I'm french and i approve this video! I have a few bonus tips for you from my perspective : 1 - Be overly polite. Don't be afraid to tell the waiter things like "c'était très bien merci" or say hello to everyone when entering a small shop. We value communication in shops and restaurants and even in the street so don't hesitate to talk with strangers. And when in doubt start sentences with an apology. 2 - Don't talk too much about how much you love Paris unless you're in Paris. 3 - If you go to Marseille check your pockets because every kid can be David Copperfield. 4 - Fancy places are very very snobby and embarrassing sometimes. Better avoid them unless you're rich, this isnt real France and this is where you'll find stereotypes about our rudeness. 5 - Regional peculiarities : North West has the most welcoming and warm people. In South East people yell and touch you all the time but don't be afraid (this is me) . South west food will blow your mind, you're not even mentally prepared for it. North east is multicultural and a great place to get contacts and continue your travels through Europe. Corsica is paradise but they hate everyone else. There's only trees and cows in the middle. Have fun if you come! 🇨🇵🇺🇲🥰
Overly Concerned Comments The north north, french Flanders is verry..... special. They speak a weird dialect (French Flemish or something) and just dont like foreigners at all
« there’s only trees and cows in the middle » ?!? WTF ?!!! C’est quoi ces conneries ? C’est comme si je disais qu’il y a avait que des cons à Paris, bonjour les clichés pourris ! Déjà c’est quoi « the middle” ?
+Richard Winters not really, I live in Antwerp at the moment and people don't really say it and it doesn't really bother them if you don't say it. At least in the big cities it's no big deal. In France even in Paris it's expected of you that you say it.
That is true that if you walk in any shop and start to speak english,salesperson will be rude with you. but if you say the magic word ."bonjour" everything will be better. And magically if you say "excuse me i don't speak french" , suddenly much more people will speak english.
If you don't say "hello" or "bonjour" to us, we'll think you're an asshole who treats people like dogs, because in France you need to acknowledge the people, it's really disrespectful to not do it. Since you're rude (by not saying hello) we won't help you, we are proud after all
It happened to me when i first arrived in Paris i reached to the hotel and i arrived very early so my room was not ready. The hostess was french so i started speaking in french (my level is A1 or A2). I asked her if she could keep my luggage there at the hotel while i went to Musee d'Orsay and then i would do the check-in when i returned l.... at some point i ran out of french vocabulary and she wouldnt get me so I asked "ahmmm, do you speak english?" And she said "non".... "ok, ¿español?" "Non" so i managed to explain what i needed, went to the museum, returned 4 hrs later, the lady was there and sees me and goes "oh, it's you! Welcome back!" In english...... hahahahaha so a couple of times it happened ti me like this: some people do speak english but don't want to unless they see you making an effort in french and failing hehehehehe
It's a bit more complex than that. About 20 years ago, French medias were all about how we French suck at English and that we should be able to speak it, etc... In the meantime, most English teachers we have are (were, hopefully) giving kids lists of words and phonemes to leanr, but never devoted many time to actually speak. Basically, about 15 years back, we learned how to read and write english, but not really how English sounds, and even less how to have a simple chatting in English. All the while being scolded for having an accent and bad pronunciation. So actually many French people DO know English, they are just extremely shameful about how poor and bad-sounding it is, so they prefer to pass as ignorant than to appears poorly educated.
When I watched the video I was expecting to disagree about all and get angry... but actually, no. Everything is true and nothing is disrespectful against my country, that's great. I'm glad to hear that french people are not that unfriendly. Good video.
woltersworld Yep pretty much the same, what you described is very accurate and not disrespectful in any kind. That's just facts ! (and god i hate that dog poop....) I really want to stress your #11's point, YES France is not just Paris, there are so many places to go, so many different landscapes to see, sleeping volcanoes in Auvergne, cliffs of Bretagne, sunny beaches in La Cote d'Azur, rainy beaches in Normandie (we still love you guys up north!), Snowy mountains in Les Alpes... I could go on and on for hours, there's just too much to see!
I am from Canada and speak French. When I went to Paris, I had blast! Extraordinarily friendly! I was shocked after having heard so many horror stories about Parisians. Mes cousins français, je vous aime!
merc340sr Si tu es gentil avec eux , ils seront gentil avec toi . Tu auras juste un peu de moquerie (pas méchante ) si tu as un accent québécois très prononcé . Tu les laisses se moquer un peu et puis ça va leur passer très vite . C est comme les français qui vont au québec ,on a un drôle d'accent pour eux aussi ! ils doivent s'adapter aux québécois .
+merc340sr les québécois sont très appréciés en France. D'abord nous sommes fiers que notre langue soit parlée outre Atlantique, ensuite vous avez la réputation d'avoir hérité de quelques unes des qualités de vos cousins américains: un esprit positif et une simplicité dans les relations.
+merc340sr discutable, tu sais parler francais...on ne remarque pas vite que tu es Canadien. Quand je commence parler francais a l accent du midi, ca va, mais apres, qu on a remarque que je suis boche...
Oh Americans, you make hilarious tourists. I am Australian and I went to Paris for a couple of weeks a couple of years ago, and some of my fondest memories is of listening to Americans. From thinking cream cheese is yoghurt to saying 'Noter Daim'. Also listening to some stereotypical Californian girls who say 'like' every 5 seconds. Good times.
***** lol im americam and u got it! that sounds just like us lololol hahaha. although, some of us americans aren't like that lol. usually, young ppl act like that.
***** I am a south american living in Australia and I find that your comment is just another generalisation. I've travelled a fair bit and I've seen Australians drunk doing inappropriate things too (A group of guys getting drunk in a flight to Bali, or like other English speakers reluctant to learn at least few words of the host country's language eg. Hi, thank you...). That doesn't mean that all Australians are like that just like not all Americans fit your criticism. By the way, I found the guy doing the video very receptive/aware of the French culture
jeylful I know it's a generalisation, I'm sure most Americans are not like what I said, it was just that the Americans I can remember were the ones I mentioned. I know Australians can be loud obnoxious idiots (especially in Bali it seems), but as you said most Australians aren't like that.
Actually we use many english words. Few of them are used for centuries such as clown or gentleman, but many others are used since the second half of the 20th century: pickpockets,parking, marketing, managment, striptease,weekend, chewing-gum, shopping, babysitter, boycott, freelance, kidnapping, pressing, self-control, show, yacht, etc... and much much more ;)
From a French girl, France loves you back. Thanks for this honest and Kind video. I go out of my way to help tourists when I CAN so that they leave with a good impression of 🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷
They are friendly when you say merci, s’il vous plaît, bonjour/bonsoir and au revoir. I found the French extremely polite and helpful when using those words.
Spot on. Every time I visit France - I am reminded how friendly French people are, especially if you try to speak French... And yes - French food is amazing.
As a french, "France is more than Paris" ... YES !!! A hundred times yes !!! Asks locals outside of Paris, they will all tell you how rude parisians are compared to others, how the streets are dirty, how many pickpockets there is, etc... Only Parisians can deal with Paris. It's really nice to see someone wandering elsewhere than Paris And about the ammound of english speakers ... I guess it's kinda the same in every country, when you're a native english speaker you don't realise how much foreign language are important because english is "the international language" but everywhere else in the world it's just a foreign language, it's not a necessity. With that said, I'd say around 8/10 french understand basic english, and 1/2 are able to speak fluently (thank games/series/movies and piracy for that)
+RyuhasNERV I'm french too, I live in Paris, and I just want to say that Paris can look very rude when you don't know anybody, but the everyday life as a parisian is actually very nice, you always do a lot of things with your friends, you don't stop to discover new places every week, and you meet a lot of foreigners because it's an international city. So let's not stick to stereotypes about Paris, even thought some parisian are rude and some streets are dirty ;)
cecelight I live near Paris and shop there, we can pick fruits (in supermarket, grocery stores, etc. even in markets sometimes) so I did not really understand why this is mentioned in the video to be honest O_o
Dans certaines épiceries je peux t'assurer qu'ils veulent pas que tu touches pas les légumes, même si je pense que ça disparait de plus en plus mais en plein centre de Paris oui.
cecelight Dans la plupart des grands magasins, tu auras le droit de tâter les fruits ou les légumes que tu veux, de toute façon personne ne surveille vraiment. C'est dans les petits marchés avec les producteurs sur place qu'il faut y aller au cas par cas. Certains invitent les clients à toucher, à sentir ou à goûter, et d'autres ne voudront pas qu'on touche, that's all. \o
I'm French, I found this little video funny. But speaking of "shocking" things. I was very shocked by your advice: "stop giving money to poor people because it encourages them". They are litterally dying in the street. They don't need your approvals, they need food. So yes, always giving is just not possible. But never ? Really ? Do you love your coins so much ?
woltersworld "Beggars" like you say are normal in France, in the metro, etc. People come to you, beg you some money, if you don't want you say no, if you want you say yes.
Pierre Sauvage I think he's talking about the gypsies, you know... My parents always told me not to give them money, too. They are the ones who drug their babies to stop them from crying and hurt them to make people feel empathy.
Pierre Sauvage Oui, offrir c'est encourager. Et c'est une inclinaison parfaitement naturelle des choses. C'est la nature même d'un animal bien connu qu'est le chat : il ne demeure que là où l'on lui donne. Evidemment il faut faire la part des choses entre le malheureux qui en a effectivement bavé et qui est à la rue sans qu'il ne le mérite, et qui lui est dans un réel besoin, dans une situation d'abandon, tant social que sanitaire. Mais il faut écarter ce qui relève et de la tentative de fraude, et de la pure avarice, car oui, elle est bien omniprésente dans ce milieu. Je crois qu'on connaît tous ici un faux clochard qui ratiboise la même zone jour après jour mais qui a bien un chez lui de derrière les fagots. Le cas relevé par notre youtuber est celui de la tentative de fraude, ou en tous les cas, de la suspicion de tentative de fraude, de vol : et à Paris, c'est pas inhabituel, notamment envers les touristes. Les roumains voleurs de portables, c'est culturel, quasiment. Le mieux, pour un touriste, reste de ne pas donner. Déjà car ce n'est pas au touriste d'assumer une telle charge sociale, ensuite car c'est un risque que ce dernier prend. Et autant un français arnaqué a des chances de pouvoir arranger une situation pareille, autant un touriste qui se fait piquer un portable ou ses papiers, c'est juste la fin des haricots pour lui, il peut y renoncer et déjà réfléchir à tous les papiers qu'il aura à remplir lorsqu'il sera rentré au bercail. Bref : c'est à la France de s'occuper des malheureux français, pas à un invité. Et la France doit s'occuper de ses malheureux, pas des voleurs qui abusent eux-mêmes d'une situation désastreuse et bien omniprésente dans le paysage urbain.
pure clean air!! in a big city!! seriously? even if no one smoked the air would still be disgusting... cigarettes are certainly not the biggest issue if you're looking for pure clean air in a city
Quarty that has nothing to do with the topic, he said that french people smoke a lot so if you like pure clean air you won't find it here... even if absolutely no one smoked the air wouldn't be clean cause it's a big city. why does he even mention the quality of the air, it's irrelevant
deedou07 People don't smoke only in big cities, he said that because for exemple in Montpellier (where I live) there are some places that are not that polluted and if I want to stay here to relax, maybe some smokers will come and ruin that xD But in places where the nature is almost all alone, there's only people who do footing or cycling :) Smokers are really a problem in cities (because they are a lot, even teens) if you do not like the odor.
