just settle for brief comments.
1. The French are rude/unhelpful/etc. This is generally try and didn't change in my 24-year experience. This is because in Paris one is dealing with businesses of all sorts, and if you are not fluent in their language, the general response is "don't bother me." Granted, the visitor is partly to blame for being indifferent to language/cultural issues. This all is not a problem outside of Paris, where the French are helpful and patient. Some small town restaurant will even stay open an extra hour or two to accommodate late travelers. This has never happened in Paris in the 20th century.
2. Paris is safe and crime free. Mostly false. Even if you read the French daily newspapers, the MSM in Paris has the same problem as in the U.S. Only Family, friends and random residents can report the true crime picture. Only the extreme events, like dozens of autos torched make the MSM and international news.
3. French are smelly. Not in my experience. Except perhaps people on working farms. Not uniquely French.
4. French cuisine is the world's best. Most people who claim this haven't experienced the entire world. Some certainly is, but not more so than first class restaurants in the world's largest cities. The cultural food differences play a major role. The French may still routinely serve horsemeat. Tiny shrimp, eaten as popcorn, was not my favorite treat. I'm just not used to having food looking back at me; nor eating tiny eyeballs. On the other hand, most foreigners are not exposed to those practices.
5. The wine in France is Wonderful. Absolutely. And at least 20 years ago, a bargain. I remember getting a gallon jug of wonderful Cotes du Rhone for about 6 bucks, and the amount spilled during the sale had to have been at least a normal glass. But bear in mind that the French grape plants were returned from California after the great Wine Blight of 1860. Vines originally imported to America, returned, as heartier pest resistant stock.
6. The French are a bunch of Lazy socialists. True, socialist or not. The Mexicans are not the only ones addicted to siestas. It's just strange to experience it in one of the world's biggest tourist cities. The one month mandatory vacation is uniquely French that I know of. A good reason to avoid Paris in August, if you expect to enjoy any sort of services. Not true of the general French countryside where fantastic hours long meals can be enjoyed at any time during daylight hours. It should also be noted that there is no excitement as unique as the hard-working French workers launching a surprise garbage collection strike lasting weeks...
7. Not a big cheese person, so not qualified to comment on cheese.
8. The French smoke a lot. Every male I ever met smoked, with few exceptions. About half the females did. The big picture as far as I could tell was no different than in the U.S. There has been a noticeable reduction in smoking across the board compared to 25 years ago.
9. Depending on the location, there are indeed many beautiful women in Paris. But no more or less than any large city anywhere in the world. It was, however, the only place I ever saw what was obviously a high fashion model, totally made up and wearing casual clothes on the Metro around 10 pm --- wearing combat boots.
10. Indeed, the percentage of fat women in Paris is much much smaller than any large city I'm familiar with in the U.S. This is most noticeable among the younger ones. And no, I have not visited every one.
11. The French drive all these small cars. That has always been true. It also has always been true that most of the brands in Europe are produced in Europe. Even all the small models produced by American companies. Even Paris, which has some very wide boulevards, cannot accommodate what we consider in the U.S. 'normal sized' transportation. Add to that the dearth of parking, and it would be an exercise in ultimate masochism to drive anything resembling an SUV or American pickup truck in Paris. In fact, in the 90's the principal (and most rational) means of pizza delivery in Paris was motor scooters. In all the dozens of times I was in Paris, I drove exactly twice. Only because I was the only sober driver available, and it was 2 or 3 a.m., not exactly rush hour.
C. Those motorcycles with two front wheels are a relatively recent phenomenon, and the popular models are produced in Canada. If they originated in Europe, I am not aware of that. I also understand that they are tricky to drive. Not as stable and predictable as either a normal motorcycle or four-wheeled automobile. The jury is still out.
D. The manual shift cars in France (all of Europe) for rental are the result of the outrageous price of gasoline. Specially with ordinary tourists from around the world, top mileage is the main objective. But any car you want is available for rent, if you can afford it.
I deliberately avoided the increasingly hostile effects of certain foreign "immigrants," and their effect of crime in Paris, and France generally. The negative effect constantly has increased since 1969.
But that's a whole other topic.