Americans. Don't they get everywhere? And they are so LOUD. In gay paree - the land of romance, croissants, very strong coffee - the atmosphere was blighted by braying American accents. Now, I work with a lovely Californian and I do heart lots of American rock stars (sadly one of the Americans I came across wasn't Chris Cornell), but highly excitable American teens abroad do tend to grate. Whilst admiring the architecture of Notre Dame, and basking in the romance of the moment, we were rudely interrupted by a girl pronouncing to anyone within about 100 miles that she was on her European tour, had "done London, and was going to to Rome next". Well bloody sod off to Rome then, and put a sock in it too. Why is it that when I was a lass, the closest I got to a tour was a trip to visit my friend who lives in Yorkshire and then the annual trip to Cornwall?
And in a restaurant one evening, all the customers were entertained by a young chap telling his mate about his shenanigans at a "frat party" (don't you just hate that term?) with a young girl that he "didn't really like but she just jumped on him and it would have been rude to throw her off" !!! Is it just me? Who wants to hear that kind of crap while having their dinner? I just hope the girl in question saw the error of her ways, and next time uses her teeth instead.
And please, people who go abroad, at least attempt some communication in the mother tongue. Learning to say hello, thankyou and goodbye should be compulsory, and tested at the borders before people are let in. The number of Americans (and Brits too to be fair) who were patronising and rude to poor shopkeepers and cafe owners for not understanding English made me very cross. Or maybe the French are canny and pretend ignorance so they don't have to converse with the annoying teenagers?! By jove, I think I've cracked it :-)
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