French are rude and boring

[frenchplace]

Do you know the average Brit on holiday in France spends £80 per day?

I have 3 cottages with 3 bedrooms in each. I have 49 weeks booked this year so far.

Taking an average of 4 persons per cottage that would mean my little enterprise ALONE brings into the local community about 169,000 euros, every year. That does not count the income tax I pay not the money I have spent locally doing the place up.

This does not include the benefits to the community caused by the local airport and car hire and so on.

A month ago I complained to the Mayor because my neighbour’s dogs barks incessantly day and night. (For some reason he has 4 in a tiny bungalow). I had asked them to stop the dogs but they simply leave them tied up all day and go out to work. (Yea we all see it)….

I explained to the Mayor that this noise interferes with the guests’ enjoyment. His reaction was most unpleasant, he treated me as though I had asked him to speak English. He told me I was lucky to live here and should not complain. ‘You English think you own the region’. He really is a foul man, reeks of garlic and wine at 2 in the afternoon.

I gently pointed out that the business was a significant source of income for the local shops etc…. He explained that the shops were there before I came along and would be there after I had left…..

Of course I don’t think I own the region (I own more of it than the fat Mayor does) but I do think my business benefits the area and if he allows guests to be put off it will be at his cost as well as mine.

My place went on the market the day after my meeting with the Mayor. Shortly after that, about 3 weeks ago I met him in the local shop (the owners of which are on excellent terms with us…. for obvious reasons). He was most congenial (this before his daily lunchtime fill of rough wine) and enquired as to why I was selling up.

I replied, quite loudly, that if I could not rely on his support I may as well close. Of course he acted flabbergasted and waved his arms in protest. I reminded him that he had told me the shops had been there before me and would be after me…. Equally as loudly. I then left the shop refusing his fat hand, which he offered in a rather late attempt at reconciliation. It seems THAT really is a big insult, esp if you do it in front of other people. … Wooops.

I have over the last few weeks delighted in making it known in the local café and two restaurants why I am closing down. The support I have had from them has been great. They all knew the wreck that was here before I bought it and turned it into a business, mainly for my benefit but also for the benefit of the whole community.

OK they will not lose out, another Brit will buy this and still have guests, but I was the one who started the business and the locals know that.

Is there any ‘Gite Owners’ lobby’ in France? Organised properly we could be a very significant force…. (French and Brits). Not for me but for those who are staying I think maybe it is time ‘the worm turned’.

I'm off back to the UK.... God how I miss the UK, civilised people, cafes with no dogs, safer drivers, a psotal system you can trust so don't have to register EVERYTHING....

David.

[saddie]

This may be apocryphal (had to look up the spelling) but I was told that an English lady was treated so rudely while at the tax office and basically told she should go back to the UK that she reported the official to the gendarmes and the lady was sacked. She now receives phone calls asking her to help get the person reinstated. Tough result for a bit of PMT perhaps.

[frenchplace]

No not tought at all. Anyone who is racist deserves the full force of the law. Even when joking. They should all be beaten to within an inch of theri lives.

Racist comment removed and warning given.

[Tony F Dordogne]

So which of the troll morons posted the last one then?

[Christine Animal]

But we are not going to be wound up any more are we...   [:D]

 

[Dave]

I see the last post was meant to be by frenchplace...has he been rude and boring and been deleted....shame[:)]

[frenchplace]

The word dago is as offensive to some as is Nigger. Nigger actually is not racist... Look it up. Ignorant *****.. D

[powerdesal]

From the posts above I dont understand 'racist' as a description of the comment to the English lady, 'nationalistic' perhaps but, as I see it, the basic French and English people are the same race, is it caucasion or aryan?

Regards

[Jonzjob]

I don't know about the French being labled as boering, this thread has become so. I will opt out and follow others.

I have removed the notification for me. Yawn, yawn.

John.

[Alcazar]

I had an experience with racism in paris, a bit like Bart Simson's, when in the episode where he's working in France for winegrowers, he tries to tell a gendarme all the awful things they have done to him, but the gendarme is disinterested, until Bart mentions they had put anti-freeze in the wine![:D]

My experience was in trying to help a pair of Aussies who had been ripped off in a currency outlet near to Sacre Coeur. I intervened with their blessing as they were getting the runaround from the female currency seller as they had little or no French, she just pretended she spoke NO English. Yeah, right![:@]

Anyway, I got very little out of her until I mentioned gendarmes. She promptly insulted both me AND the Aussies AND any gendarmes I cared to tell.[:D]

I went and told the ones usually found at the top of the steps, who weren't interested in the Aussies getting ripped off, but were very interested in the insults. They promptly arrested her and closed the place. The Aussies wrote off their money, but had the last laugh.

Alcazar

[Just Katie]

Good for you Sir!

Unfortunately, too many people do not offer help so readily these days do they?

[bigyellowcrayon]

I only visit France on holiday and I have found the people to be just as friendly as the people in England even with my stuttering poor French, as for smelly if you have experienced the Victoria line during the summer then you will know what smelly is.