PARIS — I had heard for many decades that the French dislike Americans, that they refuse to speak English to us out of spite.
Such criticism never has made sense to me, other than the nationalism that the late Charles de Gaulle instilled in his countrymen and women during his time as president.
My brief encounter with French folks, I am happy to report, has been quite pleasant. The taxi driver I hired to take me to the Eiffel Tower wasn’t much of a talker … then again, neither was I during our ride together through the hideous Paris traffic.
All the customer service employees I have encountered on my lengthy layover in this lovely city have been professional and have done their country proud with their courtesy.
Paris is gearing up to play host to the Summer Olympics later this year and I’ll just add that the city is spotlessly clean, at least along the streets and highways I traveled earlier today.
Athens was the previous Olympic city I visited. That was in 2003 and the city had embarked on a massive clean-up to prepare for the2004 Games. The Greeks were proud to host the Games and the French appear to be no less proud as their moment basking in the sports world sunshine approaches.
All in all, my brief exposure to France has been a wonderful experience.