Rudy wrote:
    >
    > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

Didn't I read exactly the same post (word for word) regarding American
friendliness to French tourists? Methinks "Rudy" is a troll!

In article , dajaxon
writes
    >there are much better places to visit than France -
No, there are not!
--
Marie Lewis

"DocsHolliday" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Why go to France when you can go to Spain?. I'll never understand that.
You get
    > friendly people, great food, excellent service and nice weather. I dare
anybody
    > to find that complete package in France.

That is my usual experience of France although, like Spain, the weather
depends on where and when you go. Personally, I prefer to avoid the over-hot
summers of places like the Costa del Sol.

Colin Bignell

Rudy wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

Seems a pity to travel if you just judge the place you go to by how much
like home it is. The French are generally an extremely courteous people.
Granted this courtesy has a (for you perhaps) rather formalised nature, but
it is no less courteous for that.

Be courteous yourself and people will respond appropriatly. If your email
address reflects your political views, you may want to keep them to yourself
wherever you go.

By the way, we're a little worried by the Americans we see on TV too.

dajaxon wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > there are much better places to visit than France - so why subject
yourself
    > to them?
    > Go to Italy, Lisbon or Barcelona - better service to tourists.

Just a small geographical correction, Italy is a country and Lisbon and
Barcelona are cities....personaly I'd be reluctant to take travel advice
from someone who didn't know the difference

i don't see anything to suggest the poster doesn't know that lisbon is a
city. would be reluctant to accept travel advice from someone who reads so
much into so little.


"John Stolz" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > dajaxon wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > there are much better places to visit than France - so why subject
    > yourself
    > > to them?
    > > Go to Italy, Lisbon or Barcelona - better service to tourists.
    > >
    > >
    > Just a small geographical correction, Italy is a country and Lisbon and
    > Barcelona are cities....personaly I'd be reluctant to take travel advice
    > from someone who didn't know the difference

bonjour
relax...what u see on tv is sheer manipulation; there are rude people in
France like everywhere else, but providing you know how to smile, you
will not have any difficulties
have a nice trip

michel

Rudy wrote:
    > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

here here

"hotels Splendid + Gounod Nice" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > bonjour
    > relax...what u see on tv is sheer manipulation; there are rude people in
    > France like everywhere else, but providing you know how to smile, you
    > will not have any difficulties
    > have a nice trip
    > michel
    > Rudy wrote:
    > > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > > How are they treating us?

MM wrote:

    > My family plans a trip to New York and Arizona in late April. We are
    > worried about the American people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on French flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Chirac. The Americans (especially New Yorkers) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any French people who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

I wouldn't worry........they'll probably think you are Spanish anyway.......

CC
--
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, an amateur built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.
------------
This post represents the views of the author and does not necessarily
accurately represent the views of my employer.

    >"hotels Splendid + Gounod Nice" wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> bonjour
    >> relax...what u see on tv is sheer manipulation; there are rude people in
    >> France like everywhere else, but providing you know how to smile, you
    >> will not have any difficulties
    >> have a nice trip
    >> michel

On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 10:53:45 +0100, "hobart xaxinojo"
wrote:

    >here here

No. There, there. But that means something other than direction,
doesn't it? :-)

Michael

nice email addy...

[email protected]

You sure do smell like a troll...

MrB.


Rudy wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

now thats funny!

MrB.

MM wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My family plans a trip to New York and Arizona in late April. We are
    > worried about the American people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on French flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Chirac. The Americans (especially New Yorkers) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any French people who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 10:53:45 +0100, hobart xaxinojo wrote:

    >
    > here here

Again?

(I thought we had decided it was *there?*)



    > "hotels Splendid + Gounod Nice" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >> bonjour
    >> relax...what u see on tv is sheer manipulation; there are rude people in
    >> France like everywhere else, but providing you know how to smile, you
    >> will not have any difficulties
    >> have a nice trip
    >> michel
    >> Rudy wrote:
    >> > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    >> > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    >> > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    >> > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    >> > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    >> > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    >> > How are they treating us?

On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 05:56:31 +0000, Gregory Morrow wrote:

    >
    > devil wrote:
    >
    >
    >> On Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:12:54 +0000, Rudy wrote:
    >> > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    >> > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    >> > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    >> > pictures of Bush.
    >> If you feel you have to defend Bush and his policy on Iraq, maybe you
    >> should wait. OTOH if it doesn't bother you that people talk and comment
    >> in ways that are not terribly nice to this administration's policy, you'll
    >> be OK.
    >
    > I'd feel about as "welcome" in France right now as a Jewish tourist would in
    > Germany c.1937. Who needs the mishegoss? There are plenty of other places
    > to go where a US tourist (of *whatever* political leaning) won't be
    > constantly subjected to that incessant and tired old ant - US drumbeat.

Given your need to defend the administration policy, not too much of a
surprise, is it?

As to maintaining the confusion between being anti-US and anti-Bush
policy, doesn't help either. Agenda does show.

But even so, comparing with a Jew in Germany 1937 is still a gross
exaggeration. Additionally, that had a personal dimension that this
surely does not.

"Rudy" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My family plans a trip to Paris and Provence in late April. We are
    > worried about the French people we see on television. They are
    > putting swastikas on American flags and painting Hitler-mustaches on
    > pictures of Bush. The French (especially Parisians) are famous for
    > rudeness but I wonder if it is too much right now. I would like to
    > hear from any Americans who have traveled there in the past month.
    > How are they treating us?

I see you're not getting much help from anyone.

It's always been my experience that people outside the U.S. can distinguish
between the American government and individual American visitors. Though I
haven't been to France recently, I've noticed generally that people overseas
will criticize the US government when they speak with me -- something that
never happened before. However, their antipathy towards America's actions
didn't translate into hostility towards me -- I was treated as warmly and as
well as always. Note that I did _not_ argue with anyone, or attempt to
defend America's current policies or administration (not that I would,
anyway).

Three travel rules:

1. Always remember you're a guest in someone else's home. Act like a guest.
2. If in doubt, ask. Don't assume.
3. If you're going to make a mistake, err on the side of generosity, i.e.
it's better to tip too much than too little, pay too much than too little,
etc.

I've followed these rules when I travel for the last 20 years and never had
a bad travel experience.