Mme poivre Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hello to allI will have the pleasure of my french neighbours visiting me for a week from Easter Monday, which i am really looking forward to, I am however, very anxcious things are soooooo different for us here than they are in france. We are quite happy to put them up and have been rearranging rooms ect in anticiption. We do get on really well when in france and both houses are open to all.What I am wondering is Has anyone out there had their nieghbours visit them in england and how did it go?I think i am a litttle worried that being in such close proximity for a week might not work!Thanks in advanced Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I am sure they will have a great time ...send them off to explore Oxford..Blenheim Palace ..the cotswold villages . lots of days out in your area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 We haven't had our french neighbours visit us in the UK but we have been on holiday with them sharing a house in another part of France. The biggest challenges for us were meals and trips out. We quickly discovered that their entire day revolved around food: breakfast followed by five course lunch followed by five course dinner! Our whole holiday seemed to be regimented by planning meals, shopping, cooking and eating. By day two we would have been happy to skip food for a couple of days! The commitment to food in itself made going out anywhere difficult as we couldn't encroach on the sacrosanct meal times. Added to that they weren't used to taking holidays and wanted to spend any available free time in front of the TV. In contrast, we have a very relaxed approach to mealtimes when on holiday and love to go off for the day and explore so found it quite a frustrating week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Just relax and be the normal person you are around them ... dont try to do any thing you wouldnt normally do when having friends vist ....They will be expecting things to be different in England and Im sure any thing they find odd or unusal they will just take in there stride......In short just be yourself .... thats who they like [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mme poivre Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 Thanks for all the replysI think that it will be ok but as always you will never know until they have gone home how it will go [:D]Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hi Judith!Do not worry, I know you and I ve met your neighbours, they are very nice, they really care for your family, I am convinced they expect things to be different in England. I found you and your neighbour are very close, it is touching. She told me she really cared for you, and you always found a way to communicate.Just be yourself, yes, and everything will be great. [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 PS : The meal thing is true. When we were in England last august what my son didn't like was the absence of schedules for meals. About 12 / 12.30 he started asking " Maman, on va manger quand ??" [blink]He was REALLY amazed to see signs reading " breakfast all day" ... I m used to the "English way" as regards meals, but many French people find it very strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Mme Poivre, I wouldn't worry. They are very lucky to have a chance to see such a beautiful part of the world, I think they will be bowled over.If it were me amongst all of the other sites mentioned, I would take them to a beautiful little tea room for tea and scones perhaps in Woodstock and of course take them around the shops between 12 and 2:00pm![:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mme poivre Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 good advice from all as usual thank youI am closer to warwick and stratford than I am to oxford so think i might go that way stratford at easter mght be interesting or a gentle walk around our own national trust property at Farnborough Hall. My next question is how much can you fit in between meals[:D]?Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 the Manoir aux 4 saisons for lunch - if they miss French food (and if you can afford it!!!!)such a beautiful area - and Spring in full bloom - can't fail to love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 sorry Mme Poivre - posts crossed. Perhaps too far then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 You know, Judith, I'm sure they want to esperience the English way of life, so do not worry too much.They'll have plenty of things to tell when they re back .Just be...... English !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 This site has some interesting ideas.http://www.picturesofengland.comHoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkkent Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 This is me being rather brave ... There is more to England than pretty vistas.I assume they are country people. How would they cope with a trip to Birmingham? They could go shopping in the Bull Ring Centre, wander around the canals near Brindley Place, The Mailbox and Gas Street, visit the IMAX at the Thinktank. The Industrial Revolution - creating the world as we know it now began in and around Birmingham. How about the Black Country Museum or Ironbridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velcorin Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hi, we used to live not far from you, and always had a steady stream of my wife's family looking for a cheap holiday.My wife's family always wanted to go to London (we just stuck them on a tourist bus). Oxford went down well, just looking at the colleges from outside. Clothes shopping for the women, Next/M&S. UK supermarkets, particularly if you have self-scan tills, and cash-back. Traditional English pubs. We always found it wasn't the obvious things which went down best with them. Filled Jacket Potatoes, seeing stretched limos on the roads, double decker buses, watching rugby/football in the pub, etc. Things British people take for granted. To be honest pretty twee villages and country houses they were not something they were interested in, it could be them, or it could be that they have those in France.I always found keeping them entertained in the evenings hardest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mme poivre Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thank you gain for taking the time to replyClarkkent good ideas we did think of the ironbridge gourge as thats where OH hails from but its always hours of travelling....Velcorin not too worried about evenings as have brill neighbours here who have visited with us in france so hopefully lots of catching up and socializing in the evening[:D] If they want to go furhter a field they can always drive as they are coming in thier own car so i suppose i really need to ask them what they would like to do and wait until they arrive.Thanks again for all the responsesJudith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mme poivre Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Well they came we walked, talked, eat and drank and everything was brill.We ended up doing lots of normal things - we went to Oxford up one of the towers, the natutal history museum, etc as well as shopping, we visited my parents and that was good, of course we did lots of eating, we had a big family get together at the local toby (i'm too lazy to spend my holidy cooking roast dinner for 20) which was fantastic, we went to warwick and the castle, we did the fish and chips thing which they loved, lots of looking a different scenery and just chilling. It was a brilliant five days and they want to come again.[:)]The thing is that having to try to think of things that they would like to see/do it has made me appreciate where I live in England that much more, there is a great diversity of things to do and see and i think i will be exploring more in the future and not just taking what we have for granted.Thanks for all the ideas was really apprecieatedJudith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hello Judith !Well, that's great news !!Glad to hear you all had a great time .I was sure about it , anyway...XXXX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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