I'm french, and there are a lot of things he said, that I've never noticed before... I was watching the video like "oh gosh that's so true, I've never noticed it !!!" And I thought girls in topless are not only in France... okay, now I know that in august in L.A I couldn't be topless :') Well, I know that when people think about France they think about Paris, but here are two places in France where you should go : Corse and Bretagne. It's very far away from Paris, but honestly, it's very very beautiful places !
NaomiOff your comment is so funny and cute. Yes, we American's are uptight! :P. My one time at a nude beach (when I was in perfect shape) I wore my brassier and panties! :)~. I'm heading to France in Sept. This has been a life long dream...we start in Paris and go to Apernay...THIS TRIP....My dream as a young child was to parachute into the French country side and become one with the people. :) Cest' la vive! :) I'm thrilled to be going.
des escargots :') arretez avec ça les us, personne n aime les escargots ou les cuisses de grenouilles Snails :') stop with that the U.S. Anybody liked snails or frog legs in France
I am French and I have to say that your POV and the way you describe France is really really reaaaaaally objective! Props to you dude, loved this video, it shows that you like our country!
Yep. The French are incredibly friendly and probably my favorite people of Europe! Absolutely love that country. The French will forever have a friend in me!
I really enjoyed how you point out what things may shock tourists but without being negative about it. It is rare to have videos that keep a positive attitude when talking about culture clash, i.e. instead of saying the restaurant service sucks in France you say that it is just the way the french people like it. I think it shows how open mind and ready for travelling you and your family are! Inspiring!
OMG YOU DIDNT MENTION, APERO!!!! APERO APERO!!! the French are VERY particular about having APERO before the meal and not having Apero is considered weird, (alcohol and an appetizer) & Bread and Cheese and Yogurt is considered a Dessert
Dope Noodle I live near strasbourg but not every1 eats apero, I mean maybe only when they have time or they are invited (most of the time ppl work and dont have enough time for it)
Ok well Apero is very important for me and Im not even French, but if you decide to have apero sometime, please invite me over =) Good English you got there btw ;)
I'm french and that is... so true !! Thank you for being that positive and speaking so nicely about us, it is so sad to see how much strangers think about french people through stereotypes. So thank you and I hope you will enjoy your visit here ! 😉
***** Camarade is the french equivalent of the russian Tovaritch, meaning that is was mainly used by the Communist parti members in the 50-80s. People don't actually use that word to engage a conversation with a stranger.
I watched a couple of your videos where you say people from here and there are friendly... I think you have a good attitude and are open to people, so people are friendly because you're a nice guy. That's the way to travel :) Thanks for sharing your experience buddy. All the best!
I'm french and I was smoking when I watch this video :p l really like the description of France :-) Thanks for not spreading the clichés ^^ I travelled around US and you have a wonderful country as well (but I'm sure you know it already)
hamapatch Happy to show you around beautiful quaint Mystic, CT. We're in the ne region of the USA. :) (AND can tell you great places to go and visit :) )
Is it normal for shops to be open on Sunday in America? I have been pretty much everywhere in Europe and in most countries all if not most of the shops are closed on Sundays. I thought the US was really conservative?
Not when it comes to money. Nothing closes on Sunday. Church happens twice on Sunday, in the morning and the evening. I work Sunday nights and go to church in the morning.
Being french and having lived in US for 2 over years, I understand your position and found the 10 points you raised pretty much true and well-balanced, far away from the stereotypes... Wish you pleasant trips in the future... Bons voyages!
I've visited France 3 times. Every thing you said was absolutely true. I know about 100 words of French. That makes a big difference. My first time to France I only knew about 25. I can't wait to go back!
Love this video because you are sharing your honest observations. I support a French person doing the same about the U.S.! Also, so glad you mentioned that French are polite. The "rude" stereotype is just wrong. Here's the deal: People in large cities are always rude when on the metro, rushing to work, haggled by tourists, panhandlers, cars honking at them, etc. I'm living in Crecy-la-Chapelle (suburban Paris) for three months right now. I lived in Chicago for seven years and a summer in New York and it was exactly the same. Nice people, one on one, rude folks trying to navigate the city. It's a function of big cities. Thanks for sharing!
+Pablo Blo In a supermarket you very well can as no one is going to pick them up for you. At the market, and possibly some fruit stores, you shouldn't.
+Iamtop A private little shop owner will not be happy if you do that .In a supermarket,it is generally different,cause sellers are employes not directly concerned by that action,unless they got strict orders from the direction.
Iamtop Excuse my bad english.I meaned that a litlle shop-owner will most often not admitt that.But it can be rather different in a big supermarket were sellers are employees not directly concerned by the benefits,and often few numerous.
French here ! I love watching your videos about what might shock Americans visiting different parts of Europe, it "reverse-reminds" me of things that shocked me while in the US or Canada. Keep it up, you're welcome in Paris anytime :)
may I ask: what shocked you about America, Canada?
9 лет назад+115
Thank you very much for your video ! Everything you've said is "god damn" true :D You passed though clichés and shit that people who never came in France say. Thank you again hope you guys will take theses advices if you want to visit us (and not just Paris !!) Good bye people :) Gark
+Clément Trichon (“Gark”) Je comprend pas pourquoi des français confirment alors que c'est plein de méprises et d'amalgames. On fume beaucoup, tout le temps et partout? On a plus le droit de fumer nul part, même la cigarette électronique est interdite dans les espaces publics, même dans la plupart des gares ouvertes. On est le 4ème pays d'Europe où le tabac est le plus taxé Les crottes de chiens c'est le cliché parisien, pas français. Je vois jamais de crottes de chiens sur les trottoirs chez moi en province. Même à paris ça dépend des quartiers, ça se passe majoritairement dans les quartiers bourgeois où les gens comptent sur les services de nettoyage plutôt que de se baisser pour ramasser. Les parents qui laissent leur gamins sans surveillance ça me choque aussi, c'est pas un truc français, c'est un truc de parent insouciants. Les français amicaux? ça dépend où et ça dépend qui comme partout, déjà qu'entre français y a pas beaucoup d'entraide. Des pickpockets ailleurs qu'à paris j'en ai jamais vu.
9 лет назад+2
je suis moi Ah ouais t'habites où en province ? J'habite en Haute Savoie (Cluses) qui est un département riche et pourtant je retrouve les mêmes problèmes que décrits dans la vidéo après je viens d'un monde où français = surrender, vous ne vous lavez jamais, les filles ne se rasent pas et omelette du fromage. Du coup désolé si d'avoir confirmer ce qu'il raconte (depuis Paris mais il a visiter le sud aussi et je doute qu'il ne l'ai pas pris en considération dans sa vidéo) mais j'encourage vivement les étrangers à venir voir la vraie France. ps: Nous les enfants (surtout à Annecy) c'est normal qu'ils jouent dans le parc seuls, c'est un grand espace vert ou il fait bon vivre de profiter de la pelouse par de belles journées d'été, les parents ne sont jamais bien loin mais ils ne sont pas sur leur dos.
Je viens de haute Normandie mais je suis actuellement dans le 91 et je me rend ou je traverse Paris tous les jours pour aller bosser et y a pas plus de crotte de chiens sur les trottoirs de mon trajet que chez moi en Normandie. Ca arrive parce que t'as toujours des gens qui se foutent des autres mais ça reste assez rare. J'ai arrêté de fumer y a deux ans en passant à la cigarette électronique, et même si j'ai plus de nicotine j'ai le droit de vapoter uniquement là où les fumeurs ont le droit de fumer et vu le prix du tabac je doute qu'on soit les plus gros fumeurs d'Europe. Encore des clichés. Pour ce qui est des enfants qui jouent dans les parcs, évidemment, les américains aussi emmènent leurs enfants au parc et les laissent jouer mais c'est pas de ça qu'il parle dans la vidéo.
baby freeze Vu ton image tu semble d'être loin d'être majeure, je crois que tu peux la fermer car tu dis de la merde.Tu as déjà vu quelqu'un payer l'hôpital en France ??????? Non car c'est payer par les impôts........
SternOrStar C'est gratuit pour les étranger aussi www.hopital.fr/Droits-demarches/Vos-droits/Les-droits-de-l-usager/Le-droit-a-l-acces-aux-soins-pour-tous/L-acces-aux-soins-des-patients-etrangers
I am french and I have to admit,I was a little bit afraid of this video by the start,afraid to see yet another problem with stereotypes and things like that. But EVERYTHING that he said was _absolutely_ true.
Thank you to give a good image of my country :) Just a little thing you maybe couldn't see : the shops are mainly close the Sunday but it's depends the city. If you're in a tourist city it's open the Sunday, like in mine, but close the Monday.
Dis pas n importe quoi, tout est tout le temps ferme, ferme soit le dimanche soit le lundi, fermé entre 12h et 14h , n ouvre que a 10h et ferme à 18h30... Bref quand tu bosse lundi/mardi/mercredi/jeudi/vendredi/samedi et que tu fais 9h/19h alors tu peux rien acheter...
I'm french and I must say everything in this video is absolutely true ! I was even surprised that you grasped that well the little quirks of France ! And so happy that you show pictures of Nîmes at the end, that's where I live and the fountain with a crocodile that you photographed is right in front of my highschool ! I love you and I love your videos !
