Well done!
When I was in Paris a few years ago, an old lady came up to me on the street, no doubt after hearing me speak bad French to a street vendor, and thanked me for being an American. She said to me, “Merci, Thank you, American, World War 2, merci, merci, thank you”.
I said to her, “Lafayette, Revolution, merci, thank you!” we both laughed, said “au revoir, goodbye” etc.
Best part of the trip.
That is good to know.
I have heard comments from young people so patheticlly misguided they think that the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima were war crimes.
That is a wonderful story! “Lafayette, Revolution, merci, thank you!” ... what a wonderful way to thank her back.
When I visited France for the first time in 2002, my brother and our wives traveled to the American cemetary at Belleau Wood, site of a Marine battle against the Germans in June (I think), 1918. About 4000-5000 Americans are buried there. I have a great-uncle who died in that battle and is buried at Belleau Wood.
My brother and I wanted to do a charcoal tracing of his grave marker. While we were doing this, three French groundskeepers were mowing the grass nearby. When they saw what we were doing, they stopped, shut off the mowers, and all held their hats over their hearts until we were done.
This was just months after 9/11. When I entered France I was all prepared to hate the French. I found that I could not do it.