Chaos in France

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Re: Chaos in France

#41 Post by OFSO » Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:54 pm

Macron, it seems, is blaming the Sacking of Paris on capitalism.

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Re: Chaos in France

#42 Post by OFSO » Mon Mar 18, 2019 5:25 pm

Chief of Police of Paris has been sacked. Interestingly his predecessor has the house opposite to me. He is a very big and very fit man. Strong views. I think he got fed up with the PC bullsh*t poured on his shoulders.

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Re: Chaos in France

#43 Post by Capetonian » Tue Mar 19, 2019 2:33 pm

I though this might entertain some of our number. It's a translation from Spanish of a letter I received years ago from friends who lived in Madrid after a visit to Paris. Just happened to come across the file earlier while looking for something else.
A visit to the City of the Light Fingered ……..

I received the following from a friend who recently made his first visit to Paris, the so-called City of Light, the most romantic city in the world …… Perhaps it should be called the City of the Light Fingered, or simply the city of Shite. Read on …….

I’ve translated it from the original Spanish trying to keep the translation as accurate as possible without imposing any of my own opinions – believe me – I didn’t need to! In fairness to Air France, I would add however that the experiences he mentions with that airline could have just as easily taken place on Spain’s atrocious national airline, Iberia, as I’ve suffered similar treatment at their hands more than once.

My fiancée and I took a short trip to Paris, as we had heard that it is the most romantic, and one of the most beautiful, cities in the world.
We arrived nearly three hours late, after a two hour flight by Air France from Madrid. We were given no explanation nor apology for the delay, neither by the ground staff nor by the aircraft crew, simply a brief announcement that the landing time was 1845.
Our luggage did not arrive, and when we left Paris four days later, it had still not arrived. We had to fight with the very unhelpful Air France ground crew in Paris to get the minimum entitlement to buy new clothes and toiletries, although we are still out of pocket. The people did not make any effort to try to speak to us in Spanish or English, and we were helped only by the kindness of another passenger on the same flight who had also lost his baggage.

Our baggage was returned to our flat in Madrid a week after we arrived back, with one suitcase broken, and part of the contents missing. Air France are still ‘investigating’ this but refusing to pay us the value of the missing goods.

We took a train into Paris and were shocked at the dirty state of the train and the station, and as it was late at night, we felt unsafe due to the presence of a group of unsavoury looking youths on the train. Some were smoking (not tobacco!) and when we indicated to them by pointing at the sign that this was a non smoking carriage, they began making what seemed to be threatening remarks, which then turned into obscene gestures and movements as they pointed at my fiancee’s chest and backside.

From the railway station we took a taxi to the hotel. The taxi driver pretended not to understand us nor to know where the hotel was, although it was printed on the hotel slip and in a well known area. He did not switch the meter on, and charged us 45 Euros for a ten minute journey. The hotel staff told us that the correct fare should have been less than half of that.

We were given the key to our room, which did not have a bath as promised, but a small shower cubicle with a dribble of lukewarm water, and a view onto the back of another block although we had been promised a ‘superb view’. I suppose this is a subjective opinion, as we looked into the kitchen and the pigsty of a bedroom of the opposite flat and if we had wanted to learn French kitchen or bedroom techniques (we didn’t – Spanish is far superior in both areas) this would have been ideal.

Our room smelt of stale air, cigarettes, and unwashed clothes and bodies, a smell we later got used to when travelling on Paris public transport as it seems that the French have a problem with the use of soap, water, and toothpaste, and we could not open the window as it was sealed shut with many layers of paint. Two of the three lightbulbs in the ceiling did not work, and the sheets looked as if someone else had previously slept in them. The price for this hotel was 120 Euros a night, which although not expensive, should have at least given us a clean room with functioning facilities.

Our request for another room was refused, and we were told that we would have to speak to the manager on the next day. When we tried to find the manager the next day he was ‘on holiday’, and nobody else had authority to move us. The hotel staff refused to help us to phone Air France to trace our missing baggage, and when we called them, they hung up the ‘phone when they realised we could not speak French, although we tried both Spanish and English, thinking that they should certainly speak the latter.