You forgot one important dining rule- If you ask for a "menu" you will get the daily combination serving each place offers. You ask for "La carte": the list of individual food items. Also, it's important to explain the differences between cafes, bistros, brasserie, salon and restaurante.
It is mandatory for any business (with employees) to have at least one closed day in a week, usually sunday, sometimes monday. Of course there are some exceptions defined by the law. It requires special authorization, or for it to be a necessity due to the nature of the business (hostel, restaurant, hospital...) Hope that was helpful! Nice video!
As a recent visitor to the Cote d'Azur he is not wrong about things. I found the locals to be friendly towards me - but I remembered to use my quite, non-American voice and know a little French. A simple, quite bon jour can go a long way. As for the evening meal, during the day, swing by a Monoprix, or Carrefour, or a Lidl, or an Aldi and pick up a little snack to tide you over until dinner. And for the love of all things good, relax and enjoy your meals - there is no need to bolt it down. Sit back, relax, chat with friends - it will help your digestion.
On my first visit to Paris, I made the mistake of asking the waiter at the first cafe I went to if he spoke English ('parlez-vous anglais, monsieur?") Of course he said "Non". So I subjected him to my not-so-great French, which soon had both of us laughing. After that, I simply started speaking in French to waitpersons and they inevitably responded in English, so as not to hear me further butcher their language. "L'addition s'il vous plait" is indeed a very useful phrase. Btw, the only place I've seen dog poo in Paris is on the metro :-( Merci pour tout les videos!
6falconsue I lived in Limoges for a while, visited many smaller towns in the region, plus Bordeaux, Toulouse, etc and there is dog poop everywhere. It’s hazardous.
I liked your overview about France. It is pretty accurate! I'm French and agree with the whole thing. We like Americans. We like people from everywhere. I hope you guys have a good experience in France. French people aren't so good at English, that's true, but it doesn't mean they dislike you :-) Welcome to France!! : Belfort/Biarritz/Paris/Valensole/Forcalquier/Lyon/Nice/Nantes/Lille/Versailles/Rennes/ etc... we welcome you!! Cheers people from anywhere. Have a good one.
hi i'm a french girl. i'm 17 years old and i practice my comprehension in english. I think your videos are so true !!! in france the people smoke to much and the dog mess are not collected most of the time and it's really disgusting. I really like your videos because you removed french clichés as baguet under the arm, the mustache or the beret. I think a lot of people in france are very happy when stranger come because they want to show you France. So come ^^ thanks for your videos and sorry if i made grammar mistakes
+Elisa Gautimbert Indeed. +woltersworld Me myself I was suprised coming to France x time after almost 10 year break. I remembered French as a rude, bad and unpleasant people who only spoke neither English nor other language, only French. But since last vacation I have VERY GOOD memories from France, my opinion about French turned 180 degree and I could totally see the beauty of France. When you mentioned your favourite places in France - Mark; I thought I'd add at least three more places that RE AWESOME as well: Telepherique du Aguille du Midi, Vers Pont du Gard and Mt. St. Michel. And yes, boulangerie et patiserie are the heaven for those you enjoy tasting sth really good ;)
Yeah, the French are really warm and welcoming people. We have the same myth of them in the UK that they are rude/cold, but they are, as a rule, more welcoming than the average British person.
I've been in London and Paris recently. I think people from London are far better than the people from Paris. I hated France because of the people. They are so rude and we couldn't even trust the information centre employees because they are useless. We almost lose the bus to London because of them. Going back to London was like going back to civilization. Funny, because in my country there's this myth that English people are "too cold" and don't care much about people. Myths...
It depends where you go, idiot. You can go to the nicer part of Paris and see lovely people but go to the poor parts you'll find rude and violent people. Paris and London both have grime areas.
Eiffeil tower area is pure vomit and the people working in that area are rude. Don't everybody goes to see that pile of horrible metal crap? Please don't compare Pooris with London.
For a Brazilian, places where people smoke a lot are really shocking. We have one of the biggest and most successful anti-smoking campaigns in the world. It’s not very common for people to smoke so much here. When we travel we really need to make an effort to respect local culture and not to get angry because of the passive smoking we’re subjected to. Great video!
As a french I can tell everything you said is very true , you know well my country and his people. I didn't know american parents don't let their children play around as we do here. Nice video , bravo !
It used to be common in the United States to let children roam around freely, but starting in the 90s and forward, Americans became increasingly paranoid about child abducters - far beyond the actual level of threat, which is infinitesimal - and gradually it became the norm, so that now it’s rare for US parents to let their children roam around in public unattended.
Some parents allow their kids to do whatever but it’s pretty commonly frowned upon here, there’s also this stigma that people that kept their kids roam free are bad and neglectful parents
Apart from the canine deposits on pavements, France is highly competitive on the world stage, notably in foreign affairs, business, technology, sport and culture, and is one of the few Western countries with the vision and boldness to conceive and execute grandiose schemes. (Just Landed)
Thanks Walter.I spent 2 yrs working in Normandie.That was 30 yrs ago. You are correct,.. the smaller cities and regions around the country are so much more relaxing and picturesque than the megacities. I always thought the RER was fast and efficient,but the air in the subways always smelled of sweat and the contents of human stomachs.It made me feel a little nauseous underground ,but the ventilation may have improved over the years.Does your family notice that ? Love your channel.
I'm french and agree but we do have some respect for the laws, the well educated french people. Nice wasn't the best place to visit anyway....but yes, in 50 years france became Islamic country....
Just can't thank you enough for these videos. Most travel videos are either retirees or mainly single, young travelers. It's encouraging to know that, yes, we who have families can travel too!
johan bauwens Yes because we love our language and we want it to keep an important place in the world;) but it doesn't mean that we hate the other cultures, we really love learning!
***** As a French I know that in france all the films are dubbed in french (you will never see a film with subtitles on french tv) and we begin to learn english at 11 years old at school so it's not our fault
johan bauwens As Vicky said we love our language so much... It's terrible for us to imagine that our language and more our culture could disapear because of english language... Now most of people know at least 2-3 languages but dont own "perfeclty" their native one... That's a shame...
11. France is More Than Just Paris This is so stupid to think France = Paris ! I never went to USA but i know washington city is not USA ! Even NYC and LA are really different. Everglade and Yellowstone are pretty different ! So same here ! Le Havre and Biarritz are totally different cities ! You can see some really specific place in France who looks like Desert or toundra or Jungle ! Around where i leave we ve got the "French Amazon" and it s totally amazing !
Just returned from France. 1) Things to add: Even in the smallest most unlikely restaurant or bar, the food is great. 2) They respect their wine. In the US when we order a glass of special wine, that 1/2 bottle may have been at 1/2 full for a week. In France everywhere used the glass-displacement system so your 1/2 bottle is still fresh. 3) French men almost all wear scarfs around their necks. 4). The French DO wear big logo clothes like Nike shoes and hats or sweat shirts. 5). Download Google Translate to get a few phrases under your belt. The French appreciate a few properly spoken phrases. 6). The best advice is to download France Google Maps. It was a godsend when walking and driving.
I'm looking forward to visiting the French Riviera one day. I only visited Paris and the people were really nice and most of them can speak English. Thanks for the awesome videos, Walter :))
woltersworld I'm french and I live near Strasbourg its a very good choice of your's to visit this beautiful city^^. And I'm a bit a shame of the number of people who don't speak english.
pissbrothers6833 Je pense qu'on est pas très cool envers les étrangers parce qu'on a une énorme baisse d'éstime en notre pays, on est pas patriotes du coup, on est pas fiers de faire rayonner la France en ce moment.
woltersworld I would like to watch 10 things that will shock you in Brazil. Off course none would shock me, because I am brazilian, but i would like to know your perception (I know you lived 7 monthes here). Besides, keep the good work, I think your channel is by far the best about traveling the world.
Lucas Wagner Lourenco hopefully I can get down to Brazil and make some of our videos. I loved Brazil when I was living there in the mid 2000s. Such a great place. Super people, food and nature.
woltersworld If you want to visit Niterói, RJ, you can be my guest! Although I am planning to do my masters degree in Portugal this year. Therefore, if I got accepted I will be traveling Europe soon and making a good use of your videos!
It is interesting to see the point of view of foreigners about France, and I now I see my country differenly, I really like that you mixt positive and negative shock you had. Sincerlery I am almost agree with all you said and I am happy that foreigners can love my country even though they see some negative and shocking things ^v^
I'm going to Toulouse this autumn. I'm American and I studied Japanese in college, so French is outside my knowledge. Thanks for this video! I'm trying to pick up some cultural points before I leave to try to be as respectful as possible and this helped!
On behalf of France, thank you for warning your fellow tourists :) Don't forget guys, anywhere you will travel: don't expect to see the same things you have in your own country. Always travel open-minded and locals will love you ;)
We've just filmed a 4k city walk in Bordeaux, it may shock you how very beautiful it is. I'd have to say it's at the top for me. It's encouraging to discover how we can share and learn so much from each other. Thank you Mark.
great video! I'm an American living in France and I completely agree with these except for the nude beach thing. I haven't been to Nice during the summer yet.
+Alban Debruge There's not much in the way of social activities but there's a lot to see if you just wander around in the area, which is what tourists usually come for.
Ahah, that's true. Dog poo and cigarettes are a real pain here. I'm curious : how many french cities and villages did you visit until now ? Did you try every food specialties ? :)
Too many, yeah... In my opinion, the best cities to eat are Lyon and Strasbourg. I know Lyon very well, so if never you need advices to choose a restaurant there, I would be glad to help. ;)
Rœquiem Hahahahaha genre y a pas de clochards à Genève, tu sors de chez toi parfois ? Je dis pas qu'ils me dérangent et y en a moins qu'en France mais quand même
#1 : Very true. I hate smoke #2 : Pretty true, except the bartenders and waiters of big "cafés". Small ones far from the touristic tours are generally fine. #3 : Business hours can be strange for americans. But you would be more surprised in Elsass or Germany ! That said, some foodstores and bakeries are open 24/7 #4 : On small store, possibly, but on most of the shops, you just help yourself. There is no-one to help you or give any advice. #5 : The situation of dogs poos is evolving. 10 years ago and before, it was a complete nightmare. Now, say that half of the poos are picked up by the dog owners. It's the law. The problem is that some people don't respect the law and that the dogpoo watchers in a city like Paris are 10 or 20 for 5 millions of dogs ... See the picture ? In addition, police officers, just don't care ... They probably have bigger fishes to fry ... #6 : Topless, yes, it's usual, even in Britanny and Normandy. We have no problem with nudity. The real problem is the abuse of sun. Can be very dangerous for the skin. Be careful if you are not used to do it ... #7 : Eat at 5 or 6PM ? What a strange idea ! ;) #8 : Food can be fantastic, yes, but be careful where does it come from. Prefer local small restaurants (in the country side) based on organic products, rather than big corporations of processed food ... #9 : That's a shame. The level of English speaking is ridicule in France. #10 : Kids are rather free (less than in Ireland). But keep an eye on them anyway. There are some lunatics at large ... #11 : Absolutely. There are hundreds of nice places to visit in France ! #12 : Beggars, yes, they are a lot. Some are authentic homeless, some are 'professional buskers' ...
