Originally Posted by
left_hook_lacey
Have to head back to the olde country for work again next month. I will be in Halmstad, Sweden the first week. I was just there for two weeks in June so I feel like I'm an honorary citizen now and know my way around pretty good thanks to DBR and the friendly locals. This trip however, I will have to spend the next three weeks in Toulouse, France. I will have several long weekends to explore, eat, relax, etc. so I'm looking for those can't miss places to check out while I'm there.
I love historic war sites and would love to make the trip to tour the beaches at Normandy, but I'm not sure if I should spend an entire weekend to make it to one site when I'm sure there are amazing things to see near where I'll be staying. Normandy is about a 7 hour trek according to the google.
I've heard that the local French aren't really considered helpful and friendly to American tourists, just wondering what you guys have experienced with that. Sweden and Denmark citizens were unbelievably welcoming, warm, and bend-over-backwards helpful when I was there.
Trying to learn some key french words, I heard it helps if you at least attempt to learn their language.
I have had no trouble with the French in almost 20 trips there. The people in the countryside are, of course, even more friendly than the Parisiens.
If you will be in Toulouse, which is in the southwest and far from the English channel, I would take advantage of that location. Don't miss the Pyrenees, which are close by (and, of course, Lourdes, if you need some special blessings -- who doesn't?). Biarritz, on the Atlantic, is three hours away and just across the Spanish border is the reportedly wonderful San Sebastian where M. et Mme. Sage Grouse are going next month. The Riviera, Bordeaux, Lyon are all worthy destinations -- and not too far. Carcassonne, an ancient fortress town, is close by.
Normandy is quite wonderful -- and emotionally powerful along the coast -- but is not typical of the rest of France. Brittany is more colorful, and the ancient Bretons are more closely related to the Welsh than to the Gauls.
Anyway, your trip sounds wonderful. In Toulouse, which is a world center of aircraft and space technology, you should have little trouble using English. In the villages, there always seem to be English speakers in the cafes and restaurants.
I am getting jealous of your journey.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013