Villas and Apartments For Sale in Southern France

If you get to taste some Belgian chocolate you can expect to not want to eat Hearshies for a year or so.

I bet you will be trying out your french. There are a few people you will meet that will be a little hostile or arrogant when they detect your American accent. It was like that back in 1998 it will still be there. Do your best to ignore them. That will be more likely to happen in Paris. Just remember we have our cities too and not everyone in them is welcoming to outsiders either. Though you will find that a lot of the people you meet will speak english. They may actually try to turn the tables on you and practice their english with you just as you are trying to practice french. A conversation in 2 second languages can be interesting to say the least. Expect comunication to be difficult anyway though. Put extra effort into understanding what people say. If you don’t understand try to help them out in your own mind with what they may have meant to say given the context of the situation. If all else fails often hand signals and gestures can go a long way. Just always expect the best of intentions from people trying to comunicate.

If you have a lot of money on you split it up into small groups and put it in different pockets with zippers or other fasteners. When you take money out you don’t need to take a whole big tempting wad out, just the right amount to buy what you need. The problem isn’t so much that there is more crime in other countries, it is the fact that you will be easy to spot as tourists and tourists are known for carrying lots of cash so you may get targeted by pickpockets and scammers.

Try your best to opt out of American restaurants. Pick something up from a bakery, frittery, or cafe if you need a snack and eat at local restaurants. Just be aware that they do serve raw meat in some restaurants, so you need to recognize the word for it. Don’t be afraid to try out stuff from street vendors in carts and trailers and such. Use good judgment but often you will find the best stuff there.

Try to maintain good situational awareness. Don’t rely too much on a guide or group leader but attempt at least to understand where you are, where you are going, and where you will need to be at what times. That way if something does happen and you get separated or lost you can take care of yourself. Keep your own copy of maps if you can. Pick up a brochure from the hotel you are staying at and if you get lost you can hail a cab and just use the brochure to let the driver know where to go if you can’t communicate very well.

There is something cultural about personal space. Americans have one of the largest personal space. We generally stand about where you could put your thumb in the ear of the other person when facing each other. Many Europeans and in fact a lot of the world stand comfortably much closer. If you interact with people and feel they are in your face take a moment to consider. If you see yourself subconsciously taking a step away you may also see them subconsciously approach to a distance they are more comfortable with. When walking together on sidewalks you will often see Americans end up in the street because of this little social phenomenon.