Americans have something of a reserved view of modesty from a legal stanpoint. It's also illegal (or at least, frownes upon) on most beaches and in water parks to wear overly revealing swimwear especially if children are likely to be present. I don't really understand why or particularly approve of it. It's just how things have always been here.
If you want eat amazing best french food go to Lyon. Lyon are a capital of French Food. And secret tips if you're order a coffee with this sentence : "One coffee" and this "Please can i have one coffee, thank's" is not the same price on the bill :p ^^
+Fañch Gregam At least unlike in Israel, public transportation in France runs 7 days a week. Try shopping on Shabbat in Israel, at least if the shop happens to be Jewish-owned: good luck trying to find one (particularly in West Jerusalem).
You could apply this list to most parts of Europe. I'm English, travel a lot for work, and love France, Germany. Italy, Holland.... All for different reasons. Just go with the flow, and don't be too proud to apologies for your "local" mistakes. Biggest culture shock for me was working in the USA! Loved it, but once again, for very different reasons. The people who can't get on in a foreign land are those who expect the world to rotate around them.
Should point out that I think the "dog poop" thing is a Paris problem, as I've never come across it anywhere else in France, or any other country beyond the capital cities.
ivy whatttttt ?!!!!!!! LOOOOL I was born and raised in Paris,France and I still live here and trust me 100% of the gypsies are Romanians from Romania none of them are Arabs NONE
+Arbn Vbe Romanians and Gypsies are two different people. Sure, a lot of Gypsies live in Romania, but they're not real Romanians. And no, they're not Arabs either. That's just another anti-muslim propaganda… Most of beggars come from East-Europe, not Middle East.
sympa la vidéo ! Oui en effet, il y a beaucoup de fumeur :/ mais il y a certaines lois interdisant de fumer dans les lieux publiques. C'est clair que la nourriture est bien présente chez nous :D Honnêtement, j'ai détesté Paris, c'est une ville trop grande pour moi, je préfère les petites villes comme Avignon ou Strasbourg !
+Lesudiste Il veut dire en comparaison de Paris. Strasbourg est loin derrière Paris en terme de population et de Superficie. C'est aussi bien plus petit que la plupart des grandes villes améraicaines.
Spetzle Mitsoss Déjà si on commence à parler de superficie des villes on est pas sorti de l'auberge. Parce que paris par exemple est minuscule par rapport a certaines villes provençales (je ne parle même pas des gigantesques villes de Guyane française)
france is unique in the world i have travelled a lot in the world and yes france is very rich in cuisine arts way of life science and above all the landscapes are so beautiful to enjoy...france the first country in the world for turism for decades i understand it as i have live it for long tome time, france is unique !!! vive la france !!
Hi, I'm French and find it funny to watch this video. I would like to give some precisions 1 - true ! 2 - I'm happy to ear that. People think we are not nice due to salespersons in Paris who are complaining al the time but probably much more in tourist aera than other places. 3 - true. Musuems are usually closed on Tuesday 4 - you can touch fruits most of the time .. but not on some marketplaces and some very small shops 5 - true, but I must say it's much better than 20 years ago. I find streets almost clean nowadays 6 - true, but less and less. It was very true 15 years ago. 7 - true ! 8 - nice to ear ! 9 - true ! speak to young people ... it'll help 10 - I'm surprised to ear that. But much less than Germany (where I have the feeling children can do anything without being rebuked 11 - sure ! 12 - true, unfortunatelly. I never know if they are more and more or if I never get used to it. Homeless people are only in city centers. Good work ! Thank you for that. G
That's a great video,all things that u say are true. By the way I 'm french and I didn't go everywhere in my countrie but the France it's not Paris that's sure.
I'm french and i approve this video!
I have a few bonus tips for you from my perspective :
1 - Be overly polite. Don't be afraid to tell the waiter things like "c'était très bien merci" or say hello to everyone when entering a small shop. We value communication in shops and restaurants and even in the street so don't hesitate to talk with strangers. And when in doubt start sentences with an apology.
2 - Don't talk too much about how much you love Paris unless you're in Paris.
3 - If you go to Marseille check your pockets because every kid can be David Copperfield.
4 - Fancy places are very very snobby and embarrassing sometimes. Better avoid them unless you're rich, this isnt real France and this is where you'll find stereotypes about our rudeness.
5 - Regional peculiarities : North West has the most welcoming and warm people. In South East people yell and touch you all the time but don't be afraid (this is me) . South west food will blow your mind, you're not even mentally prepared for it. North east is multicultural and a great place to get contacts and continue your travels through Europe. Corsica is paradise but they hate everyone else. There's only trees and cows in the middle.
Have fun if you come! 🇨🇵🇺🇲🥰
Overly Concerned Comments The north north, french Flanders is verry..... special. They speak a weird dialect (French Flemish or something) and just dont like foreigners at all
mdr tt le mode c des voleurs a marseille
AHAHAHAHA that thing about Corsica is the same for Sardinia. Guess it's because of their insular environment
« there’s only trees and cows in the middle » ?!?
WTF ?!!!
C’est quoi ces conneries ? C’est comme si je disais qu’il y a avait que des cons à Paris, bonjour les clichés pourris !
Déjà c’est quoi « the middle” ?
Re 3, I think you're referring to the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist.
thank you so much to say that France is not only Paris
Any country is not just the capital
Lady Kiss France isn't just Paris... it's also the Eiffel Tower
Except for Singapore
No it's not only Paris, it's also London and more people speak English there than in Paris :)
Rest of France is a craphole.
In France it's very important to say hello and thank you
Mais il y a tellement de gens qui ne disent jamais ni bonjour ni merci ...
+Chloé Eleonore like in every corner of the world
+Richard Winters not really, I live in Antwerp at the moment and people don't really say it and it doesn't really bother them if you don't say it. At least in the big cities it's no big deal.
In France even in Paris it's expected of you that you say it.
Chloé Eleonore hmm, interesting, i didn't know that.
+Chloé Eleonore si tu dis bonjour, on va te prendre pour un fou!
That is true that if you walk in any shop and start to speak english,salesperson will be rude with you. but if you say the magic word ."bonjour" everything will be better. And magically if you say "excuse me i don't speak french" , suddenly much more people will speak english.
If you don't say "hello" or "bonjour" to us, we'll think you're an asshole who treats people like dogs, because in France you need to acknowledge the people, it's really disrespectful to not do it. Since you're rude (by not saying hello) we won't help you, we are proud after all
I said "the magic word", they treated me like crap anyways. They are rude by nature. They are embarrassing people.
Clement Gonzalez haha true and saying Bonjour and Bonsoir
It happened to me when i first arrived in Paris i reached to the hotel and i arrived very early so my room was not ready. The hostess was french so i started speaking in french (my level is A1 or A2). I asked her if she could keep my luggage there at the hotel while i went to Musee d'Orsay and then i would do the check-in when i returned l.... at some point i ran out of french vocabulary and she wouldnt get me so I asked "ahmmm, do you speak english?" And she said "non".... "ok, ¿español?" "Non" so i managed to explain what i needed, went to the museum, returned 4 hrs later, the lady was there and sees me and goes "oh, it's you! Welcome back!" In english...... hahahahaha so a couple of times it happened ti me like this: some people do speak english but don't want to unless they see you making an effort in french and failing hehehehehe
It's a bit more complex than that. About 20 years ago, French medias were all about how we French suck at English and that we should be able to speak it, etc... In the meantime, most English teachers we have are (were, hopefully) giving kids lists of words and phonemes to leanr, but never devoted many time to actually speak.
Basically, about 15 years back, we learned how to read and write english, but not really how English sounds, and even less how to have a simple chatting in English.
All the while being scolded for having an accent and bad pronunciation.
So actually many French people DO know English, they are just extremely shameful about how poor and bad-sounding it is, so they prefer to pass as ignorant than to appears poorly educated.
When I watched the video I was expecting to disagree about all and get angry... but actually, no. Everything is true and nothing is disrespectful against my country, that's great. I'm glad to hear that french people are not that unfriendly. Good video.
Raphaëlle Warin Thanks Raphaelle. We really enjoy France and glad you liked the video. Glad it didn't offend. All the best!
woltersworld I was about to post almost the same comment ! Nice video :)
woltersworld Yep pretty much the same, what you described is very accurate and not disrespectful in any kind. That's just facts ! (and god i hate that dog poop....)
I really want to stress your #11's point, YES France is not just Paris, there are so many places to go, so many different landscapes to see, sleeping volcanoes in Auvergne, cliffs of Bretagne, sunny beaches in La Cote d'Azur, rainy beaches in Normandie (we still love you guys up north!), Snowy mountains in Les Alpes... I could go on and on for hours, there's just too much to see!
Girod Léo Yup and even maaaaany french people don't even know well the country. So much things to see, even for us
Oh yeah, and i include myself too in these "maaaaaany french" you are talking about...
I am from Canada and speak French. When I went to Paris, I had blast! Extraordinarily friendly! I was shocked after having heard so many horror stories about Parisians. Mes cousins français, je vous aime!
merc340sr Si tu es gentil avec eux , ils seront gentil avec toi . Tu auras juste un peu de moquerie (pas méchante ) si tu as un accent québécois très prononcé . Tu les laisses se moquer un peu et puis ça va leur passer très vite . C est comme les français qui vont au québec ,on a un drôle d'accent pour eux aussi ! ils doivent s'adapter aux québécois .
