Current Events > First night in Paris: There are a lot of homeless here.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Arrived CDG (Paris) from TXL (Berlin), and made my way to the hotel from the airport; some thoughts:
*There is literally no passport check, customs, etc... You just walk out to the street. lolwat
*There are a lot of homeless here... They're sleeping in the airport. On my way from the arrivals to RER transfer, I saw at least ten homeless just sleeping on the ground. What a bad first impression of the capital city of France.
*I saw at least two people "jumping the gates" to the RER... Berlin public transit system is based on a trust system (no ticket swiping), and of the three random checks that were done in Berlin, not a single person was caught without a ticket... So this was quite different experience fresh off the plane.
*On the RER and the subways: The city is very multicultural, compared to Berlin. Seemed like most people in Berlin were native Germans (aside from tourists); Paris had quite a wide variety of people.
*Public display of affection is everywhere. On the train, I saw a couple going at least second base; on the streets, I saw a few couples passionately kissing and hugging.
*Parisian women really don't shave their armpits.
*I like the French language much better than the German language.
*French hospitality seems less friendly/hospitable compared to the Germans, at least so far on my first night.
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Tldr

Ate at two restaurants so far, and geez the waiters/resses are so rude... I've read this is common and isn't considered rude to their standards though.
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neat. interested in hearing moar
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We spent the whole morning and early afternoon (six hours) in the Louvre, and it's everything they say it is: magnificent, huge and tons of people. Now onwards to Notre Dame (or what's left of it) and Sainte Chapelle.
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JACKBUTTMOMMY posted...

IdiotMachine posted...

Ate at two restaurants so far, and geez the waiters/resses are so rude... I've read this is common and isn't considered rude to their standards though.

lol are they straight up rude or just not the same quality of service.

Heres your food... dick!

Here's an example:
The menu was a three course meal. I was pointing at what I wanted on the menu for the appetizer (because I don't speak French, and the menu was in French; thank God for Google Camera Translate), and the waiter started to pull the menu out of my hands. I had to literally hold onto it hard so that he doesn't take it. And he wouldn't let go... It was like a power struggle until I finished pointing to all of the three courses.

Another example: We needed our waiter, and we couldn't find him... So I asked another waiter for a check, and he said he's not my waiter. So I asked him to get our waiter, and he flat out said "no", and walked away.
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If I'm being honest, Paris was my least favorite place to visit in Europe. City kind of sucked.
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As a Swede, I didnt enjoy Paris. Rude people including staff at stores and restaurants as you say and kinda dirty outdoors.
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IdiotMachine posted...

*There is literally no passport check, customs, etc... You just walk out to the street. lolwat

it's called the EU
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If that's an indication of their security in a major transportation system with consideration to the amount of terror attacks that have occurred in France and nearby parts of Europe, then I'm in no hurry to visit.
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Oh and general thing I don't like about London/Berlin/Paris (perhaps this applies to Europe as a whole):
*There is no free tap water at restaurants. There is no free refill for drinks either. A bottle of coke goes for around 4 euros (Holy crap). Beer and wine are cheaper!
*Some restaurants add a service charge... Others don't... Some even ask for tips... This is very confusing.
*You have to pay for a public bathroom. Some pubs/smaller restaurants, you have to pay also, even if you ate there.
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IdiotMachine posted...

*There is literally no passport check, customs, etc... You just walk out to the street. lolwat

I had to go through customs when I went into Paris from CDG. But I'm also an American, not a EU citizen.

IdiotMachine posted...

The menu was a three course meal. I was pointing at what I wanted on the menu for the appetizer (because I don't speak French, and the menu was in French; thank God for Google Camera Translate), and the waiter started to pull the menu out of my hands. I had to literally hold onto it hard so that he doesn't take it. And he wouldn't let go... It was like a power struggle until I finished pointing to all of the three courses.

Parisians are openly hostile to non-French speaking folks. I tried English and Spanish while I was sightseeing in Paris and it was rough.

Paris was also the first place I ever used Uber and that was really interesting with regards to the language barrier. All my drivers spoke French or Arabic only.
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ALIEN_WORK2HOP posted...

IdiotMachine posted...

*There is literally no passport check, customs, etc... You just walk out to the street. lolwat

it's called the EU

But London to Berlin, we had to do a passport and customs check when we arrived in Berlin.
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xsouljah posted...

had to go through customs when I went into Paris from CDG. But I'm also an American, not a EU citizen.

I'm American as well. But we traveled from Berlin.
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IdiotMachine posted...

and the waiter started to pull the menu out of my hands. I had to literally hold onto it hard so that he doesn't take it. And he wouldn't let go... It was like a power struggle until I finished pointing to all of the three courses.

