An Observation
June 2019
In the past year, we (your hosts) have noticed a significant drop-off in Brit (in particular) visitors. We are not the only ones. All the French Gite-owners that we know have said the same. We raised this matter with the Agency (No names, no pack-drill!) through whom we get the most bookings and they are firmly under the opinion that it is as a direct result of BREXIT uncertainty.
Furthermore, we have been receiving reports from British friends who have holiday homes here: Most of THEIR well-educated, "intelligent" friends have told them that they won't travel to France, full-stop, because they are SCARED of the French, who [now] HATE Brits, BECAUSE of BREXIT!
Nothing could be further than the truth.
We find it quite incredible that this "scared" attitude has developed and we simply don't understand it. MOST French could care less if the UK was part of the EU or not and just look at English Politics with incredulity! (I can just hear Aterix & Obelix shaking their heads, saying "Zee Ingleesh are crazy!")
Prior to MOVING here 15 years ago, we, as Kiwis, had been coming to France on extended holidays for many years. I recall only one occasion in that time when someone "lost the plot" and SHOUTED at me (because I didn't first ask if they spoke English, after I'd already HEARD her doing so with the previous Customer!): It was a Gare du Nord ticket-office teller who was obviously having a bad-hair day.
And YES, during the "Gilet Jaune" (Yellow Vests) protests in early 2019, there WERE some unaccountable outbreaks of individual violence, but there are rotten apples in many a barrel.
The French and English have a centuries-long history of rivalry and most French don't visit England because it's colder and more expensive there. On the flip side, Brits bring MONEY with them. Their "Tourist Dollar" is essential to the French, who would HATE to lose it. And a HUGE number of Brits buy houses (often secondary homes) in France, usually very cheaply... and then they renovate them. They can't take the houses back to Blighty with them and they will probably sell again at some point, leaving France in a better state than when they arrived.
While I'm having a rant, I find it sad that such a small proportion of Brits actually even TRY to speak French.
It is only POLITE, when one visits a foreign speaking land, to TRY... even if only the basic Please and Thank you's, ESPECIALLY in the cities, where a high proportion of French have at least a smattering of English. Rural French (consisting of many "Patois"/dialects) is different and it's not surprising that most farmer-types don't speak English at all, but most French really APPRECIATE it when one TRIES, regardless of how badly one butchers their beautiful language.
Just start with the basics, at least:
"I do not speak French, sorry."
"Je ne parle pas français, désolé."
"I am sorry, I do not speak French."
"Je suis désolé, mais je ne parle pas français."
"Do you speak English?"
"Parlez vous anglais?"
TRYing, being polite, a cheery wave and smiling go a long way to bridging gaps and mending fences.
In my humble opinion, the UK powers-that-be should embark upon a major PR campaign to counter this disturbing tendency. It's illogical, stupid and ill-founded. It's time we all learned to GET ALONG!
So if you who have visited this lovely part of the world agree, please, spread the word !
Life is too short!
28 December 2020
How things have changed over the past 18 months (since the above entry), with BREXIT upon us in just three more days, and COVID Vaccines starting to ship and be used... Scary stuff!
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