+merc340sr Et oui, même si des idiots on en trouve partout il ne faut jamais écouter les clichés :)
+merc340sr les québécois sont très appréciés en France. D'abord nous sommes fiers que notre langue soit parlée outre Atlantique, ensuite vous avez la réputation d'avoir hérité de quelques unes des qualités de vos cousins américains: un esprit positif et une simplicité dans les relations.
+merc340sr
discutable, tu sais parler francais...on ne remarque pas vite que tu es Canadien. Quand je commence parler francais a l accent du midi, ca va, mais apres, qu on a remarque que je suis boche...
Oh Americans, you make hilarious tourists.
I am Australian and I went to Paris for a couple of weeks a couple of years ago, and some of my fondest memories is of listening to Americans. From thinking cream cheese is yoghurt to saying 'Noter Daim'. Also listening to some stereotypical Californian girls who say 'like' every 5 seconds. Good times.
***** Agree. They can be very entertaining!
***** lol im americam and u got it! that sounds just like us lololol hahaha. although, some of us americans aren't like that lol. usually, young ppl act like that.
Joshua Carter Yes, some aren't like that. Those who use text shortcuts in replies and "lol" constantly
***** I am a south american living in Australia and I find that your comment is just another generalisation. I've travelled a fair bit and I've seen Australians drunk doing inappropriate things too (A group of guys getting drunk in a flight to Bali, or like other English speakers reluctant to learn at least few words of the host country's language eg. Hi, thank you...). That doesn't mean that all Australians are like that just like not all Americans fit your criticism. By the way, I found the guy doing the video very receptive/aware of the French culture
jeylful I know it's a generalisation, I'm sure most Americans are not like what I said, it was just that the Americans I can remember were the ones I mentioned. I know Australians can be loud obnoxious idiots (especially in Bali it seems), but as you said most Australians aren't like that.
I'm french and you're very aware bout how France works, that's cool! ;)
+Romain Risso merci romain!
Of course we say pickpockets ;) french people use plenty of English words :)
Actually we use many english words. Few of them are used for centuries such as clown or gentleman, but many others are used since the second half of the 20th century: pickpockets,parking, marketing, managment, striptease,weekend, chewing-gum, shopping, babysitter, boycott, freelance, kidnapping, pressing, self-control, show, yacht, etc... and much much more ;)
+Denis Yes the influence of American political power from the WW2 and the multimedia economy from the Silicon Valley.
Why don't the French pick up their dog's shit? Does it smell bad there too>. just dirty..
From a French girl, France loves you back. Thanks for this honest and Kind video. I go out of my way to help tourists when I CAN so that they leave with a good impression of 🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷
They are friendly when you say merci, s’il vous plaît, bonjour/bonsoir and au revoir. I found the French extremely polite and helpful when using those words.
Spot on.
Every time I visit France - I am reminded how friendly French people are, especially if you try to speak French...
And yes - French food is amazing.
As a french,
"France is more than Paris" ... YES !!! A hundred times yes !!! Asks locals outside of Paris, they will all tell you how rude parisians are compared to others, how the streets are dirty, how many pickpockets there is, etc... Only Parisians can deal with Paris. It's really nice to see someone wandering elsewhere than Paris
And about the ammound of english speakers ... I guess it's kinda the same in every country, when you're a native english speaker you don't realise how much foreign language are important because english is "the international language" but everywhere else in the world it's just a foreign language, it's not a necessity. With that said, I'd say around 8/10 french understand basic english, and 1/2 are able to speak fluently (thank games/series/movies and piracy for that)
+RyuhasNERV I'm french too, I live in Paris, and I just want to say that Paris can look very rude when you don't know anybody, but the everyday life as a parisian is actually very nice, you always do a lot of things with your friends, you don't stop to discover new places every week, and you meet a lot of foreigners because it's an international city. So let's not stick to stereotypes about Paris, even thought some parisian are rude and some streets are dirty ;)
Outside of Paris it's bad.
@@shaquebrazil7503
Inside this is a another country.
Shaque Brazil *as a french,* no, i bet you didnt even go to france
'Ammound'?
About the " don't touch fruits " in fact it's just in Paris, in the South of France, you can.
cecelight I live near Paris and shop there, we can pick fruits (in supermarket, grocery stores, etc. even in markets sometimes) so I did not really understand why this is mentioned in the video to be honest O_o
Dans certaines épiceries je peux t'assurer qu'ils veulent pas que tu touches pas les légumes, même si je pense que ça disparait de plus en plus mais en plein centre de Paris oui.
Wow OK O_o
Comme quoi on en apprend tous les jours :p
Effectivement ça n'est plus très répandu.
Ah ouais...Quand même..
cecelight Dans la plupart des grands magasins, tu auras le droit de tâter les fruits ou les légumes que tu veux, de toute façon personne ne surveille vraiment. C'est dans les petits marchés avec les producteurs sur place qu'il faut y aller au cas par cas. Certains invitent les clients à toucher, à sentir ou à goûter, et d'autres ne voudront pas qu'on touche, that's all. \o
I'm French, I found this little video funny. But speaking of "shocking" things. I was very shocked by your advice: "stop giving money to poor people because it encourages them".
They are litterally dying in the street. They don't need your approvals, they need food. So yes, always giving is just not possible.
But never ? Really ? Do you love your coins so much ?
Pierre Sauvage I am talking about the beggars that run a racket, not actual poor people. there is a difference.
woltersworld "Beggars" like you say are normal in France, in the metro, etc.
People come to you, beg you some money, if you don't want you say no, if you want you say yes.
Pierre Sauvage I think he's talking about the gypsies, you know... My parents always told me not to give them money, too. They are the ones who drug their babies to stop them from crying and hurt them to make people feel empathy.
Pierre Sauvage Oui, offrir c'est encourager. Et c'est une inclinaison parfaitement naturelle des choses. C'est la nature même d'un animal bien connu qu'est le chat : il ne demeure que là où l'on lui donne.
Evidemment il faut faire la part des choses entre le malheureux qui en a effectivement bavé et qui est à la rue sans qu'il ne le mérite, et qui lui est dans un réel besoin, dans une situation d'abandon, tant social que sanitaire. Mais il faut écarter ce qui relève et de la tentative de fraude, et de la pure avarice, car oui, elle est bien omniprésente dans ce milieu.
Je crois qu'on connaît tous ici un faux clochard qui ratiboise la même zone jour après jour mais qui a bien un chez lui de derrière les fagots.
Le cas relevé par notre youtuber est celui de la tentative de fraude, ou en tous les cas, de la suspicion de tentative de fraude, de vol : et à Paris, c'est pas inhabituel, notamment envers les touristes.
Les roumains voleurs de portables, c'est culturel, quasiment.
Le mieux, pour un touriste, reste de ne pas donner. Déjà car ce n'est pas au touriste d'assumer une telle charge sociale, ensuite car c'est un risque que ce dernier prend. Et autant un français arnaqué a des chances de pouvoir arranger une situation pareille, autant un touriste qui se fait piquer un portable ou ses papiers, c'est juste la fin des haricots pour lui, il peut y renoncer et déjà réfléchir à tous les papiers qu'il aura à remplir lorsqu'il sera rentré au bercail.
Bref : c'est à la France de s'occuper des malheureux français, pas à un invité. Et la France doit s'occuper de ses malheureux, pas des voleurs qui abusent eux-mêmes d'une situation désastreuse et bien omniprésente dans le paysage urbain.
Pierre Sauvage tfacon j ai rien compris...
pure clean air!! in a big city!! seriously? even if no one smoked the air would still be disgusting... cigarettes are certainly not the biggest issue if you're looking for pure clean air in a city
deedou07
Well to be fair not everyone who comes to France is coming from a big city.
Quarty that has nothing to do with the topic, he said that french people smoke a lot so if you like pure clean air you won't find it here... even if absolutely no one smoked the air wouldn't be clean cause it's a big city. why does he even mention the quality of the air, it's irrelevant
deedou07
Sorry misunderstood what you were saying.
deedou07 People don't smoke only in big cities, he said that because for exemple in Montpellier (where I live) there are some places that are not that polluted and if I want to stay here to relax, maybe some smokers will come and ruin that xD But in places where the nature is almost all alone, there's only people who do footing or cycling :) Smokers are really a problem in cities (because they are a lot, even teens) if you do not like the odor.
Raytoku Not really. Cars are the major causes of pollution in cities.
Something the French might find interesting about the US is there are more statues of the Frenchman Lafayette than any other person in the US.
Well, he is America's favorite fighting Frenchman.
@@reinac5756 I think it's related to the fact that Lafayette helped them for the independence war.
I'm french, and there are a lot of things he said, that I've never noticed before...
I was watching the video like "oh gosh that's so true, I've never noticed it !!!"
And I thought girls in topless are not only in France... okay, now I know that in august in L.A I couldn't be topless :')
Well, I know that when people think about France they think about Paris, but here are two places in France where you should go : Corse and Bretagne.
It's very far away from Paris, but honestly, it's very very beautiful places !
NaomiOff Indeed it's not so far from Paris compared to tourists going from California to Florida :p
neoDarkSquall lmfaoo that's true that for you, France is an island :p USA is soooooo big !
Indeed I'm French, just writing in (poor) English because it's an English video so everyone should be able to read the comments.
neoDarkSquall ok je comprends tqt :p
Ok I understand don't worry ! :p
:')
NaomiOff your comment is so funny and cute. Yes, we American's are uptight! :P. My one time at a nude beach (when I was in perfect shape) I wore my brassier and panties! :)~. I'm heading to France in Sept. This has been a life long dream...we start in Paris and go to Apernay...THIS TRIP....My dream as a young child was to parachute into the French country side and become one with the people. :) Cest' la vive! :) I'm thrilled to be going.
des escargots :') arretez avec ça les us, personne n aime les escargots ou les cuisses de grenouilles
Snails :') stop with that the U.S. Anybody liked snails or frog legs in France
Artygoldfish oui c'est vrai mdr j'ai encore jamais gouté aucun des deux x)
I like snails, but only in a good restaurant
J aime bien les cuisses de grenouille bien cuites
Artygoldfish J aime les 2 moi surtout les escargots
Moi perso j'adore les cuisses de grenouilles
I am French and I have to say that your POV and the way you describe France is really really reaaaaaally objective! Props to you dude, loved this video, it shows that you like our country!