LOL the imagery here is hilarious
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IdiotMachine posted...

xsouljah posted...

had to go through customs when I went into Paris from CDG. But I'm also an American, not a EU citizen.

I'm American as well. But we traveled from Berlin.

That makes sense actually. I was coming from Malaysia.
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IdiotMachine posted...

*Parisian women really don't shave their armpits.

i didn't notice this at all. imo Paris is the most beautiful city I've ever been to. the average person there is seriously like a 7 or 7.5.

make sure you see Sainte Chapelle. it was my favorite church. and going to the top of the Tower is worth it, especially if you go after sunset when it's dark. and go to the top of the Arc. it's a lot of steps but totally worth it (again, go at night).
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Fascinating, I wanted to go there this year.
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Is it true people tend to smell more musky in the EU?
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untrustful posted...

IdiotMachine posted...

and the waiter started to pull the menu out of my hands. I had to literally hold onto it hard so that he doesn't take it. And he wouldn't let go... It was like a power struggle until I finished pointing to all of the three courses.

LOL the imagery here is hilarious

true lmao
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

IdiotMachine posted...

*Parisian women really don't shave their armpits.

i didn't notice this at all. imo Paris is the most beautiful city I've ever been to. the average person there is seriously like a 7 or 7.5.

make sure you see Sainte Chapelle. it was my favorite church. and going to the top of the Tower is worth it, especially if you go after sunset when it's dark. and go to the top of the Arc. it's a lot of steps but totally worth it (again, go at night).

We went to Saint Chapelle and the Conciergie; now on our way for dinner near the Arc, then the Arc, then the Eiffel Tower, and done for today.

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

Is it true people tend to smell more musky in the EU?

I don't know; didn't really notice.

Vol2tex posted...

Fascinating, I wanted to go there this year.

Don't make a mistake with the train tickets like I did; we bought a 10 pack, and used only 2... They're not refundable, and majority of the train stations I went to had broken ticket counters (i.e. free fare).
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Beware the pickpocket gangs. They use kids & the elderly! Got my friends phone and her camera. I've even seen them pose as street performers.
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i thought this was about the sex tape
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IdiotMachine posted...

Oh and general thing I don't like about London/Berlin/Paris (perhaps this applies to Europe as a whole):
*There is no free tap water at restaurants. There is no free refill for drinks either. A bottle of coke goes for around 4 euros (Holy crap). Beer and wine are cheaper!
*Some restaurants add a service charge... Others don't... Some even ask for tips... This is very confusing.
*You have to pay for a public bathroom. Some pubs/smaller restaurants, you have to pay also, even if you ate there.

What I didn't like in Europe was that it was so hard to get a cold glass of water or soda. It was just below room temperature. If I asked for ice I got a second glass full of ice with a spoon in it. Small thing but still.
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Paris is overrated imo, I vastly preferred Barcelona.
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Tried snails for the first time. Very surprisingly good. I thought it would taste awful... Pleasantly surprised.
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my two days in france made me think most french people really dont like people who arent french
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I heard they have a zipline from the Eiffle Tower now. I'm terrified of heights so I didn't even go up on the observation deck.
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People in Quebec are also very rude and hate english speakers. Is there a connection?
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IdiotMachine posted...

Arrived CDG (Paris) from TXL (Berlin), and made my way to the hotel from the airport; some thoughts:
*There is literally no passport check, customs, etc... You just walk out to the street. lolwat
*There are a lot of homeless here... They're sleeping in the airport. On my way from the arrivals to RER transfer, I saw at least ten homeless just sleeping on the ground. What a bad first impression of the capital city of France.
*I saw at least two people "jumping the gates" to the RER... Berlin public transit system is based on a trust system (no ticket swiping), and of the three random checks that were done in Berlin, not a single person was caught without a ticket... So this was quite different experience fresh off the plane.
*On the RER and the subways: The city is very multicultural, compared to Berlin. Seemed like most people in Berlin were native Germans (aside from tourists); Paris had quite a wide variety of people.
*Public display of affection is everywhere. On the train, I saw a couple going at least second base; on the streets, I saw a few couples passionately kissing and hugging.
*Parisian women really don't shave their armpits.
*I like the French language much better than the German language.
*French hospitality seems less friendly/hospitable compared to the Germans, at least so far on my first night.

Fake news!

brestugo posted...

I heard they have a zipline from the Eiffle Tower now. I'm terrified of heights so I didn't even go up on the observation deck when I was there.

They do. I saw that and was amazed that the government allowed them to do that to something so iconic.
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So we went to Versailles, and the line was really long. When we were right at the pre-ticket entrance, this French guy cut right in front of us. I called him out on it, and he's like "why don't you talk to the staff?". I kept giving him shit while we were waiting in line (like some kid kept bumping into his leg, and he glared at the parents; I said "being an extra big asshole, you line cutter", etc...), and he kept ignoring me.

