A Maine Guide Goes to France

We have just returned from France where we visited our youngest son Nicholas who is studying at the University of Rennes this semester. We had a great adventure. For me it was the first time out of North America breaking one of my long standing rules. We traveled with Noah our oldest son and visited Paris, Normandy and the four of us made a side trip to Germany to visit relatives. The weather was for the most part cloudy and damp with rain most days the exception being the two days in Germany that featured bright blue skies with a little snow on the ground chilly air temperatures.

As someone in the tourism industry it was a great chance to put what I do into a new perspective. On a good part of the trip we were what we in the business refer to as cultural tourists. We visited many art museums the Normandy beaches where Argy’s dad landed on D-Day and several cathedrals. We also went to Christmas Markets in both Germany and France. We traveled by air, train, subway and taxi without any error or mix-up. Not even any lost luggage on the entire trip. We found the French train system to be on time, clean, efficient and for the most part pleasant. Airline connections were as good and I even thought that the meals on our Air France flights were pretty good.

We hired a guide in Normandy to visit the beaches and get an overview of the history. My relatives in Germany Gunther and Marianne served as out guides in southern Germany. It was a great chance to experience the service I provide as a user. Marianne and Gunther were the highlight of our trip for certain, they were great fun to spend time with, knew how to not only get us around but make sure we saw the highlights and stayed on schedule. From the Christmas Market in their small town to the family homestead we saw a bunch of interesting and fun sights. They were perfect hosts and there were tears all around when we left.

Our guide in Normandy made that trip because he had the information specific to the First Division that we could not have easily gotten on our own. Not to mention negotiating the narrow French back roads from Bayeaux to the beaches and back. The personal connection was not as strong and his demeanor different but he added a great deal to our experience, including a recommendation to see the tapestry and cathedral in town that afternoon.

From an industry perspective there were some surprises. Most everywhere with a little French and the local folks knowledge of English communication was not an issue. When we first arrived Nicholas met us at the airport and escorted us to our hotel in Paris. He of course speaks pretty good French and was used to navigating the city. In fact it was great fun to watch him purchase our train tickets for the rest of the trip. Working with the ticket agent who I am pretty sure could have done it all in English but was delighted to see Nicholas use French. It was a proud moment to see Nicholas using the skills he has developed in his months abroad, you hope that your children learn through these experiences but there was proof right before our eyes and ears. If someone came here from France I am certain that we would have a hard time delivering the same level of French speaking ability to help them navigate.

Being friendly makes all of the difference. The experience in Germany was so much better because Marianne and Gunther were glad to have us, smiled broadly and were clearly enjoying it as much as we were. Everyone we met seemed to share in that welcoming attitude maybe because we were enjoying it so much others wanted to join in the fun. In France a smile was a rare thing. While we only had a couple of the famously rude French waiters we did not really get a warm welcome feeling anywhere.

At some of the major attractions the pan handlers and con artists were very pushy and open. In fact Sacré Coeur was frightening there were so many and they were so aggressive. I need to be aware that the experience I provide can be tainted by someone else and need to give some thought to the ways that my customers experience can be negatively impacted by something out of my control. (That is besides the weather)

Overall an excellent experience that I enjoyed immensely. My only complaint is that I am having a hard time getting back on to eastern standard time. Waking very early in the morning and being exhausted by supper.