Yep. The French are incredibly friendly and probably my favorite people of Europe! Absolutely love that country. The French will forever have a friend in me!
I really enjoyed how you point out what things may shock tourists but without being negative about it. It is rare to have videos that keep a positive attitude when talking about culture clash, i.e. instead of saying the restaurant service sucks in France you say that it is just the way the french people like it. I think it shows how open mind and ready for travelling you and your family are! Inspiring!
When i worked in France i was suprised that anyone coming into the office shaked hands very friendly - im Brit and found the French very cordial
OMG YOU DIDNT MENTION, APERO!!!! APERO APERO!!! the French are VERY particular about having APERO before the meal and not having Apero is considered weird, (alcohol and an appetizer) & Bread and Cheese and Yogurt is considered a Dessert
Dope Noodle very true. very true
Dope Noodle (not everywhere though)
the places I went Lyon, Strasbourg and South of France
Dope Noodle I live near strasbourg but not every1 eats apero, I mean maybe only when they have time or they are invited (most of the time ppl work and dont have enough time for it)
Ok well Apero is very important for me and Im not even French, but if you decide to have apero sometime, please invite me over =) Good English you got there btw ;)
I'm french and that is... so true !! Thank you for being that positive and speaking so nicely about us, it is so sad to see how much strangers think about french people through stereotypes. So thank you and I hope you will enjoy your visit here ! 😉
"10 Things That Will SHOCK You About France" - Lists 12 things. #FirstWorldAnarchist
I can confirm a little french helps. Please and thank you are essential, so is hello and goodbye; but learn some other phrases as well.
***** I can't see how you can use this sentence in an actual conversation.
***** I can't see how you can use this sentence in an actual conversation.
***** Camarade is the french equivalent of the russian Tovaritch, meaning that is was mainly used by the Communist parti members in the 50-80s.
People don't actually use that word to engage a conversation with a stranger.
I could've said "naah" to the first statement but actually I was smoking a cigarette while watching this... fml...
Ludivine Moonkind you rock :)
woltersworld I'm just a regular french girl who's likely going to have cancer, actually ahah
Ludivine Moonkind pareil pour moi haha
POLKADOTLIPS | beauty Bon voilà on confirme le cliché xD
+Ludivine Moonkind You're everywhere :'(
I watched a couple of your videos where you say people from here and there are friendly...
I think you have a good attitude and are open to people, so people are friendly because you're a nice guy.
That's the way to travel :)
Thanks for sharing your experience buddy.
All the best!
I'm french and I was smoking when I watch this video :p l really like the description of France :-) Thanks for not spreading the clichés ^^
I travelled around US and you have a wonderful country as well (but I'm sure you know it already)
hamapatch Happy to show you around beautiful quaint Mystic, CT. We're in the ne region of the USA. :) (AND can tell you great places to go and visit :) )
+hamapatch I'm French but I only smoke dope
+Dr Random lol
Is it normal for shops to be open on Sunday in America? I have been pretty much everywhere in Europe and in most countries all if not most of the shops are closed on Sundays. I thought the US was really conservative?
Not when it comes to money. Nothing closes on Sunday. Church happens twice on Sunday, in the morning and the evening. I work Sunday nights and go to church in the morning.
Donny Montana
The only thing that is closed on a Sunday is banks and thats only certain banks.
Donny Montana If you come to China, you'd know nothing actually closes at all....
spider milk Church happens Sunday in france too.
Tyboth35 I know. I was explaining how many Americans work and go to church on the same day.
Being french and having lived in US for 2 over years, I understand your position and found the 10 points you raised pretty much true and well-balanced, far away from the stereotypes... Wish you pleasant trips in the future... Bons voyages!
Damn, I love those people and this country and their culture. I could easily live in France. Salutes from Greece
you could live in france ... if you weren't in debt.
I'm sorry, I had to do it
I've visited France 3 times. Every thing you said was absolutely true. I know about 100 words of French. That makes a big difference. My first time to France I only knew about 25. I can't wait to go back!
Love this video because you are sharing your honest observations. I support a French person doing the same about the U.S.!
Also, so glad you mentioned that French are polite. The "rude" stereotype is just wrong.
Here's the deal: People in large cities are always rude when on the metro, rushing to work, haggled by tourists, panhandlers, cars honking at them, etc.
I'm living in Crecy-la-Chapelle (suburban Paris) for three months right now. I lived in Chicago for seven years and a summer in New York and it was exactly the same. Nice people, one on one, rude folks trying to navigate the city. It's a function of big cities.
Thanks for sharing!
Do not touch fruits? I grab melons all the time to check if they're mature enough...
+Pablo Blo In a supermarket you very well can as no one is going to pick them up for you. At the market, and possibly some fruit stores, you shouldn't.
that sounds soo inappropriate lol
+Iamtop A private little shop owner will not be happy if you do that .In a supermarket,it is generally different,cause sellers are employes not directly concerned by that action,unless they got strict orders from the direction.
+felix25ize A "private shop owner" isn't considered a supermarket so I don't know what your point was.
Iamtop Excuse my bad english.I meaned that a litlle shop-owner will most often not admitt that.But it can be rather different in a big supermarket were sellers are employees not directly concerned by the benefits,and often few numerous.
I absolutely love his enthusiasm and positive energy! It makes me wanna press replay lol
I agree, Deja!
French here ! I love watching your videos about what might shock Americans visiting different parts of Europe, it "reverse-reminds" me of things that shocked me while in the US or Canada. Keep it up, you're welcome in Paris anytime :)
may I ask: what shocked you about America, Canada?
Thank you very much for your video ! Everything you've said is "god damn" true :D You passed though clichés and shit that people who never came in France say.
Thank you again hope you guys will take theses advices if you want to visit us (and not just Paris !!)
Good bye people :)
Gark
+Clément Trichon (“Gark”)
Je comprend pas pourquoi des français confirment alors que c'est plein de méprises et d'amalgames.
On fume beaucoup, tout le temps et partout? On a plus le droit de fumer nul part, même la cigarette électronique est interdite dans les espaces publics, même dans la plupart des gares ouvertes. On est le 4ème pays d'Europe où le tabac est le plus taxé
Les crottes de chiens c'est le cliché parisien, pas français. Je vois jamais de crottes de chiens sur les trottoirs chez moi en province. Même à paris ça dépend des quartiers, ça se passe majoritairement dans les quartiers bourgeois où les gens comptent sur les services de nettoyage plutôt que de se baisser pour ramasser.
Les parents qui laissent leur gamins sans surveillance ça me choque aussi, c'est pas un truc français, c'est un truc de parent insouciants.
Les français amicaux? ça dépend où et ça dépend qui comme partout, déjà qu'entre français y a pas beaucoup d'entraide.
Des pickpockets ailleurs qu'à paris j'en ai jamais vu.
je suis moi Ah ouais t'habites où en province ? J'habite en Haute Savoie (Cluses) qui est un département riche et pourtant je retrouve les mêmes problèmes que décrits dans la vidéo après je viens d'un monde où français = surrender, vous ne vous lavez jamais, les filles ne se rasent pas et omelette du fromage. Du coup désolé si d'avoir confirmer ce qu'il raconte (depuis Paris mais il a visiter le sud aussi et je doute qu'il ne l'ai pas pris en considération dans sa vidéo) mais j'encourage vivement les étrangers à venir voir la vraie France.
ps: Nous les enfants (surtout à Annecy) c'est normal qu'ils jouent dans le parc seuls, c'est un grand espace vert ou il fait bon vivre de profiter de la pelouse par de belles journées d'été, les parents ne sont jamais bien loin mais ils ne sont pas sur leur dos.
Je viens de haute Normandie mais je suis actuellement dans le 91 et je me rend ou je traverse Paris tous les jours pour aller bosser et y a pas plus de crotte de chiens sur les trottoirs de mon trajet que chez moi en Normandie. Ca arrive parce que t'as toujours des gens qui se foutent des autres mais ça reste assez rare.
J'ai arrêté de fumer y a deux ans en passant à la cigarette électronique, et même si j'ai plus de nicotine j'ai le droit de vapoter uniquement là où les fumeurs ont le droit de fumer et vu le prix du tabac je doute qu'on soit les plus gros fumeurs d'Europe. Encore des clichés.
Pour ce qui est des enfants qui jouent dans les parcs, évidemment, les américains aussi emmènent leurs enfants au parc et les laissent jouer mais c'est pas de ça qu'il parle dans la vidéo.
Moi marseille bouh
bobduvar
C'est quoi l'intérêt de poster un commentaire raciste sur une vidéo qui n'a absolument rien à voir?
In France, hospital is free :)
Valdoy2866™ tu dis de la merde.c'est l'assurance qui paie il me semble..
baby freeze Vu ton image tu semble d'être loin d'être majeure, je crois que tu peux la fermer car tu dis de la merde.Tu as déjà vu quelqu'un payer l'hôpital en France ??????? Non car c'est payer par les impôts........
+Valdoy2866™ Pour nous c'est gratuit effectivement, par contre pour des étrangers je pense que ça doit être différent.
SternOrStar C'est gratuit pour les étranger aussi www.hopital.fr/Droits-demarches/Vos-droits/Les-droits-de-l-usager/Le-droit-a-l-acces-aux-soins-pour-tous/L-acces-aux-soins-des-patients-etrangers
+Valdoy2866™ Oui, enfin, il faut quand même être assuré dans son propre pays
Ah France such a beautiful country to live in! 🇫🇷😃
I am french and I have to admit,I was a little bit afraid of this video by the start,afraid to see yet another problem with stereotypes and things like that. But EVERYTHING that he said was _absolutely_ true.
Thank you to give a good image of my country :) Just a little thing you maybe couldn't see : the shops are mainly close the Sunday but it's depends the city. If you're in a tourist city it's open the Sunday, like in mine, but close the Monday.
You from France..?
Yes ! :)
U live in a Very beautiful country....!! I Wish someday ill make to Paris ..and watch The Eifiel Tower...😊😊
Yes, I know :) Maybe one day, but never forget that all the country is beautiful, not only Paris ;)
Dis pas n importe quoi, tout est tout le temps ferme, ferme soit le dimanche soit le lundi, fermé entre 12h et 14h , n ouvre que a 10h et ferme à 18h30... Bref quand tu bosse lundi/mardi/mercredi/jeudi/vendredi/samedi et que tu fais 9h/19h alors tu peux rien acheter...
