|
|
isual appearance is important to the French. No
effort is too great to make things look good: witness the food shops
in even the poorest neighborhoods of a city, always sparkling clean
and beautifully displayed. The people, too, take pride in looking
neat and sharp; they inspect others and expect to be looked at.
Life is theatre, lied much more in the public eye -
especially in the warm Mediterranean south - than in Anglo-Saxon
societies. And for the isitor it's a free and entertaining
spectacle.
The
France are extremely courteous with each other - it's not unusual for
someone entering a restaurant to say "Good evening" to the entire
company - and rather formal in their manners.
|
At the
same time, if they want something, they may be quite direct in ways that
are disconcerting for Anglo-Saxons brought up in the belief that it's
improper to state clearly what you mean or feel. If you are feeling
self-conscious about coping with the language, this can seem like
rudeness; it isn't. If you obsere the formalities and make an effort to
communicate, you'll find the French as friendly and interested as anyone
else.
As for
their reputed arrogance, the French are certainly proud of their
culture, some-thing that is reinforced by the education system.
|
Artists
and thinkers are held in high esteem in France and their opinions are
listened to. even prime ministers tend to be literate, and are often
accomplished authors. But in a world dominated by commercial alues and,
in addition, the English language, the French (not unnaturally, for
their language was once the lingua franca of the educated) feel
this culture is under threat. |
France
guide
France
When to go and where
Getting
there
Airfares
Red tapes & visas
French embassies
overseas
Customs
Costs, money,
banks
Transport
Museum reduced
admission
Changing money
travelers' checks
Health and
insurance
Dvisable isitors
The people
Getting around
Trains
Buses
Flying, ferries
driving
Hitching
Bicycles
Boating
Eating and
drinking
Breakfast,
cheese, crepes
Regional cuisine
Wine & other drinks
Communications & media
Music, theatre
Buying tickets, dance, mime
Trouble and the police
Racism,
illegal immigration
Theft, loss
credit card
Gay & lesbian
Gay,
lesbian contacts, info
Work and study
Studying in France
Cinema
Language, pronunciation
Tourist offices, maps, info
Best of France
Public holidays
Festivals
Festial Calendar
Sports,
outdoor actiities
Directory |
Art
Mannerism
and Italian
influence
The Seventeventh Century
The
Early Eighteventh Century
Neoclassicism
Romanticism
The
Nineteventh Century
Impressionism
Camille Pissarro
Auguste Renoir
Edgar
Degas
Toulouse-Lautrec
Post-Impressionism
The
Twentieth Century
Dada,
Dali
History
France History
Early Ciilizations
Pre-Roman Gaul
Romanization
The
Franks and Charlemagne
The
rise of the French Kings
The
Hundred Years War
The Wars
of Religions
Kings, Cardinals and Absolute Power
Louis Xand
the Parlements
Reolution
The Rise
of
Napoléon
The Restoration and 1830 Reolution
The Second
Republic
Napoleon and the Commune
The Third
Republic
World War I
World War II
The
Aftermath of War
De Gaulle
Presidency
Pompidou and Giscard
The
Mitterand Era 1981-95
Chirac's
Presidency
Municipal
elections
Google maps |