We thought that Paris was filthy, and we admit that our own Madrid is not the cleanest city in Europe. We had to constantly watch our step to avoid dog mess on the pavements, and this is not to mention the paper and other litter which people throw down. The Parisians lived up to their reputation of being rude and arrogant, and when walking, they would walk into us or push us off the pavement.

Paris, supposedly a gastronomic dream, has more junk food outlets than anywhere else outside the US, and these are well patronised by the French. The ‘brasserie’ type restaurants that made Paris famous seem to be dying out, and the two or three that we found were very poor, the worst being the quality of the meat and the rudeness of the serving staff. In one place, our bill was inflated by about 30 Euros on a 30 Euro snack lunch, and when we challenged this they pretended that they thought the people on the next table were with us and that we were paying for them.

We had to purchase toiletries and cosmetics to replace those which the airline had lost. Although most of the brands my fiancée bought are French, they are considerably more expensive than in Spain. We didn’t take it all back to Spain with us, because several of the expensive cosmetics and an item of clothing my fiancée had bought were stolen from our room in the hotel. The receptionist, when we complained, told us that this was ‘impossible’. Now thoroughly fed up with the Parisians and their rudeness and dishonesty, we went to the police where we encountered the only polite French person during our stay. He even called a Spanish speaking colleague and offered us coffee whilst helping us to make our report, and told us that making the report was a waste of time as nothing would happen, but at least we could claim from the insurance.

This was luckily the last day of our holiday. We were happy to see the airport for our flight home, even if it meant having to again fly on Air France. The only thing they could not do to us was lose our baggage, because we had none other than two small cabin bags. They did everything else. We were delayed again, without explanation or apology, the cabin staff were surly and unpleasant, and the food, like most of the food we had in France, was poorly prepared and inedible – this by the way was in business class as the flight was overbooked and they offered us money to take a later one. When we refused, they upgraded us to business class and acted as if we should be on our knees for this enormous favour.

If we never see Paris, or France, again, that will suit me. And I haven’t even mentioned the terrible weather ……… I suppose it isn’t fair to blame the French for that!

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Re: Chaos in France

#44 Post by 1DC » Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:32 pm

Nothing has changed with AF, Oz daughter came home for Christmas with KLM, for some reason her return was changed to AF. She said AF was the worst flight she had taken in years, she just felt as if the passengers were resented by the cabin crew because they were getting in the way and making them work for a living'.

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Re: Chaos in France

#45 Post by OFSO » Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:32 pm

I visit Paris four times a year on business and pass thru perhaps six times in addition. With one exception I utterly refute the Spanish letter above. Six hotels in the past 45 years, all clean. Never been in a dirty train or bus. Taxis and their drivers are clean. Never see dog excrement on pavement, or human either, unlike Brussels. Years ago when at work I flew once or twice a week from FFaM to CdG business class on Air France. Impeccable service.

However these days weekends are to be avoided as there's a civil war going on. Even when it isn't, the visitor needs VERY deep pockets, Paris being rated the most expensive city in the world in which to live. Oh and traffic is abonimable, worse than London.

One exception: two visits ago a large jovial NR driver tried to charge me a set €40 price for an €18 journey "because he had a large minibus not a car" I told him he should be happy with €20 and he was - more or less.

Had similar incidents elsewhere.

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Re: Chaos in France

#46 Post by Capetonian » Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:50 pm

As far as the hotel quality is concerned, I think it would be fair to add that they would have stayed at Le Palais Ultra-Cheap as they had very little money at the time.

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Re: Chaos in France

#47 Post by BenThere » Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:37 pm

I, too, have only had good experience on the maybe ten flights I've flown on Air France as a passenger. But I'm a Francophile, speak French, though poorly, have spent a lot of time there, mostly in Provence, and generally love the country.

On my last trip as an airline pilot, I had a three day trip Detroit-Paris, return, with a 30 or so hour layover at the crew hotel in Montparnasse, near to the train station. The hotel was rated 4* but I would rate it 3* due to a small lobby and limited on-site services. But it was clean and comfortable, and the staff was cheerful and helpful. My company, Delta, had provided my wife with a first class ticket to accompany me on my retirement trip.