Then we got to the ticket check, and he took out his ticket. I put my ticket in front of his, and told the staff this guy cut everyone. He glared at me. The people behind me backed me up, and the ticket checker took my ticket and scanned it. The guy put his hand on his chest, gasped loudly, said something in French, and just walked ahead of me to security check (without scanning his ticket).

The security guard yelled at him and stopped him. I told them what happened, and the French cutter responded "mind your own business", to which I replied "it is my business; in fact, it is everyone's business because you made all of us wait more, you asshole". The guards forced him to exit and he made a big ass scene.

Honestly that was satisfying. Fuck French people, but good on French security lol.
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Stories like these are why I made sure to bully one of the French guys I knew in college.

Pika was chill, Dubya had it coming.

he REALLY hated being called Dubya
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IdiotMachine posted...

But London to Berlin, we had to do a passport and customs check when we arrived in Berlin.

the UK isn't part of the schengen zone. but once you're on mainland europe then you can travel around fairly easily
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also i do love hearing when americans visit europe (or even the other way round) to hear all of the cultural differences
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Our trip is almost over... And France was the most beautiful city in terms of architecture when compared tih London and Berlin. Berlin had the best food (pretzels, sausages, and beer for so cheap!) and the most interesting history (WW2 and Cold War), and London had the best people that we encountered.
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IdiotMachine posted...

Here's an example:
The menu was a three course meal. I was pointing at what I wanted on the menu for the appetizer (because I don't speak French, and the menu was in French; thank God for Google Camera Translate), and the waiter started to pull the menu out of my hands. I had to literally hold onto it hard so that he doesn't take it. And he wouldn't let go... It was like a power struggle until I finished pointing to all of the three courses.

Another example: We needed our waiter, and we couldn't find him... So I asked another waiter for a check, and he said he's not my waiter. So I asked him to get our waiter, and he flat out said "no", and walked away.

How hard is it to say je voudrais [item], s'il vous plait
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Interesting topic

what did you think of london?
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IdiotMachine posted...

*Some restaurants add a service charge... Others don't... Some even ask for tips... This is very confusing.

You're American, correct? You should be used to being forced to give massive tips in restaurants then.

Always been fine in Paris and Montreal was lovely.
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PokemonYoutube posted...

IdiotMachine posted...

*Some restaurants add a service charge... Others don't... Some even ask for tips... This is very confusing.

You're American, correct? You should be used to being forced to give massive tips in restaurants then.

I guess what I mean is, if there is no service charge and there is no option to tip, am I supposed to tip? And from what I read, the tip is basically "round up to the nearest non-coin", typically 1-5%... But the two restaurants that asked for tip had a 5/10/12% option.
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I have been to Paris twice and did not have any experiences as bad as the ones you describe. And I don't think it was just me being lucky.
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Parappa09 posted...

what did you think of london?

Big Ben was under scaffolding. We took a tour of the Parliament and learned a lot on how the British government works, with the House of Commons and the Lords. The city seemed vibrant, and very liberal; for example, there were homosexual bars literally named "GAY BAR". This was not what I thought of London... Thought London would be very conservative, what with still having a royal family and whatnot.

We went to Kensington Palace and was really underwhelmed by it. The Versailles Palace runs circles on it! But from the "commoners" point of view, the "modest" nature of Kensington Palace is refreshing.

There seems to be two types of British accent; one sounds very posh and elegant, the other sounds very harsh.

Some more thoughts later I suppose.
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There are loads of English* accents and very fee of us speak posh.

English accents* the UK is made up of four countries with various accents.
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Back on the RER to get to central Paris, I forgot to mention one thing: I don't like Paris trains because all seats face each other. Why do they do that? Bleh.
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IdiotMachine posted...

Big Ben was under scaffolding. We took a tour of the Parliament and learned a lot on how the British government works, with the House of Commons and the Lords. The city seemed vibrant, and very liberal; for example, there were homosexual bars literally named "GAY BAR". This was not what I thought of London... Thought London would be very conservative, what with still having a royal family and whatnot.

We went to Kensington Palace and was really underwhelmed by it. The Versailles Palace runs circles on it! But from the "commoners" point of view, the "modest" nature of Kensington Palace is refreshing.

There seems to be two types of British accent; one sounds very posh and elegant, the other sounds very harsh.

Some more thoughts later I suppose.

yeah parliament is undergoing essential maintenance at the moment since it's literally falling to pieces. it's going to take a while to fix, and they're probably going to have to move out

and nah london is very liberal, it's like it's own country. it's not the same as anywhere else in england

sounds like you stuck to the main tourist hotspots
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Well, I'm terribly sorry that these people who are struggling to survive inconvenienced your vacation TC
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