Americans in France: What American Visitors Say

WHAT AMERICAN VISITORS SAY ...
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WHAT IT'S LIKE TO CRUISE FRANCE'S CANALS AND WATERWAYS ...

Click for comments from British and others about American visitors' experiences

Mille Bouquets! Great idea, grand words and true comments. I have cruised on many barges, most canals and loved them all. Barging in France is a magical experience which surely wll survive petty politics, unimagnative travel commentators and SARS.

-- Alba, Florida

" ... Each day people told us over and over how much they loved Americans and that what governments do is not what they think or do - Nor will we ever forget our surprise at finding a Jazz festival in the highlands. We found it usually occurs about 12 to 25th of April - this was the one thing we had not expected and as Americans we were so warmly welcomed - what hospitality!"

-- D.L., J.C., Indiana

I just wanted to write a special note about the incredible treatment I received in France. I am not what you would call a risk taker or a brave traveler. I like my comfort and security. It had been two years since my last trip and the same faces were there in Aix and on the Barge to greet me.

The locals, cafe owners, shop keepers and even taxi drivers were going out of their way to be kind and thank me for coming to France. They even attempted to speak English to make me feel comfortable. It was the safest I have felt anywhere since September 11th. The only precaution taken was to hire an English speaking local guide for a long car ride from Aix to Montpellier. Your suggestion of Barry was fantastic not just for security but for the added information on the countryside, sites and he took us on a side trip through Arles. I would use Barry again in any situation. The barge and the trip was peaceful and lovely and we are now planning to return in September.

-- Barge client, Canal du Midi, 2003

Regarding Paris - I have been here a year on an Expat assignment with very little French language skills. I have found the Parisian people very warm and "English speaker" friendly.

Between the food, wine, and architecture it is truly one of the best cities on Earth! A must see. I encourage all my friends to come and visit.

-- American business executive, working in Paris.

Well, here in Bordeaux we had no idea that there was any problem until a client from California told us that he had been warned that he would not be well received in France. He is still in awe of the fact that the person who told him was an "experienced traveler." He is now out biking with our family for the second day of wine tasting and last night reported that as an inexperienced traveler, not speaking any French, people were so very excited that he was visiting and treated him to lunch.

-- An American in Bordeaux

We did not know if the bad relations between America's and France's political leaders would trickle down to reactions against us as Americans travelling in France. We found everyone to be very friendly and accommodating and concerned about our feelings toward the French. We were told by people in all parts of the French tourist business (hotels, restaurants, the barge) that their business was suffering because of cancellations and reductions of new bookings by Americans. It's a shame because the people who are hurt are not the political leaders of our respective countries, but the small business people in France who depend on tourism as a livelihood and potential American tourists who pass up the opportunity for wonderful travel experiences because of post-9/11 and SARS travel fears and/or politically-driven negative attitudes towards the French.

I can give you two examples of French people who went out of their way to help us. The first occurred on Sunday, April 6. I had developed a sore throat and cough which had grown steadily worse during the week we had been travelling through Provence prior to the barge trip. About 9:30 on Sunday morning I decided I needed to see a doctor. The receptionist at the Abbaye de St. Croix arranged for a young doctor to make a house call to our hotel room within one-half hour. He diagnosed me with bronchitis and gave me prescriptions for an antibiotic and antiinflammatory. He also gave us the name of the one pharmacy in Salon de Provence (the nearest town) which was open on Sunday morning. Since I was driving I dropped my husband off in front of the pharmacy and had to keep driving, because there were no parking places nearby. When I circled back around I parked -- although I didn't realize it at the time -- in front of the wrong pharmacy. When I finally realized my error and drove back to the correct pharmacy about a half-hour later, my husband told me that the pharmacy was closed. Although he doesn't speak a word of French, he stopped a young French couple and their daughter who were walking by. Through hand signals he asked for help in finding the open pharmacy. That couple stopped other passersby until about 10 people were gathered trying to help my husband. The young man even called the pharmacy to confirm that they were open and then drew a map for my husband so we could find it. By the time I returned, he had the directions and map and we were on our way.

The second example occurred in Montpellier after we finished the barge trip. We arrived on Saturday and decided to see a "comic opera" which was being presented at the Theatre Jean Vilar. I couldn't locate it on the map and the desk clerk said we would need to take a taxi, which he called. As it turned out, the theater was a good 20 or 25 minute cab ride in a far-flung suburb of Montpellier. Since the theater was right on the trolley line, I asked the taxi driver if we could take the tram back. He said it was too dangerous -- that he didn't even ride the tram at night. Furthermore, there was a football game just starting at the stadium next to the theater, so finding a taxi after the show would be impossible. He gave us a card with the number of his taxi company. Before the taxi left, I asked the ticket person (in my very broken French) where we could find a phone booth to call a taxi after the show. She said she would call for us, so we let the taxi go. When the program was over, she called the taxi company and was told that a cab would be there in 20 minutes. We went to the parking lot in front of the theater to wait. There we found two security guards with a large dog, and we began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into! About twenty minutes later the ticket lady came out to go to her car. When she saw us and we told her that the cab hadn't arrived, she used her cell phone to call again. She was told that the taxi would be there in 10 minutes. She told us the security guards would wait with us until the cab arrived. About 15 minutes later there was still no cab. However, the ticket lady -- apparently having concerns about how we would get back to our hotel -- came driving back into the parking lot to offer us a ride. We gratefully accepted. My husband tried to give the security guards some money for waiting with us, but they refused. The ticket taker drove us safely back to our hotel. She first refused any compensation, but we insisted saying that we would have spent the money on cab fare if the cab had shown up. Incidentally, our rescuer was a mid-eastern woman! We chatted in my broken French and her broken English and she wanted to know how we felt about being in France and how we were being treated.

In summary, we were treated better in France than we are in the US!

-- Barge client, Canal du Midi, 2003

I continue to feel quite comfortable -- the majority of people realizing that the average American is not necessarily eager to wage war ... Many American things are popular - I still notice many places playing American music for example.

-- An American student in Paris

Paris was a delight for the children and us. We heard from an American that the US television was showing anti-French events in the US but we had no idea about it from anyone we met at the apartment or the neighborhood shops. I did wonder why so many people told us Americans were most loved and welcomed in France and that may have been why.