We are going to France for our first camping trip abroad this summer and have chosen France (the Vendee) for a number of reasons. Basically the ease of the journey, the area itself (long sandy beaches), the weather and my basic knowledge of french, and my eldest son's studying of french at school have all helped us decide on France as our first taste of camping abroad. Hopefully when the children are older we will travel further afield and I would love to try Italy and the Netherlands.
netherlands is great, and english is generally understood, not the same pressure to speak in the 'home' language as there is in France, denmark is similar - because they are countries with small linguistic spread they learn other languages -
we are bone idle, and get away with it because of the spread of english or american!
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But it´s all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can´t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Ricky Nelson
Because that's where God would go on holiday if he could. Because the food's good, the wine's better, if you can string a sentence together in French you can escape the Brits and their feral children... and pay about 10% what they pay for a pitch. Because of the surf on the west coast, the Med on the south coast....
Surely you all know that when God created France, He gave it the best scenery, mountains, rivers, climate, food etc.
All the other countries were jealous, and so He created ............
The French
But seriously, I love France and spend as much time there each year as possible, usually 3 or 4 trips a year. They really are pleased if you attempt to speak French, rather than assuming that they will speak English. Actually, away from the main tourist areas, or camping a la ferme, French really is the only language spoken, and your efforts much appreciated. But don't you just hate it on larger sites if you go to check in in French, and they reply in English? Especially the Scandinavian students employed for the Summer who seem to speak fluently in several languages. I guess they do it "because they can"
Re my comment about the Dutch. We were in Holland and people just didn't seem to 'do' much queuing.....fair enough it was their country! Just 'cos we queue doen't mean that everyone has to. Just as a Brit it stood out to me.
And as I sad on a one to one they were very pleasent and helpful.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Umm... I lived in Amsterdam for some years (en ik spreek nederlands ook!) and I have come to the conclusion that ain't dog sh*te. My view is it's junkie sh*te:-(
I'm also not sure Dutch people queue jump more than we do either. On the one hand, they're taller than we are on average and less inhibited so it can be a bit scarey if you're in a crowd. On the other hand, as I noticed in my bus queue tonight, we all stand there looking like it's a queue until the bus gets there and we all rush at once.
When I first went to Holland the thing that worried me was the number of students wherever you go. They're very loud as well as large and when you get a troop of them getting off a train... it can be a bit overwhelming. But they're a good-natured lot and I think what was bugging me was if they'd been English there was a risk they'd have been either drunk or abusive. But they werent:-)
We went camping in France last year to Messanges, Les Landes. We also found the French people that were staying on our campsite very rude. The children would punch and spit at our children in the pool for no reason at all. The campsite had a variety of nationalties on the site and we actually found the Dutch people on our site wanted to try to speak to us, even if they could not speak too much English, and they were really friendly towards us. Their children always wanted to play with our children. They also found the French people not very friendly.
In the supermarkets, we tried to speak a bit of french and the French people were friendly then, but the actual French holidaymakers on our campsite were realy unfriendly and rude.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I worked in Holland for a while. In Zeldweg, Den Haag, Zootermeer Gouda. So many lovely places. I also went to Amstredam, and didn't find anything to complain about. It's a gorgeous place, if a little flat?
The French have never been anything other than courteous, helpful and charming with me. I love them as a race. They're cool.....
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Why France?
