You, what do you think about France? (UK, culture, beautiful)

[BlueWillowPlate]

Americans are fine ones, to complain about a French attitude of their own national superiority.

Well said, jtr88.

Originally Posted by chielgirl

Great post. This statement, in particular.
The US and France have more in common than one might want to believe.

I really have a hard time understanding how anyone can think that the French are rude.

Tourists do bring out the worst in people, though.
Taking flash photos in the Louvre; stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to gawk as people are trying to get to work, etc. That type of behavior might bring out the worst in me.
Paris is just a large capital city; no different from Seoul, Bangkok, New York, Berlin, London, etc.

My French is so bad that people ask me to speak English, and I'm great with tourist charades.
That said, I spend lots of time in France and am pondering it for retirement. The architecture and history are amazing.

I agree with all of your remarks, especially the ones I bolded.
I've visited France a lot, was just there last month, one of my kids lives there.
I enjoy the history, the geography, the food, the wine.
I have not had trouble with rudeness there, but my kid tells me that the stereotypes about labyrinthian French bureaucracy do have some truth to them.

[jasperz]

Originally Posted by BlueWillowPlate

Well said, jtr88.
I have not had trouble with rudeness there, but my kid tells me that the stereotypes about labyrinthian French bureaucracy do have some truth to them.

Hello,

I don't agree with you. I'm french and I've been living in the US for 2 years now and i'm shocked about the bureaucracy here ! You need to have a license/permits for almost everything.

Yes taxes in France are much higher, yes we have too many civil workers but the processes are much more efficient than in the us, in my humble opinion, and there's more economical freedom also.

Maybe my experience in Miami is not reflecting what's happening in all states but this is what i feel, and this is making me want to move out actually to an another state see if things are better because i can't stand anymore the life in Florida (the terrible work ethic in the Miami area beeing the most important part of my decision ).

[ja1myn]

I visited France a couple years ago and I thought that the countryside was much nicer than the cities. I stayed in Paris for a couple nights and it was so dirty and filled with sex shops. Not really my style.

[LindavG]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

I visited France a couple years ago and I thought that the countryside was much nicer than the cities. I stayed in Paris for a couple nights and it was so dirty and filled with sex shops. Not really my style.

I do think that Paris is a bit overrated, there is much more to France than that. I never understood what the big deal about the Eiffel tower was, I think it's quite an ugly piece of architecture.

[dunno what to put here]

Lille in northern France is wonderful - been there once, it's twinned with my city, I advise going!

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

It's selfish, but I'm glad to see the Euro slide as that make a visit more affordable.

It hasn't done that big a slide.
Instead of getting .68 to the dollar, you're getting .74 with bank charges added on.
But do visit no matter the cost. You'll have a delightful time.

Originally Posted by ja1myn

I visited France a couple years ago and I thought that the countryside was much nicer than the cities. I stayed in Paris for a couple nights and it was so dirty and filled with sex shops. Not really my style.

Funny, I travel to Paris and the countryside both.
Where in Paris were you?
I see it as being filled with cafes, museums, architecture and patisseries.
I guess we all see what we want to see.

[pigeonhole]

Not the same city indeed chielgirl . I live in Paris actually and I can vouch for it, there are not only "cafés (more and more Starboucks, by the way, very Parisian ?) and patisseries" . Paris is overall a dirty, crowded city with works litterally everywhere, holes in the sidewalks, people are squeezed in buses and metros. I guess you live in the 16th arrondissemnt.

[dunno what to put here]

I've been to Paris more then once. Stunning place, but a lot of the architecture just looks the same after a while. Once you've seen one row of Georgian buildings, you've seen them all..

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by dunno what to put here

I've been to Paris more then once. Stunning place, but a lot of the architecture just looks the same after a while. Once you've seen one row of Georgian buildings, you've seen them all..

Georgian buildings ? In Paris ? Which King George would that be ? Most of the Parisian Architecture is mid 19th Century ( Haussman having designed most of the city as is known to tourists) and would be Napoleon the Third.

At best it would be "Victorian Era" but it most certainly is not Georgian. Edinburgh New Town and Bath are Georgian and are nothing like Paris. I guess architecture and history are not your strong points.


Paris also has some superb Art Nouveau and Art Deco Architecture as well as much older Architecture like the beautiful Place des Vosges, Tuileries, Louvre etc...

[Manolón]

Originally Posted by pigeonhole

Not the same city indeed chielgirl . I live in Paris actually and I can vouch for it, there are not only "cafés (more and more Starboucks, by the way, very Parisian ?) and patisseries" . Paris is overall a dirty, crowded city with works litterally everywhere, holes in the sidewalks, people are squeezed in buses and metros. I guess you live in the 16th arrondissemnt.

----

She probably rented a very cheap hostel or pension that she found in Internet and ended at a very seedy place. The same thing happens in Barcelona, some tourists rent in places I would not sleep with three bottles of wine on me.