Paris: Lessons To Live By (Or At Least Vacation By) In A Latin Country
Something to remember in France: It's a Latin country. Things do not always work as promised or expected; stores are not always open when they say they are.
This means the "bird in the hand" adage applies. For example: A working Métro ticket dispenser is to be patronized; you don't wait until you need a new carnet (book of tickets), because there may not be a ticket dispenser at that station or it may be out of order.
Accordingly, Monday night, I needed to print out the tickets we bought online for the dinosaur show at the Museum of Natural History (here in Paris) that we're planning on going to Wednesday. There are very few cyber cafes now in Paris, but there was one close to us. I went to the cyber cafe on the rue Mignon -- and of course found it shuttered, despite their reported hours (open till 22:00 -- 10pm). Not surprisingly, their own site is down, so I had to look at CityVox.
Luckily, I went to the Holiday Inn right by there, told them the cyber cafe was closed and asked if they knew another nearby. (There isn't one -- the closest one is adjacent to le Jardin du Luxembourg.) I was thinking I could maybe use the computer in their business center (which I assumed they had), but I thought it was probably better not to ask directly. The clerk suggested I do that, said it was a 3 eu minimum, showed me the way, and then printed the PDF of the tickets off my flash drive for me (because I apparently couldn't use the flash drive in the biz center's computer).
This is just Paris as usual. I don't get mad at these things; I just know to prepare. These are tickets needed Wednesday and Gregg was cooking dinner, so it was a good time to go stave off a big pain in the ass trying to print them on Tuesday.
P.S. If you're here, and you want to go to that dino show, you have to buy your tickets in advance -- online or at FNAC.
Why is this excusable?
You'd never put up with that in your own first-world nation.
Radwaste at November 27, 2012 2:37 AM
Briefly, because we're going out, there are tradeoffs for everything, and I don't need to deal with Internet cafes in California because I have two printers at home.
Amy Alkon at November 27, 2012 5:51 AM
That cyber café at Luxembourg (not really a café, just an internet access shop) is excellent. It's called Le Jardin de l'Internet, it has QWERTY keyboards and it's always full of gorgeous young women sighing over something-or-other as they surf the net.
Neville Parchemin at November 27, 2012 7:02 AM
Agree with Radwaste. Capriciously closing during published business hours is one reason I dislike mom and pop stores. It will make me /never/ patronize that store again.
It's not quaint just because it's a foreign city.
Insufficient Poison at November 27, 2012 7:23 AM
Second time trying this, sorry if it duplicates.
A couple years ago my wife and I were in a nice hotel in Venice, Italy, and woke up in the morning with no hot water. Silly American that I am, I called the front desk and was told the hot water went out the night before (apparently about 9:00 pm) and they were waiting for a plumber (who would undoubtedly arrive after he had his breakfast). Here in the States they'd have been dragging a plumber out of bed. In fact, a couple weeks ago we stayed at a hotel in Cape May, NJ for a wedding, there was no hot water and the lady at the front desk had a plumber there within an hour of my complaint and had the hot water flowing within an hour after that.
Mark HD at November 27, 2012 7:25 AM
Totally! When I lived in England, if my Internet went down on a Friday, they'd get to it Monday.
In Germany /last year/ they canceled our train to Paris, the last one out, and rather than stay to rebook all the displaced passengers, the ticket office staff closed 90 minutes early and went home. No e-mail. Not even a sign on the door.
I love living in a country where this is rarely acceptable.
Insufficient Poison at November 27, 2012 7:37 AM
The lack of a customer service orientation probably causes some of the ugly American stories we hear about.
And then there's a feedback loop where the last five American customers were rude so the shop person decides not to be nice to the the next American customer. That just cycles on and on.
Jim P. at November 27, 2012 8:45 AM
So much for just-in-time inventory.
Cousin Dave at November 27, 2012 9:46 AM
"A couple years ago my wife and I were in a nice hotel in Venice, Italy, and woke up in the morning with no hot water. Silly American that I am..."
....you think people bathe every day. Wake up; you're in Europe. Use cologne like they do. That way when the electricity is out too, people can find oyu. That's how it works over there.
Jim at November 27, 2012 11:04 AM
Hey, commenters: If you don't like the way things are done in other countries, by all means stay home. More chance of my getting a good table at Cafe Flore.
Amy, you once said to me that it makes you happy to think of someone you like being in Paris--and it makes me really happy to think of your being there right now. You even made a silk purse out of that sow's ear of a canal walk.
Now this faithful reader would love to hear what the Queen of Low-carbing is eating in Paris. S'il vous plait.
casey at November 27, 2012 1:30 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/11/27/paris_lessons_t.html#comment-3483959">comment from caseyCasey, it always makes me happy to think of someone I like in Paris.
