Caught speeding!! ,

[nb_racing]

If i was a copper in this country, and someone came past in a foriegn registered car (I'm assuming yours is, if not then my point is, er pointless, in this case at least.) speeding, I would be a pain in their **** too. It's their country, their way of doing things. Like it or lump it I reckon.

Secondly, I agree as has been said, they want to give you a good reason to not speed. Speeding in france got to a point where people took wads of cash, drove as fast as they liked and paid the fine, then carried on. Seems like this trick worked!

Thirdly, I'm not sure about the French not speaking English? From my extensive experience, having made efforts they are usually very polite and speak impeccable English. Including the police.

 

[C36fan]

If i was a copper in this country, and someone came past in a foriegn registered car (I'm assuming yours is, if not then my point is, er pointless, in this case at least.) speeding, I would be a pain in their **** too. It's their country, their way of doing things. Like it or lump it I reckon. Secondly, I agree as has been said, they want to give you a good reason to not speed. Speeding in france got to a point where people took wads of cash, drove as fast as they liked and paid the fine, then carried on. Seems like this trick worked! Thirdly, I'm not sure about the French not speaking English? From my extensive experience, having made efforts they are usually very polite and speak impeccable English. Including the police.

so I'm the unlucky ******* the police couldn't toss a word of English and the restaurants I been to pretty much all of them the waiters can't speak too! I thought being a tourist area their comunication skills would be a bit better !!
And to finalise if was me the French policeman I'd treat people like I would like to be treated myself more no less!!

 

[Howard]

They can all speak English , they may choose not to ( and make life more difficult , and things take longer ) depending on your attitude ...

 

[cinek]

...depending on your attitude ...

Which in my experience, works in any country you get stopped.

 

[C36fan]

They can all speak English , they may choose not to ( and make life more difficult , and things take longer ) depending on your attitude ...

I had no attitude when they stopped me ,I agreed to do what they asked to I only got the attitude when they disappear !!
And I think anyone in the same position would do!!!

 

[flango]

so I'm the unlucky ******* the police couldn't toss a word of English and the restaurants I been to pretty much all of them the waiters can't speak too! I thought being a tourist area their comunication skills would be a bit better !! And to finalise if was me the French policeman I'd treat people like I would like to be treated myself more no less!!

This is exactly my experience of the French too . I just don't go there anymore unless I have to for work and then I'm in and out as fast as I can.

I don't and would never buy anything French and as for holidaying there I would rather holiday in Libya it's more friendly Clarksons comment on the French was spot on.

France is a great Country it's just a shame it's full of French people I can't name another country in the EU that has a good word to say about them. We should have turned left with the tunnel and linked to Holland who actually like the UK and the Brits

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[meeeb]

They can all speak English , they may choose not to ( and make life more difficult , and things take longer ) depending on your attitude ...

No they can't all speak English, that's a fallacy, but I strongly support your view regarding attitude and response to it. The fact that C63fan's first language is clearly not English, probably didn't help, and his attitude probably exacerbated the situation. I'm amazed he wasn't arrested.

Some of the comments in this thread are stereotypically the attitude of the English who expect everyone in other countries to speak English and kow tow to English culture.

The French are civilised and cultured - for example in well over 30 years of regularly visiting the country I've never, unlike in England, seen drunken pi**-heads rolling round the gutter on a Saturday night. They are generally polite and helpful if you make the effort to communicate with them and respect their way of life.

Whenever I visit another country I always make a point of learning the words 'please' and 'thank you' in their language. It opens many doors.

Sorry, but if you go as a visiting guest to another country, you're the foreigner!

 

[st13phil]

The French are civilised and cultured - for example in well over 30 years of regularly visiting the country I've never, unlike in England, seen drunken pi**-heads rolling round the gutter on a Saturday night.

You obviously haven't been to the "right" parts of France then

(sorry couldn't resist)

I do agree with the sentiment of your post though: remember you're the foreigner, and make an effort to fit in is always my modus operandi when outside the UK, and I've always been well received.

 

[nb_racing]

Some of the comments in this thread are stereotypically the attitude of the English who expect everyone in other countries to speak English and kow tow to English culture.

The French are civilised and cultured - for example in well over 30 years of regularly visiting the country I've never, unlike in England, seen drunken pi**-heads rolling round the gutter on a Saturday night. They are generally polite and helpful if you make the effort to communicate with them and respect their way of life.

Whenever I visit another country I always make a point of learning the words 'please' and 'thank you' in their language. It opens many doors.

Sorry, but if you go as a visiting guest to another country, you're the foreigner!

Well said.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane.

At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the Immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready."

The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The elderly gentleman gave the French Immigration Officer a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained:

"Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any ****ing Frenchmen to show it to."