T.H.A.N.K Y.O.U for telling there is not only Paris in France! There are so much other places to visit!
Morgane Laot you are very welcome :)
I'm french and I must say everything in this video is absolutely true ! I was even surprised that you grasped that well the little quirks of France ! And so happy that you show pictures of Nîmes at the end, that's where I live and the fountain with a crocodile that you photographed is right in front of my highschool !
I love you and I love your videos !
Hi, I'm French, and I approve this message. :)
You forgot one important dining rule- If you ask for a "menu" you will get the daily combination serving each place offers. You ask for "La carte": the list of individual food items. Also, it's important to explain the differences between cafes, bistros, brasserie, salon and restaurante.
It is mandatory for any business (with employees) to have at least one closed day in a week, usually sunday, sometimes monday. Of course there are some exceptions defined by the law. It requires special authorization, or for it to be a necessity due to the nature of the business (hostel, restaurant, hospital...)
Hope that was helpful! Nice video!
As a recent visitor to the Cote d'Azur he is not wrong about things. I found the locals to be friendly towards me - but I remembered to use my quite, non-American voice and know a little French. A simple, quite bon jour can go a long way. As for the evening meal, during the day, swing by a Monoprix, or Carrefour, or a Lidl, or an Aldi and pick up a little snack to tide you over until dinner. And for the love of all things good, relax and enjoy your meals - there is no need to bolt it down. Sit back, relax, chat with friends - it will help your digestion.
On my first visit to Paris, I made the mistake of asking the waiter at the first cafe I went to if he spoke English ('parlez-vous anglais, monsieur?") Of course he said "Non". So I subjected him to my not-so-great French, which soon had both of us laughing. After that, I simply started speaking in French to waitpersons and they inevitably responded in English, so as not to hear me further butcher their language. "L'addition s'il vous plait" is indeed a very useful phrase. Btw, the only place I've seen dog poo in Paris is on the metro :-( Merci pour tout les videos!
6falconsue I lived in Limoges for a while, visited many smaller towns in the region, plus Bordeaux, Toulouse, etc and there is dog poop everywhere. It’s hazardous.
I liked your overview about France. It is pretty accurate! I'm French and agree with the whole thing. We like Americans. We like people from everywhere. I hope you guys have a good experience in France. French people aren't so good at English, that's true, but it doesn't mean they dislike you :-) Welcome to France!! : Belfort/Biarritz/Paris/Valensole/Forcalquier/Lyon/Nice/Nantes/Lille/Versailles/Rennes/ etc... we welcome you!! Cheers people from anywhere. Have a good one.
Merci beaucoup 😊 🇫🇷
Just subscribed, your videos have kinda have a cozy feeling to them :)
hi i'm a french girl. i'm 17 years old and i practice my comprehension in english. I think your videos are so true !!! in france the people smoke to much and the dog mess are not collected most of the time and it's really disgusting. I really like your videos because you removed french clichés as baguet under the arm, the mustache or the beret.
I think a lot of people in france are very happy when stranger come because they want to show you France. So come ^^
thanks for your videos and sorry if i made grammar mistakes
what do you think about being 23?
Thank you man, every single point you talked about was accurate :)
Thanks!
+Elisa Gautimbert Indeed.
+woltersworld Me myself I was suprised coming to France x time after almost 10 year break. I remembered French as a rude, bad and unpleasant people who only spoke neither English nor other language, only French. But since last vacation I have VERY GOOD memories from France, my opinion about French turned 180 degree and I could totally see the beauty of France. When you mentioned your favourite places in France - Mark; I thought I'd add at least three more places that RE AWESOME as well: Telepherique du Aguille du Midi, Vers Pont du Gard and Mt. St. Michel.
And yes, boulangerie et patiserie are the heaven for those you enjoy tasting sth really good ;)
Great video ! I'm French and work as a Tour Guide, it's really interesting to hear non-frenh point of view about France !
Yeah, the French are really warm and welcoming people. We have the same myth of them in the UK that they are rude/cold, but they are, as a rule, more welcoming than the average British person.
Clachan a Choin that's because the British and French hated each other for a long time, and perhaps still do.
+Clachan a Choin I think you find who you are looking for.
I've been in London and Paris recently. I think people from London are far better than the people from Paris. I hated France because of the people. They are so rude and we couldn't even trust the information centre employees because they are useless. We almost lose the bus to London because of them. Going back to London was like going back to civilization. Funny, because in my country there's this myth that English people are "too cold" and don't care much about people. Myths...
It depends where you go, idiot. You can go to the nicer part of Paris and see lovely people but go to the poor parts you'll find rude and violent people. Paris and London both have grime areas.
Eiffeil tower area is pure vomit and the people working in that area are rude. Don't everybody goes to see that pile of horrible metal crap? Please don't compare Pooris with London.
For a Brazilian, places where people smoke a lot are really shocking. We have one of the biggest and most successful anti-smoking campaigns in the world. It’s not very common for people to smoke so much here.
When we travel we really need to make an effort to respect local culture and not to get angry because of the passive smoking we’re subjected to.
Great video!
As a french I can tell everything you said is very true , you know well my country and his people.
I didn't know american parents don't let their children play around as we do here.
Nice video , bravo !
It used to be common in the United States to let children roam around freely, but starting in the 90s and forward, Americans became increasingly paranoid about child abducters - far beyond the actual level of threat, which is infinitesimal - and gradually it became the norm, so that now it’s rare for US parents to let their children roam around in public unattended.
Some parents allow their kids to do whatever but it’s pretty commonly frowned upon here, there’s also this stigma that people that kept their kids roam free are bad and neglectful parents
Apart from the canine deposits on pavements, France is highly competitive on the world stage, notably in foreign affairs, business, technology, sport and culture, and is one of the few Western countries with the vision and boldness to conceive and execute grandiose schemes. (Just Landed)
I could have just imagined the dog poop. Visuals are usually nice...but
we just try to "keep it real" ;)
Planet of the Atheists
Thanks Walter.I spent 2 yrs working in Normandie.That was 30 yrs ago. You are correct,.. the smaller cities and regions around the country are so much more relaxing and picturesque than the megacities. I always thought the RER was fast and efficient,but the air in the subways always smelled of sweat and the contents of human stomachs.It made me feel a little nauseous underground ,but the ventilation may have improved over the years.Does your family notice that ? Love your channel.
now ppl are finned up to 68€ if they let their dog shit on the streets and don't clean up after
I'm french and agree but we do have some respect for the laws, the well educated french people. Nice wasn't the best place to visit anyway....but yes, in 50 years france became Islamic country....
Just can't thank you enough for these videos. Most travel videos are either retirees or mainly single, young travelers. It's encouraging to know that, yes, we who have families can travel too!
I agree, Ive lived in italy, spain, and many other countries but french food>>>>>>> rest of the world
Really?? French food SUCKS
italian food >>>> whatever the french eat
Shock 1 : they speak French :-)
johan bauwens And not a lot of English
johan bauwens Yes because we love our language and we want it to keep an important place in the world;) but it doesn't mean that we hate the other cultures, we really love learning!
I was just joking. Btw I speak 4 languages. I love Wolters World
***** As a French I know that in france all the films are dubbed in french (you will never see a film with subtitles on french tv) and we begin to learn english at 11 years old at school so it's not our fault
johan bauwens As Vicky said we love our language so much... It's terrible for us to imagine that our language and more our culture could disapear because of english language...
Now most of people know at least 2-3 languages but dont own "perfeclty" their native one... That's a shame...
11. France is More Than Just Paris
This is so stupid to think France = Paris !
I never went to USA but i know washington city is not USA ! Even NYC and LA are really different. Everglade and Yellowstone are pretty different !
So same here ! Le Havre and Biarritz are totally different cities ! You can see some really specific place in France who looks like Desert or toundra or Jungle ! Around where i leave we ve got the "French Amazon" and it s totally amazing !
He says that at 6:30
Owh ! I was thinking USA = Washington only !
.. Ridiculous
"USA = Washington only" uh not even .. XD the foreign tourist mocks the united state
oui il y a aussi la provence la bretagne la normandie etc
indeed i went last year to the saint tropez region and its stunning
Just returned from France. 1) Things to add: Even in the smallest most unlikely restaurant or bar, the food is great. 2) They respect their wine. In the US when we order a glass of special wine, that 1/2 bottle may have been at 1/2 full for a week. In France everywhere used the glass-displacement system so your 1/2 bottle is still fresh. 3) French men almost all wear scarfs around their necks. 4). The French DO wear big logo clothes like Nike shoes and hats or sweat shirts. 5). Download Google Translate to get a few phrases under your belt. The French appreciate a few properly spoken phrases. 6). The best advice is to download France Google Maps. It was a godsend when walking and driving.
Not touching the product in a market is common all across Europe
Almost everything he listed in this video is just what happens in Italy as well! I guess they're more of a European thing.
I'm looking forward to visiting the French Riviera one day. I only visited Paris and the people were really nice and most of them can speak English. Thanks for the awesome videos, Walter :))
Amira Al-Gohary you are very welcome!
Parisians are pretty different than other French, do visit other towns ;)
completely agree with you :)
Yes, come to TOURS !
Montpellier ;D MOntpellier is such a wonderful city ( like Lyon ;) )
I took French for 1 year at my local L'Alliance Français, but I've moved on to Chinese. I love how French can communicate with like, Africa. So cool.
I'm french and I have to say you're totally right 😂
Julien Berne merci :)
woltersworld I'm french and I live near Strasbourg its a very good choice of your's to visit this beautiful city^^. And I'm a bit a shame of the number of people who don't speak english.
woltersworld french too. I'm sad to say that french people are not rly cool with stragner actually...
pissbrothers6833 Je pense qu'on est pas très cool envers les étrangers parce qu'on a une énorme baisse d'éstime en notre pays, on est pas patriotes du coup, on est pas fiers de faire rayonner la France en ce moment.
Do a "10 things that will shock you about America" video
GreatJoFo I am. I am filming it bit by bit in different cities so it can be a more visual video :)
woltersworld I would like to watch 10 things that will shock you in Brazil. Off course none would shock me, because I am brazilian, but i would like to know your perception (I know you lived 7 monthes here). Besides, keep the good work, I think your channel is by far the best about traveling the world.
