.: culture : mash :.

And I thought I was the ugly American tourists, turns out the berets and nasal accents are what turn off most people.

 According to a recent international survey, the French are now considered the most obnoxious tourists from European nations, behind only Indians and the last-place Chinese as the worst among countries worldwide. And it’s not just the rest of the world that has a gripe with the Gallic attitude: the French also finished second to last among nations ranking the popularity of their own tourists who vacation at home.

And in bigger French news… my good friend Anne-Laure will be visiting me next month!!!   She hasn’t been to the States in over 10 years, and recently returned from another work trip to Afghanistan.

Many a broken language conversations will be had. Mostly, I’ll just laugh at her accent and pretend like I remember French. Trips are in order, and taking a break after my week of work at SIGGRAPH this year sounds perfect. In the mode right now to organize a few fun trips to SF, Vegas and hopefully some big trees up north.

[… , the poll finds that the French and Americans are similar in being perceived as critical and rude when they travel — though for different reasons. The same attractions that make France the world’s top destination for 92 million foreign visitors each year, says de Roux, also explain why more than 85% of French citizens vacation in-country — and wind up spoiled by it when they leave. “When they go abroad, French travelers demand the same quality they’d get at home,” de Roux says. “Americans, by contrast, demand the same exceptional service they are used to at home, which is why they rank as the loudest, most inclined to complain and among the least polite.” ]

See AL, we really ARE the same