 

[C36fan]

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag. "You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the Immigration officer asked, sarcastically. The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously. "Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready." The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!" The elderly gentleman gave the French Immigration Officer a long hard look. Then he quietly explained: "Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any ****ing Frenchmen to show it to."

I'm a foreigner in the country I live and I never been treated like this!!even the portuguese emigrant come from France you can't fit a needle up their bottom !!!
Ate France I can't even stand now their accent!!!

 

[flango]

remember you're the foreigner, and make an effort to fit in is always my modus operandi when outside the UK, and I've always been well received.

Absolutely correct and exactly what I always do, treat people as you would like to be treat yourself is my motto.

However that doesn't seem to work in France even though I speak French they still treat you like sh*te

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[DSM10000]

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane.

At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the Immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready."

The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

A similar and almost certainly apocryphal story goes along the line of:


"Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The elderly gentleman gave the French Immigration Officer a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained:

"Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any ****ing Frenchmen to show it to."

A similar and probably apocryphal story goes thus:

It is the 1970's, a British Airways Boeing has just landed at Frankfurt, an airport with notoriously complex taxiways and apron, the crew have paused momentarily so they may check the correct way to their gate.

An impatient and sarcastic German ground controller calls the crew and asks them " I take it that you are able to read your charts or is this your first time here and you didn't bother to check our layout?"

After a brief pause a beautifully clipped British accent is heard in reply.

"Yes I have been here before old boy, it was 1944 and I didn't stop"

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I'm a foreigner in the country I live and I never been treated like this!!even the portuguese emigrant come from France you can't fit a needle up their bottom !!!
Ate France I can't even stand now their accent!!!

That's a shame, you were enjoying yourself so much until something came along to cause you so much distress.

 

[ItalianTuneUp]

Although stereotypes are not always true, of course, the French do have a reputation for being arrogant. They are proud people and have a lot to be proud about: great fast trains (TGV), great food, a beautiful country and a lovely climate down south.

Having said that, if you take the effort to learn their language and speak it when there, I have found many of them to be very agreeable people.

I have also found some of them to be very snooty and rude and they receive a deserved raspberry if I feel like it. Driving a huge S-class tends to 'excite' some of the more arrogant and snooty ones too - the look on some of their irritated faces was priceless when I parked the UK-reg S-class in a small space outside a restaurant with parktronic just in front of one of their cars LOL

 

[C36fan]

That's a shame, you were enjoying yourself so much until something came along to cause you so much distress.

as I said above lovely country ,nice sea views and all that ,we really like the place but the arrogance outweigh everything they have good .
I consider myself a easy going person and I tent to take things easy but I can take so much !!
I work hard all year round so when I go on holiday I like to enjoy and here wasn't the case every time we went for a meal we struggled to find out what was in the menu apart from a couple places where people were friendly , I know we can't put all of them in the same basket but as I said before the bad outweigh the good by far and I'm not asking to everyone to agree I just wanted to share my experience in this country!

 

[meeeb]

Although stereotypes are not always true, of course, the French do have a reputation for being arrogant. They are proud people and have a lot to be proud about: great fast trains (TGV), great food, a beautiful country and a lovely climate down south.

Having said that, if you take the effort to learn their language and speak it when there, I have found many of them to be very agreeable people.

I have also found some of them to be very snooty and rude and they receive a deserved raspberry if I feel like it. Driving a huge S-class tends to 'excite' some of the more arrogant and snooty ones too - the look on some of their irritated faces was priceless when I parked the UK-reg S-class in a small space outside a restaurant with parktronic just in front of one of their cars LOL

As you can see from some of the posts in this thread, including your own, the French have not cornered the market in arrogance.

In some parts of the world Brits have an unenviable reputation for rudeness, arrogance, and to put it politely, uncultured behaviour, so name calling in this context is somewhat hypocritical.

 

[C36fan]

I don't think that applies to my case I only was a bit harsh to the policeman after I made me do a few miles looking for him without even knowing where to look!!

 

[flango]

I don't think that applies to my case I only was a bit harsh to the policeman after I made me do a few miles looking for him without even knowing where to look!!

You were a lot kinder than I would have been I probably would have not left my license with him. If I had I would have just drove off and not come back and then applied for another one from the DVLA when I got home. It's the same with the police in any country they always try it on know your rights if the country you are visiting it shocks the hell out if them when you point out their own laws or what they are actually spouting is actually bullsh*t particularly if you do it in their own language

But of course always do it politely but firmly

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[DSM10000]

You were a lot kinder than I would have been I probably would have not left my license with him. If I had I would have just drove off and not come back and then applied for another one from the DVLA when I got home. It's the same with the police in any country they always try it on know your rights if the country you are visiting it shocks the hell out if them when you point out their own laws or what they are actually spouting is actually bullsh*t particularly if you do it in their own language

But of course always do it politely but firmly

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I am still recovering from the shock of a man from Yorkshire willing to speak anything other than English to a foreigner.