Yes

by Karen Bledsoe

Created on: March 19, 2008

Paris is the city of lights, with hundreds of monuments and museums documenting its rich and ancient history, thousands of cafes and bars with a lively nightlife, and a cuisine to die for. Is it also the city of tourist-hating snobs as it's been stereotyped to be?

The answer is: it depends on the tourist.

My own foray into France, which took in Paris, Versailles, and Chartres, introduced me to the warm and hospitable people of France. On our arrival the first evening, the concierge at our hotel was stiffly apologetic. Our rooms were not ready. There'd been a booking mistake, and we might have to switch rooms in the middle of our stay. We might not have the accommodations we'd requested. No problem, we said. We were just happy to be in Paris, and there was no difficulty in switching rooms if it was necessary. The concierge looked a little surprised, and by the time we returned from dinner, everything had been smoothed out. From that point forward, the concierge was warm, polite, and helpful in all things.

And therein lies the secret for making your Parisian stay as comfortable as possible: show politeness, and the majority of Parisians will return politeness. You may still encounter a few rude French people in spite of your efforts, but the same is true everywhere you go in the world.

There were other American tourists - as well as Italian and Russian tourists - at the same hotel who clearly did not understand that principle. There were tourists who were loud, demanding, rude, and who treated Paris as their own private amusement park where everyone ought to kowtow to their personal wants. These tourists were given cold looks and minimal service in response, and were probably the sort of tourist who returned with tales of how rude the French people are.

If you plan a trip to France and want the best experience possible, keep these things in mind:

1) Understand that the French are formal people. If you have learned the French language, which you ought before venturing into France, you should be familiar with the "tu" and "vous" forms of verbs. "Tu" is the familiar form, used by parents with their children or between close friends. "Vous" is the formal form. As a tourist, bear in mind that all French people are "vous" to you, not just in the language, but in all things. Use your utmost politeness everywhere you go. Address everyone - the wait staff, the police officer, the cab driver, the store clerk - as "monsieur" or "madame." Remember to use "pardon," "s'il vous plait," and "merci." Never, never address a waiter as "garcon." The word means "boy," and has the same connotations in French as it has in English.

2) Dress and behave appropriately for the culture. You're in Paris, not Malibu, so dress for Paris. Leave your flip-flops, baseball caps, saggy jeans, and t-shirts with the funny slogans at home. Spit out your gum, comb your hair, and stand up straight. If you have any metal bits in your face, take them out. The people I traveled to France with were all educators, and we dressed in our "teacher clothes." Everywhere we went we were treated well. In fact, several French people were surprised that we were Americans, since we didn't dress and act according to their stereotypes of Americans.

3) At least try to speak French. Before you go to France, go to the bookstore and get some recorded French language courses. The "learn French in a week!" recordings are a good place to start because they tend to emphasize the words and phrases that tourists need most. If you try to speak a little French to the people that you meet in Paris, very often they will answer back in English - even if it's only to spare themselves the pain of hearing their beautiful language mangled. Outside of major cities you will encounter fewer English speakers, so be ready to make yourself understood instead of demanding that people understand your English.

4) Remember that France is not an American amusement park. People live there, and when you travel to France, you are visiting their home uninvited. Yes, you are their guest, but the entire populace did not send you a personal invitation. You do not have the right to make demands. You cannot insist that the French do as Americans do or accept you just as you are, baseball cap, flip-flops, crackling gum and all. If you want an American-style tourist destination, the best place to find it is in the U.S.

So are the French hospitable to American tourists? Yes, if the tourists are hospitable to their hosts. To those who barge into France with anything less that politeness and respect for the French people, all I can say is, "Bonne chance!"

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