I love Paris but I refuse to visit there at this point. Too many tourists and I don’t want to contribute to it.

Oh my gosh. My friend Sandrine is a weirdo! Lol! She grew up in Paris and Rennes and has been in Paris for 20 years now. She is one of the most friendly people I know! I met her because she approached me on the airplane and wanted to know everything I was up to. She offered me a ride to my hotel and invited me out to Brittany to see her, which I did. We have been friends ever since. 30 years! She still is super friendly and greets everyone with an enthusiastic smile. I've been to Paris now 6 times over the years and maybe because I grew up in Seattle where people are not terribly friendly, Parisians feel pretty friendly to me. (And particularly helpful. Especially senior citizens offering directions even when I don't need them.) 🤷‍♀️ I do speak French though so maybe that helps, I don't know.

They need to chill out, they don’t have a New York so relax

You speak english very well.

The real reason behind Haussmann's project: not just health, but mostly the fact that the larger the street, the harder it is to install blockades.

Small apartments in a small country

The French way sounds perfect for me. No small talk, no smiling, keep distance, be honest, no false compliments. Parfait !

Weird excuses, Paris is not the largest city on Earth by far - Tokyo, London, Berlin, NYC, LA, hell even Johannesburg has friendlier people. The french are just incredibly rude & entitled people

Thank you!!

My purse was stolen in Paris…. When I went to the Police station they told me, in English, that they would not heko me until I said “please” in French. After saying that the cop laughed. If something happens np pne there cares or will help you.

Is there a reason that someone wouldn't take like three of those tiny apartments and remove walls to make bigger?

Is there a reason that someone wouldn't take like three of those tiny apartments and remove walls to make bigger?

I am from the US, and waited tables in my 20's. Peope can be completely horrible to you, and this was a common thing. Being a male waiter was not as bad as a female, from what I saw. The females got treated like dirt, and oddly enough, it was the other women at the table who gave the most grief.

I just stayed at a small boutique hotel in Key West. The owner greeted me, gave him my key, walked me to my room, then left without speaking. Later, when I found out that he was French, I realized that he was being polite. One of my rules for traveling is that you should never do anything you don't see other people doing. Obey the social customs and learn from watching everyone else. Like, in a bar in the UK, watch how people order. They don't just walk up and throw an order at the bartender. They wait to be asked.

They take rudeness to a new levels. People in NYC are MUCH nicer than Parisians.

I don't think it's cultural, I think it's genetic. I'm Cajun French and though I love my people, we're the most abrasively rude people you'll ever meet. We're fun and inviting, don't get me wrong. But at the same time we're very open about how we feel, we have no filter. I really think it's just how we're made.

I am surprised how similar to Germany the culture is

Wow, such surprising, French are too much *Franks* with other people, I wonder where it come from 😂

I (almost) never found the French to be rude but I also moved to France after studying French for some time. I would say the French tend to be more reserved than the stereotypical American. I am quiet and reserved(and American). I will say that after enduring a cold humid winter in Paris I felt somewhat annoyed when the weather finally got decent the city became overrun with tourists who were sometimes loud and obnoxious on the metro and oblivious to their surroundings or the possibility that those around them might understand them. I think if you approach with a smile and make some attempt with the language you will be better received.

Brit here. I adore France. Been holidaying their since I was a kid. Its fun discovering it as an adult, and I LO-OV-OVE the Alpes 🎉😊

Basically, we're the Finland of Europe Latin countries

I was impressed with the little food shops in Paris. Here we have… 7-11? Unbelievable the junk we eat in America.

Interesting, in my building in Paris, the chambres de bonnes floors were empty for years and then the space was partitioned into 3 50-60 square meter apartments. My apartment is almost 60 square meters and has 1.5 bathrooms. The chambres de bonne above mine has views of the Eiffel Tower and is 70 square meters and the third is now part of a duple. apartment with access to the noble stairs.

You greatly expanded my limited knowledge of the apartment situation in Paris, Lucile. Well researched report. Merci.

Other words for SUPER might be: very, extremely… 😊 Other than that, super video! ❤

Where are these people who don’t say please and thank you to people? I am American and I say both constantly. And I consider saying ‘excuse me’ to be as acceptable an opener for a conversation as hello. Not sure if that is considered acceptable in France, but just adding, hello to that seems easy enough. And why, oh why, in the modern era, do people not just GOOGLE how to say simple things in the language of the place you are visiting. On a side note, I did get some pushback from a Chinese tourist while in Japan. I spoke to her in Japanese, not because I assumed she was Japanese but because I assumed it would be the language everyone knew some of if they were in Japan. I would have approached a white person in Japanese for the same reason. She told me to talk to her in English a little huffily and I was so confused by this reaction. I try NOT to assume everyone speaks English when I am out of the country. And while a lot of people in Tokyo did speak some English, I came across plenty of people whom I had to speak Japanese and pantomime to and we got on fine. Yeesh.

