SalB

Hello. Welcome to France.com. We visit France with some regularity and have found the French people to be helpful and friendly. We've gotten some interesting comments over the years about our government policies but no one has ever blamed us for them.

We remember a concierge in Paris (near Place des Vosges) who thought the whole impeachment proceedings against Clinton were hysterical. He simply didn't understand; Presidents are supposed to have a mistress. Why would Congress care?! Why would the media care?

We returned to France with some trepidation immediately after the recent Iraq invasion but the French were still the French. Most that we talked to seemed to feel sorry for us having Bush as our President. Fortunately, we agreed. I'm not sure how we would have felt if we were solid Republicans. I suppose we wouldn't have gone.

We were on a trip through France and Italy during the second Bush election and will never forget our Italian landlady when we appeared for breakfast the morning after. She spoke no English but managed to say, "Bush, Blair, Berlusconi . . . BAH!" That would have been echoed in France had we been there instead.

In short, the French are people just as we are. Most of the misunderstandings we've heard about are cultural differences between the US and France. For instance in a restaurant a French waiter will never interrupt your meal to ask if everything is okay. They would consider it very impolite to interrupt you while you are eating. The assume you will call them if you have a problem with your meal.

They will also absolutely not bring you a check unless you ask for it. This has resulted in many Americans sitting and complaining about bad service because they don't have a check and they want to leave. Again, the French consider it impolite to interrupt your meal . . . and your conversation afterward.

We've heard about lousy service and haven't seen it. If there is a problem, simply call the waiter and explain. He will take care of it. I even had a waiter (in the Alps) go running down the street to get me a cup of coffee at another restaurant because theirs didn't have any. That's servicre!

They can be a little defensive so when you have a problem, you can't request help in an accusatory way. You simply state you have a problem and wonder if they can help with a solution. They love to solve problems and they will solve yours if possible. On the other hand, if you say they forgot something or didn't do something, they will immediately swear it's not true. Strange . . .

You can bank at their Post Office and get medical advice at their pharmacies. The pharmacist will also identify any mushrooms you find. French medical services are better than ours and cheaper. There is a castle on every hill and a museum in every town. Public transportation is excellent and hotels can be very reasonable. It's a great place to vacation.

Incidentally, the food is good on Air France!  8^)

LaVieilleBranche

SalB! hello! Long time no see! 🙂 What's up with you?

SalB

My gosh. How are you? I bet you are on summer vacation right now. Are you planning a trip to France this summer . . . or have you just come back?

We recently flew into Nice and then drove into Italy for a month returning for a week in Tourrettes-sur-Loup above Nice which was my favorite part of the vacation. Love Provence . . . 8^

Good to hear from you.  I think of you any time someone mentions Strasbourg.

SalB

Hi. We just got back from five weeks in France and Italy. We flew into Nice for a few days, drove into Italy and visited friends in Tuscany for a week, drove to Sorrento for a couple days to see the Amalfi Coast (and the Naples garbage strike), continued on to the Maratea coast for another week, spent five days in Sicily. Then we drove to the Adriatic coast for another week and up to Assisi for our 44th anniversary which was great. There was a visiting choir giving concerts in Basilica San Francesco . . . great anniversary present! Drove back through Nice to spend a few days in Tourrettes-sur-Loup and flew home out of Nice. It was great although we've both decided we don't like southern Italy and probably will never return. Northern Italy is lovely and of course, we're addicted to France. We're headed back in April with our two daughters.

Have you been to France lately? I always think of you when Strasbourg comes up on a forum.

LaVieilleBranche

SalB:

It sounds like you had a wonderful time in France!  I like southern Italy somewhat, because I have friends there and for the Pompeii ruins, but I haven't been there in 8 years now. I can pass on the garbage strike…

It's summer vacation and we bought a house in April, 2008. The owners had to sell as they didn't need the house and were overextended anyways (I saw their finance statements in the closing).  So now it's home repairs as it does need a little fix-me-up.

Because of high airfares and the low dollar, we went to the Adirondacks for one week. The mountain bit me and my leg is fractured, with some minor tendon damage to my right leg.  The doctor was a complete idiot in Lake Placid, and started French bashing me with the usual stereotypes, saying French/Quebecois stink, they're dirty, never wash, hairy, etc..scumbag doctor.

Alsace is great!

http://alsachat.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=strasbourg

LaVieilleBranche

It seems this foum has slowed down considerably. I usually have a window open at http://www.superfrenchie.com    He's a French expatriot  in the USA and his blog gets and sees quite a lot of action. It's also rather hilarious, what with his snarky pix of Sarkozy, etc…Go read it and post in there. I use a different username in there, but I will be able to recognise the world famous SalB! 🙂

SalB

So sorry to hear about your leg. Bummer!!!!!! 8^(

I checked the Alsace photos at your link and they are very nice. Memories . . . 8^)