My brother and his wife just returned from Europe and report that as usual the Germans were nicer to them than the Swiss. The surprise is that the Swiss were nicer, for the first time in decades, than the French.
As soon as the French recognized an American accent, they turned their backs. Rudeness was the French game.
Silly children. Americans certainly don't treat French visitors that way.
The French treated me that way when I was a travelling teenager in 1959. The Russians in Moscow treated me that way in 1983 just after President Reagan designated them the Evil Empire.
My friend Alex, who grew up in French Canada, says this is always the case for the French. The French are currently upset as the evidence grows that they are steadily becoming more insignificant in the world. The future prospects for the French are grim.
Sounds like the French have much in common with the Arab world -- long-term declining prospects. Will the French be sending suicide bombers to New York?