Love those French toilets!! Gee, I didn't know other people noticed those things.
I thought I could spot an American in France a mile away but discovered you can only spot a "certain kind" of American. We were eating in a little family restaurant outside of Belflou one stormy evening. It was populated entirely by locals . . . or so we thought. As the evening wore on, our daughter noticed a couple sitting quite near us and she said she could have sworn she heard them speaking English. We were chatting and not paying a lot of attention but did notice the quiet young couple spoke to the waitress in French. Later, everyone had left except the young couple and us. It was getting late and we decided to go upstairs since we were staying the night and assumed the waitress would like some sleep too. As we passed the table, our daughter ventured to say, "Are you staying here too?" to the young couple. We were delighted when they replied in English and discovered they were bicycling enthusiasts who had been in Bordeaux and were doing a little traveling before returning to Baltimore. They were staying and we had a pleasant talk with them and met for breakfast.
They stayed there to avoid other Americans . . . and so did we! There are lots of quiet Americans, many of whom speak adequate (to excellent) French. You don't pick them out because they blend in. They know the customs, the manners and have many of the same attitudes the French have. They usually are not first-time visitors but people who went to France and grew to love it . . . as it appears you will do.
Welcome back. Glad you enjoyed yourself in France.
I thought I could spot an American in France a mile away but discovered you can only spot a "certain kind" of American. We were eating in a little family restaurant outside of Belflou one stormy evening. It was populated entirely by locals . . . or so we thought. As the evening wore on, our daughter noticed a couple sitting quite near us and she said she could have sworn she heard them speaking English. We were chatting and not paying a lot of attention but did notice the quiet young couple spoke to the waitress in French. Later, everyone had left except the young couple and us. It was getting late and we decided to go upstairs since we were staying the night and assumed the waitress would like some sleep too. As we passed the table, our daughter ventured to say, "Are you staying here too?" to the young couple. We were delighted when they replied in English and discovered they were bicycling enthusiasts who had been in Bordeaux and were doing a little traveling before returning to Baltimore. They were staying and we had a pleasant talk with them and met for breakfast.
They stayed there to avoid other Americans . . . and so did we! There are lots of quiet Americans, many of whom speak adequate (to excellent) French. You don't pick them out because they blend in. They know the customs, the manners and have many of the same attitudes the French have. They usually are not first-time visitors but people who went to France and grew to love it . . . as it appears you will do.
Welcome back. Glad you enjoyed yourself in France.