I'm from Switzerland and it's quite similar as your description of France. Especially about social standard ("rudeness", social space), and also about friendships (longtime friends, groups, etc)

8 pm for dinner. 😮

I was brought up in South East England and taught French in school from age 7. Our school was very keen on us experiencing France, we did a mini French exchange when I was 10 where I lived with a rural family for a week, we even somehow squeezed in a day trip to Paris by getting on a coach at 6am! I have pretty decent basics that are still lodged in my very unpractised brain to this day. I come from a weird echelon of British culture where we sorta lowkey LOVE going somewhere and being treated with aloofness. All I want from someone serving me when I'm abroad is to share a simple polite greeting, get shown the basics (even if it's just to a table) and then I'm happy to be left alone and figure it out myself. The shift in hotel culture in recent years is so weird to me, lots of modern hotels play loud music everywhere and every room you step into someone tries to greet you and serve you something with super intense pleasantness. France strikes me as still being a bit "old world" in terms of service culture and I honestly prefer that any day. So here's one roast beef who would probably do fine in France, I love being ignored and left alone, it makes the people watching and wandering around so much easier. My French friends, you have full permission to give me a simple nod, a "bonjour" and then leave me to my own devices, I will be absolutely fine!

Maybe I was lucky but I've had mostly positive interaction during my first visit. I do speak French but not France French and I was told to expect ridicule etc for the way I pronounce certain words. But I didn't see any of that, quite the opposite it was a conversation starter it seems. Only rude people were airport workers. But yes "Bonjour" et "pardonnez-moi" go a very long way when addressing French people and if you know French use "vous" at all times do not use "tu"

Surely, Lucille, not all of it is Super.

As far as everyone tries to go to big cities that's what happens. People have to live somewhere, there's just so mich space, so...

You know, this video warmed up to paris quite a lot

I think the same people who complain that the French are mean when they expect us to adapt to their culture are the ones who tell people here in the US to 'speak American' and 'if you don't like it, go home' 😑 i've never had a bad experience in France, and don't put a ton of stock in the stories of people who say they have.

You do though need to eat more red meat - organic.

If the treats are few, why are there so many, what do they do with ones that arent sold the same day? Just curious, USA we are malnurtious and overfed. See it in nursing homes. Ppl are as social, what about work hours, do kids participate in after school sports, etc. Here families may have dufferent work schedules, etc. Just curious.

Just to be clear to non-french people, "Pardon" is not sassy in itself, the tone is what tells you if "Pardon" meant "excuse me", "what did you just say?" or "bitch get'out the way"... just like you could with different tones using "excuse me".

Just go to Zurich, Amsterdam or Ibiza😂❤

Visited for a week and a half. Lost weight and hadnt worked out at all on vaction. It was all the walking But still amazes me. I ate so ma h carbs, how was it possible?

Mexico City is also over populated , with a lot of customer service workers, yet people is not rude, Parisians (not all) are just assholes

I saw a vid that says french do not snack

Housing crisis in the last few years has gone insane. I'm in Australia, by miracle timing I bought my first home at the end of 2018, it was among the cheapest on the market in my city but it's solid and modern enough built in 2005. Currently spending 25% of my income on the mortgage payment, but if I am to instead rent this house today, the rent would take up about 60-70% of my income (I make slightly above median income). No bank would even think of giving a home loan to me to I try buying my house at it's current value, it's near doubled since I bought it. Had I not bought my house in 2018, my income level would only allows me to rent either a very small mouldy unit or studio apartment, or just one room of a shared house or apartment (forget buying, literally nothing within 50km of the city is in price range for my income), both options would still cost more than my current mortgage payments.

8pm is late for dinner

I have no idea where this "rude french" stereotype comes from. I've been to France 3 times and ventured around the country (Not just Paris). I found the French to be more polite than Americans.

Housing will always be more expensive in capitals and other major cities comparing to smaller cities and towns where you can buy or rent a bigger apartment with the same price or less.

A green salad whith home-made seasoning is a classic on French family tables.

French culture shares some similarities with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Other Americans refer to our standoffish and “rude” behavior as the “Seattle Freeze”. Many consider us to be cold and rude because we do not engage in chit chat, keep to ourselves and have a greater expectation of maintaining personal space. When I moved to Nashville TN I it was a huge adjustment! People talked to me EVERYWHERE and stood so much closer.

the problem is also not just the size but the quality like u said. some people might choose to live small, but if there’s mold, no toilet or other problems, thqt can be bad for health

5m2 is not that small for a bathroom, I've seen plenty of houses with that size bathroom.