And thanks (re: silk purse!). I usually enjoy even the misadventures.
As for what I'm eating in Paris, duck, fish, lamb, veal, steak, green beans, salad, pate, mushrooms, bacon (poitrine fumé), saucisson, beets, carrots, other vegetables, eggs, spinach soup, creamed spinach, cheese and a little chocolate and a little ice cream.
Amy Alkon at November 27, 2012 3:51 PM
Oh, and I think I just had the best meal of my life tonight, at Ze Kitchen Galerie (and told the chef so on the way out)...so, I think I'll just deal with the closed Internet cafe.
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/france/paris/53112/ze-kitchen-galerie/restaurant-detail.html
I've been to the cafe by le Jardin -- both of them. (There are -- or were -- two.) I didn't really need anything other than some pages printed, and our friend M (who was cooking us dinner and would have printed these Monday night) got sick, so Gregg made us dinner at home instead.
Amy Alkon at November 27, 2012 4:01 PM
I do not think Amy found it excusable?! It is more SOP of some places and she just more understood it. Rather then screaming and wailing about her situation. Sounds like she used her brain and found an alternative.
Sometimes people just have to try. Have contingencies on hand or in mind. Rather then panic (which I do at times), stop and think. Then find a way around or through it or ignore it.
Through the bus example above would get my panties in a twist. More so as you had what is called an implicit agreement.
Amy did not have an agreement with the store, well until she plunked money down for a computer.
Thinking have I had any situation like this for me lately? All I can think of is the odd taxi driver saying no either due to distance,direction or my race (its hard being white). Rather then insistent and babble at the driver. I shrug shoulders, and wait for the next taxi which at the most was 5 minutes.
John Paulson at November 28, 2012 7:06 AM
The lack of a customer service orientation probably causes some of the ugly American stories we hear about.
Definitely. Whenever I travel, I have to make a conscious mental shift to expect crappy customer service (the ask nicely/negotiate/escalate/ask for a manager thing doesn't fly in a lot of places, I've found).
Last time I was in Germany, I had printed out my hostel reservation confirmations AND called ahead to the hostels to confirm. When I got to one of the hostels, they were basically like, "Woopsie, there is no reservation for you." I handed them my print-out, and the young lady at the desk said, "Well someone has made a mistake. I do not know who made the mistake, but there is no room for you. We are full." I asked to speak with a supervisor, only to be told, "I am the only one here, and the owner cannot go kick someone out of their room. You will have to leave now." I asked if she could recommend another hostel nearby, only to get an eyeroll, a giggle and a "No."
I think the most off-putting thing, however, is in the places where it's not customary to speak clearly to the customer and make eye contact. Eye contact and speaking "loudly" is considered rude in certain parts of the world. Meanwhile, Americans tend to speak at a slightly higher volume than those in many other countries. This creates a frustrating situation when a hotel clerk is looking sideways and doing what Americans consider "mumbling" while the American customer is looking right at the hotel clerk and asking very pointed questions (Why did I get only one bed when my reservation says I should have two?) at a volume that the hotel clerk considers "yelling."
In any case, if you can't adjust to those things, by all means, stay home. I like that Amy turned a really frustrating thing into a story, and those stories quickly become the best parts about traveling.
sofar at November 28, 2012 10:00 AM
Unfortunately I'm not in Paris right now but here in the States it's National French Toast Day!
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/11/28/national-french-toast-day/?hpt=hp_bn11
So I've got that going for me.
Which is nice.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 28, 2012 10:40 AM
>>Americans tend to speak at a slightly higher volume than those in many other countries.
Yes, that's why I never go to Café Flore (well, that and the prices I can't afford).
Neville Parchemin at November 28, 2012 12:31 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/11/27/paris_lessons_t.html#comment-3488984">comment from Neville ParcheminI didn't go to Flore this time because Gregg insists that I take an actual vacation instead of a work-cation (though I did spend about two or three hours a day working on my book, during the jet lag hours [awakening at 4 or 5 am for a bunch of days]).
Anyway, when I would come to Paris and spend time writing, I did it upstairs at Flore and/or in the morning and the Americans who were there were few, polite, and fit in well. I sometimes sit downstairs streetside, but upstairs is usually my milieu.
Upstairs, mostly, there are French people -- a French novelist I know, the French couple with the twin Yorkies who come for lunch and always ask about Lucy when they see me, and various and sundry other Frogs. You aren't hearing Americans shouting, and frankly, I heard not a one this time. I guess it helps that we're here in November and it's not a huge tourist time.
Amy Alkon at November 28, 2012 12:56 PM
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