I won't bore you today with all the details of our trip (that's reserved for tomorrow.) I /will/ say, however, that the French could not have been kinder or more charming. After a year of parrying hostile questions from Ukrainians, a nation only tangenitally involved in the Iraq conflict, I expected a fair amount of it from the French.
Not a whisper. While I retain my healthy disdain for their political culture, I must give them their due on a personal level. They did an admirable job of separating the personal from the political.
Speaking of politics... We were faced constantly by museum closings because the labor unions were striking. Communists clogged several of the metro stations, yelling slogans, singing the Internationale and waving red banners. Hammer-and-sickle banners for the Turkish Communist Party were everywhere. And, my favorite, an abandoned McDonalds had been occupied by anti-globalists and pasted with placards. They literally sat at a booth in the doorway and handed out anti-American literature. I was thankful for the online research I'd done on rude French hand gestures. Dead useful information to have with you.
All said though, a wonderful visit. Even the waiters were friendly. In fact, one of them is a friend now, and might be popping over to see me the next time he visits Poland. If you've been avoiding France for fear of anti-war backlash, don't let it deter you.
Posted by Discoshaman at juin 3, 2003 01:00 PM | TrackBack
I must agree with you on the French. My three weeks in Metz thus far could not have been better. The only question I have had about the war and Bush was from a Dutchman when I went to Amsterdam last weekend. The labor strikes can be a little annoying, as the walk to school is at least half an hour when the buses don't run. It is a nice neighborhood though, so I can't really complain about that either.
I'm glad you had a good trip. Were you able to see the Da Vinci exhibit at the Louvre? I've heard it was fascinating. I plan on taking a weekend trip to Paris at the end of the month just to see that.
We went to the Louvre twice, but not to the da Vinci exhibition. The kids were just thrilled to see the -real- Mona Lisa. Tennyson's favorite was the statue of Hercules fighting the hydra. I'm sure you'll love the Louvre. To be honest, I wish we had been able to go to the Musee d'Orsay twice, too. It was amazing. The kids stood forever looking at Degas' "Little Dancer."
Just a warning--twice when we were there, museums were closed because of strikes. We had more trouble with Communists in France than in this former USSR country. . .
Posted by: the Duchess at juin 7, 2003 02:23 PMHere in Metz, the strikes are getting a little violent. Some of my colleagues watched the SWAT (what's the French equivalent?) team repel a riotous crowd in front of the train station yesterday.
Posted by: Nathanael at juin 11, 2003 12:55 PM