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1. The French are nice.
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Parisians in particular have a reputation for being aloof and snobbish, and as tourists from a third-world country, we were prepared to be ignored or looked down on. Surprisingly, none of the French people we met were even remotely rude. Hotel receptionists were friendly and helpful. An elderly gentleman on the train valiantly tried to engage us in conversation even though his English and our French were minimal to nonexistent. The French doctor who shared our couchette to Venice treated us to a breakfast of brioche and coffee. A middle-aged lady in Nice asked my opinion on whether she should buy black or red boots. (Red!) And two guys in suits took the table next to ours at a KFC and spoke to us in Tagalog! Of course, it helps if you are polite yourself, smile a lot, and make attempts – even laughably poor ones – at speaking French.
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2. They can tell we’re Filipinos.
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Not everyone, of course, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve bought a sandwich or encountered guys selling Eiffel Tower miniatures and gotten asked, “Philippines?” I have no idea how they do it because even I can’t always distinguish Filipinos from other Southeast Asians.
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3. Paris doesn’t have to be expensive.
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It is known to be one of the most expensive cities in the world, but there are many quintessentially Parisian things you can do for free. A stroll along the River Seine is romantic and invigorating and costs absolutely nothing. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and other museums have free-entrance days; entrance to the Notre Dame cathedral is free every day. The Jardin du Luxembourg and local favorite Place des Vosges – free. And there’s no charge for taking photos in front of the ultimate Paris landmarks: the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. You’ll have to pay to go up either structure, but do you really have to? Many say the best view of the Paris skyline is from Sacré Coeur in Montmartre, which is – you guessed it – free.
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3 Things That Will Surprise You About Paris | © Small-Town Girls, Midnight Trains. All rights reserved.
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You’re right about making an attempt to speak French, no matter how limited your vocabulary. It worked for us, too, and we found the French people to be very nice, with only a few exceptions.
I think people will be generally nice to you if you try to be nice to them too. (As always, with a few exceptions.) 🙂 Thanks for dropping by, Tom.
I’m glad your experience with Paris was positive. I hope you’ll be able to write about Spain one day, and the same for me too. 🙂
Fingers crossed for both of us! Let’s make it happen!
I found people in Paris very friendly; someone begun talking to us at the table in McDonalds; a lady gave my daughter a kitty necklace she had just bought just to stop her from crying, and people were awesome giving us directions in French of course!
Aww, that was a sweet thing to do. I often wonder why Parisians have a reputation for unfriendliness; I don’t think anyone was ever rude to us when we were there. Did your daughter enjoy Paris?
Reblogged this on My Random Post.