Lucas Wagner Lourenco hopefully I can get down to Brazil and make some of our videos. I loved Brazil when I was living there in the mid 2000s. Such a great place. Super people, food and nature.
woltersworld If you want to visit Niterói, RJ, you can be my guest! Although I am planning to do my masters degree in Portugal this year. Therefore, if I got accepted I will be traveling Europe soon and making a good use of your videos!
woltersworld Im brazilian,where are you going?
It is interesting to see the point of view of foreigners about France, and I now I see my country differenly, I really like that you mixt positive and negative shock you had. Sincerlery I am almost agree with all you said and I am happy that foreigners can love my country even though they see some negative and shocking things ^v^
I'm going to Toulouse this autumn. I'm American and I studied Japanese in college, so French is outside my knowledge. Thanks for this video! I'm trying to pick up some cultural points before I leave to try to be as respectful as possible and this helped!
In the US and much of East Asia, you are expected to handle produce. It's how shoppers evaluate their freshness and quality.
On behalf of France, thank you for warning your fellow tourists :)
Don't forget guys, anywhere you will travel: don't expect to see the same things you have in your own country. Always travel open-minded and locals will love you ;)
+Charlie M.P. amen :)
this angle of the tower really made me feel like I was there!
We've just filmed a 4k city walk in Bordeaux, it may shock you how very beautiful it is. I'd have to say it's at the top for
me. It's encouraging to discover how we can share and learn so much from each other. Thank you Mark.
VERY INFORMATIVE :)
Vive la France
you should fly to st.pierre ...a little island next to newfoundland... the only france owned town in north america .. worth to check out 😉
great video! I'm an American living in France and I completely agree with these except for the nude beach thing. I haven't been to Nice during the summer yet.
Nice video, je aime la france
not "je aime" but "j'aime" ;)
You should come to Pau !.. Wait, there's nothing interesting in Pau :(
Viens en corse alors ! :D
DarkThief2b Mais y'a des terroristes et du soleil ! Et j'aime pas le soleil :c
.
Lumis I study in Pau for 3 years and I can't disagree with you! Especially when you've lived in Bordeaux for 18 years! :)
+Alban Debruge There's not much in the way of social activities but there's a lot to see if you just wander around in the area, which is what tourists usually come for.
One of the biggest shocks when I went to France was how primitive some of the bathrooms were.
primitive ? Well It's a bathroom so..
hello ! i'm à french from Bretagne ! if you haven't see this part of France you have missed something ! :p (Quimper Nantes Roscoff Carnac + menez hom)
+Simon Coroller beautiful places with beautiful people
+Simon Coroller beautiful places with beautiful people
Mat tre! Gwir eo.
Guérande is an awesome place, if you have time to visite it
Have you been in Besançon ? That's my city, the biggest city of Franche-Comté, and actually it's pretty gorgeous
Besançon is gorgeous ???
Yes (I like this city personally, I live in here and I find it cool)
ah bah si c'est la méthode Coué, c'est différent :)
+Lilith Black town actually, not city ;) and it's cosy and gorgeous, and the whole franche-comté is gorgeos ;-)
+Lilith Black complètement d'accord! (et "pourtant" je suis dijonnaise, aha).
Ahah, that's true. Dog poo and cigarettes are a real pain here. I'm curious : how many french cities and villages did you visit until now ? Did you try every food specialties ? :)
rom110 there are too many specialiaties to try... but I am doing my best :) been to about 25 French cities.
Too many, yeah... In my opinion, the best cities to eat are Lyon and Strasbourg. I know Lyon very well, so if never you need advices to choose a restaurant there, I would be glad to help. ;)
woltersworld you should come in switzerland, i live in geneva and you see no homeless people, lot of incredibly rich cars and the food is french :3
Côme to Nantes! It's the Jules Verne city! :)
Rœquiem Hahahahaha genre y a pas de clochards à Genève, tu sors de chez toi parfois ? Je dis pas qu'ils me dérangent et y en a moins qu'en France mais quand même
#1 : Very true. I hate smoke
#2 : Pretty true, except the bartenders and waiters of big "cafés". Small ones far from the touristic tours are generally fine.
#3 : Business hours can be strange for americans. But you would be more surprised in Elsass or Germany ! That said, some foodstores and bakeries are open 24/7
#4 : On small store, possibly, but on most of the shops, you just help yourself. There is no-one to help you or give any advice.
#5 : The situation of dogs poos is evolving. 10 years ago and before, it was a complete nightmare. Now, say that half of the poos are picked up by the dog owners. It's the law. The problem is that some people don't respect the law and that the dogpoo watchers in a city like Paris are 10 or 20 for 5 millions of dogs ... See the picture ? In addition, police officers, just don't care ... They probably have bigger fishes to fry ...
#6 : Topless, yes, it's usual, even in Britanny and Normandy. We have no problem with nudity. The real problem is the abuse of sun. Can be very dangerous for the skin. Be careful if you are not used to do it ...
#7 : Eat at 5 or 6PM ? What a strange idea ! ;)
#8 : Food can be fantastic, yes, but be careful where does it come from. Prefer local small restaurants (in the country side) based on organic products, rather than big corporations of processed food ...
#9 : That's a shame. The level of English speaking is ridicule in France.
#10 : Kids are rather free (less than in Ireland). But keep an eye on them anyway. There are some lunatics at large ...
#11 : Absolutely. There are hundreds of nice places to visit in France !
#12 : Beggars, yes, they are a lot. Some are authentic homeless, some are 'professional buskers' ...
As a French I don't understand why is topless illegal in the US???
Michael Mex I guess it’s just considered to be very abnormal and is seen as inappropriate in US culture
Americans have something of a reserved view of modesty from a legal stanpoint. It's also illegal (or at least, frownes upon) on most beaches and in water parks to wear overly revealing swimwear especially if children are likely to be present.
I don't really understand why or particularly approve of it. It's just how things have always been here.
It might be because they are quite conservative
If you want eat amazing best french food go to Lyon. Lyon are a capital of French Food. And secret tips if you're order a coffee with this sentence : "One coffee" and this "Please can i have one coffee, thank's" is not the same price on the bill :p ^^
great video
Thank you!
+Fañch Gregam At least unlike in Israel, public transportation in France runs 7 days a week. Try shopping on Shabbat in Israel, at least if the shop happens to be Jewish-owned: good luck trying to find one (particularly in West Jerusalem).
You could apply this list to most parts of Europe.
I'm English, travel a lot for work, and love France, Germany. Italy, Holland.... All for different reasons.
Just go with the flow, and don't be too proud to apologies for your "local" mistakes.
Biggest culture shock for me was working in the USA! Loved it, but once again, for very different reasons.
The people who can't get on in a foreign land are those who expect the world to rotate around them.
Should point out that I think the "dog poop" thing is a Paris problem, as I've never come across it anywhere else in France, or any other country beyond the capital cities.
being topless at beach for french woman is not normal, it just happens that some come to the beach and then take off their top to bronze
94amaury true
If French says Beggars are not French it's because just like the woman on the picture they come from Romania
GodwinCarpenter Yes from Romania
ivy whatttttt ?!!!!!!! LOOOOL I was born and raised in Paris,France and I still live here and trust me 100% of the gypsies are Romanians from Romania none of them are Arabs NONE
Arbn Vbe yes ! you are just another gypsy muslim emigrant in France.
+Arbn Vbe Romanians and Gypsies are two different people. Sure, a lot of Gypsies live in Romania, but they're not real Romanians. And no, they're not Arabs either. That's just another anti-muslim propaganda… Most of beggars come from East-Europe, not Middle East.
ivy Romanians muslims ? lol
sympa la vidéo ! Oui en effet, il y a beaucoup de fumeur :/ mais il y a certaines lois interdisant de fumer dans les lieux publiques. C'est clair que la nourriture est bien présente chez nous :D Honnêtement, j'ai détesté Paris, c'est une ville trop grande pour moi, je préfère les petites villes comme Avignon ou Strasbourg !
TheTanksDriver Petites villes? Il y en a des milliers avec moins de 100 habitants je te rappelle.
+Lesudiste ça s'appelle des villages en fait.
xD
Koko6lol Oui mais Strasbourg n'est quand même pas une petite ville.
+Lesudiste Il veut dire en comparaison de Paris. Strasbourg est loin derrière Paris en terme de population et de Superficie. C'est aussi bien plus petit que la plupart des grandes villes améraicaines.
Spetzle Mitsoss Déjà si on commence à parler de superficie des villes on est pas sorti de l'auberge. Parce que paris par exemple est minuscule par rapport a certaines villes provençales (je ne parle même pas des gigantesques villes de Guyane française)
france is unique in the world i have travelled a lot in the world and yes france is very rich in cuisine arts way of life science and above all the landscapes are so beautiful to enjoy...france the first country in the world for turism for decades i understand it as i have live it for long tome time, france is unique !!! vive la france !!
Love from France =)
Merci!
Visit Lyon! The food capital of the world
Where should i go there?
When u put pic of avignon actually it was not avignon because the pic show notre dame de la garde wich is in Marseille ^^ And I'm from Marseille :)
blowlist xi Palais des Papes,pas La Garde ;)
J'avoue que moi aussi j'ai cru que c'était Notre dame de la garde x)
C'est notre dame de la garde -_-
blowlist xi Palais des papes.
Ah ouais merde O_O putain on dirait vraiment notre dame, donc c'etait bien une photo d'avigon alors ?
BEAUTIFUL FRANCE !
Hi, I'm French and find it funny to watch this video. I would like to give some precisions
1 - true !
2 - I'm happy to ear that. People think we are not nice due to salespersons in Paris who are complaining al the time but probably much more in tourist aera than other places.
3 - true. Musuems are usually closed on Tuesday
4 - you can touch fruits most of the time .. but not on some marketplaces and some very small shops
5 - true, but I must say it's much better than 20 years ago. I find streets almost clean nowadays
6 - true, but less and less. It was very true 15 years ago.
7 - true !
8 - nice to ear !
9 - true ! speak to young people ... it'll help
10 - I'm surprised to ear that. But much less than Germany (where I have the feeling children can do anything without being rebuked
11 - sure !
12 - true, unfortunatelly. I never know if they are more and more or if I never get used to it. Homeless people are only in city centers.
Good work ! Thank you for that.
G
That's a great video,all things that u say are true. By the way I 'm french and I didn't go everywhere in my countrie but the France it's not Paris that's sure.
+paladius17 merci!!!