We ate at a Michelin 3* restaurant that was outrageously expensive, but memorably good. I bit the bullet on the tab, but immensely enjoyed the meal. I think I've posted before about that restaurant which only seats less than 40 people and requires months ahead reservations. I was able to book it early as I had planned out the trip well ahead. There again, the restaurant staff knew it was my retirement dinner and treated us like royalty. The chef came out and presented us with a fine bottle of Bordeaux and a handshake. The wine was gratis, though at the prices I was paying I was only partially soothed. Overall it was a superbly delightful experience.

On the other hand (this was in 2016) I thought Paris was showing many signs of deterioration from previous glory. San Francisco, once a signature US destination, is going through the same throes.

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Re: Chaos in France

#48 Post by OFSO » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:15 pm

Macron has ordered the French army onto the streets of Paris next weekend with the strictly limited function of protecting public buildings. So hard luck if you own a bar, a shop, a restaurant or a bank, because your taxes are not going to be used to defend your property.

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Re: Chaos in France

#49 Post by OFSO » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:16 am

France 24 reports outrage at Macron's order to put the army on the streets of Paris tomorrow. But the public only have two choices: see the Champs Elysees burn or have the military impose control.

One possible solution would be to supply each side with an ample supply of white flags. It's not generally known that France has the largest stockpiles of white flags in the world, with at least three flags per person available to respond to invasions from right, left and centre..

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Re: Chaos in France

#50 Post by OFSO » Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:35 pm

General Bruno Leray who is in charge of the French army has authorised soldiers called in to protect Paris tomorrow to open fire if their lives or those of civilians they defend are threatened.

Driving through Paris in February our taxi driver said "Paris has become a war zone.'

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Re: Chaos in France

#51 Post by OFSO » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:25 pm

No, said Macron this evening, they won't be allowed to shoot. So why are they going to be there...

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Re: Chaos in France

#52 Post by Slasher » Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:37 am

Couldn't care less about the Ffrogs nor their politics but I thought this was interesting.




Like Venezuela the buggers brought it on themselves.

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Re: Chaos in France

#53 Post by OFSO » Sat Mar 23, 2019 11:51 am

General Leray, the Military Commander of Paris, interviewed this morning on France 24 said that of course his soldiers can shoot if they have a suitable target. I could recommend two people who have the letter "M" as the first in their surnames.

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Re: Chaos in France

#54 Post by OFSO » Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:16 pm

France 24 just showed live on the TV news some short, old, stout lady being dragged from an anti-Macron demo in Nice by two soldiers, she ineffectively pummeling the soldiers on their arms. Police officer stepped forward and told the soldiers to release the old dear, told her to calm down, and escorted her back to her sit-down protest.

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Re: Chaos in France

#55 Post by Capetonian » Sat Mar 23, 2019 11:05 pm

Tonight's Air Frog arrival into.CPT cancelled, not sure why, but it's a few hundred less of them here.

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Re: Chaos in France

#56 Post by Gee Spot » Sun Mar 24, 2019 2:27 am

BenThere wrote:
Mon Jan 28, 2019 8:20 am
As always, you get what you vote for, if you still have a democracy, that is.
Of course you do..

I’ve never know a politician to fail to deliver 100% on all promises.

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Re: Chaos in France

#57 Post by OFSO » Sat Mar 30, 2019 7:37 pm

Report in the FT yesterday that due to Macron's surrendering to the Gilet Jeunes, France is ascending the ladder of indebted nations from place five to place four.

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Re: Chaos in France

#58 Post by Slasher » Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:17 am

Liberté, égalité, fraternité, baisée.

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Re: Chaos in France

#59 Post by OFSO » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:47 pm

75% of all speed cameras in France have been destroyed by the Gilets Jeunes since the national speed limit was reduced from 90kph to 80kph. Damage estimated at €660,000,000. New 4m tall tower multi radar multi lane speed cameras to be installed which are impossible to destroy. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Vive la France !

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Re: Chaos in France

#60 Post by BenThere » Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:20 pm

Good! Speed cameras have nothing to do with safety. They are there to squeeze yet more revenue from the people to feed their government.

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