Why do we always think that "ELSEWHERE" is better than our own country? (page 7 of 23)

because I hear from many people that it's really hard to form deep connections with the locals on the French Riviera...

It turns out that in Provence, more and more people are coming from all over France—Bretons, Parisians, Nantais, etc.—and it’s easier to bond with fellow "expats" that way!

Thank you ... for staying on the path that should be the only one taken by regulars of V-Forum when it comes to travel.

But what path are you talking about, and where exactly does this path lead, marked with such pebbles in your shoe?

A non-exhaustive selection:

"Parisians (with a few exceptions) have the annoying habit of generalizing their own stupidity and inability to be friendly and open to others to the whole of France"

"not all Parisians and other 'capitalists' are like that, but a good number are often very arrogant, even contemptuous toward 'provincials'"

"Unfortunately, nice Parisians are quite rare"

"the idiots who keep harping on about how the French have every flaw are also Parisian journalists."

"they’re arrogant, thinking they’re the center of the world"

"The French Riviera isn’t really the place where you’ll find what you’re looking for. Mass tourism means it’s pretty superficial."

"I hear from many people that it’s very difficult to form deep connections with locals on the French Riviera"

.../...

Travel... Travel opens unsuspected horizons. Travel elevates the spirit. Travel sheds light on the beauty of the world. Travel teaches humility. It’s so wonderful to travel. Travel sharpens curiosity... Leaving your daily life so far behind, opening up to a different culture, marveling at all that splendor, having tears in your eyes... Travel teaches you to be innocent again. Travel challenges preconceived ideas, clichés, prejudices... about others here or people elsewhere. Travel............. What, isn’t that the case?

What a joke!

If you want to side with the idealistic "optimists" who see good people and open-mindedness everywhere, or if you're looking to endorse the equally pessimistic and hypocritical idea that people are ultimately just as selfish and bad everywhere, I prefer to stick with a more "realistic" view: when traveling—as in life—there are jerks and less jerky people everywhere, honest folks and dishonest ones. In Thailand, the "land of smiles," just to give a quick example, on my first day in Bangkok, I met a guy coming home from work, probably tired. When I asked him where a certain hostel was, he played the "free guide" and offered to walk several kilometers with me on foot—even though he knew nothing about me. On my last day before flying out, in too much of a rush to miss my flight, with no buses around, I was offered a taxi near a "fancy" hotel. The driver, who clearly had "the means," turned out to be a total crook and pulled his scam in baht for just 5 kilometers. The world is relative—there’s plenty of mental dust out there, but sometimes you find rare little nuggets of light.

"

Travel... Travel opens unsuspected horizons. Travel elevates the spirit. Travel enlightens us about the world's beauty. Travel teaches humility. It's so wonderful to travel. Travel sharpens curiosity..."

Yes, who wouldn’t agree? It also teaches the reality of a much sadder world—if we’re willing to see it.

"Leaving your daily life so far behind, opening up to a different culture, marveling at all that splendor, having tears in your eyes... Travel teaches us to rediscover innocence."

For those who know how to marvel, there’s no need to go very far. But regaining that innocence in front of beautiful landscapes, opening up to a different culture while ignoring the cultural and regional differences in France, not knowing how to marvel at the Alps, the gorges of Ardèche or Aveyron, or the sometimes wild landscapes of Brittany—it makes me think this kind of talk is mostly meant to lull the masses. Knowing how to look is like knowing how to read. You have to be open to what doesn’t please you as much as to what delights you.

"

Travel shakes up preconceived ideas, clichés, prejudices... about others here or peoples elsewhere. Travel............. What, isn’t that it? What a joke!

"

Yes, I agree with you again, but you’re forgetting something:

...it shakes up preconceived ideas, clichés, prejudices... Or, sadly, confirms them.

What do you do with the realities you encounter in your travels? Do you "forget" them, "forgive" them, "not look at them"? Or do you have a mountain of excuses for everything that doesn’t come from that awful country, France?

Well said, YUROK, Your whole spiel is quite something; the Greens and Nicolas Hulot are small potatoes compared to the rant you just hit me with! As for me, I’m one of those pleasure-seekers who looks for enjoyment wherever I can find it—and why not somewhere other than France—through sharing the life I experience there with all the people I meet—locals or tourists—as long as they’re able to respect others. Maybe it sounds simplistic to you, but I live just fine this way, and it doesn’t strike me as selfish at all. Vietalier.

Hi Kola, Thanks... for staying on the path that should be the only one taken by regulars of V-Forum when it comes to travel.

I think most reasonable people will have understood by now that you, just like YUROK 999, felt the need to put me on trial—oil, kerosene, copulation ad nauseam, overpopulation, famine in the third world, and so on—thank you for saving your outbursts for others, as I don’t feel concerned by your sweeping generalizations. Consider yourself warned! — Vietalier.

A trial?

Well... how can I put this... my response was a parody, a mix of worn-out commonplaces and cringe-worthy clichés taken from Sylviasenva’s posts and that sad individual who keeps coming back in different forms... which were met with a little over-the-top (but harmless) text, also packed with travel clichés.

Their messages would’ve deserved your outrage way more. (You should read the discussion more carefully.)

reincarnated many times, which makes sense, since Buddha is me 😉 Incidentally, I’m also my own "god" in the kingdom of my life, so I don’t expect anything from Jesus, Adam, or even less from Eve (who poisoned herself by offering her apple to just anyone—poor thing ), nor from society (the city-dwelling monkeys I mentioned earlier), nor from some little Parisian (maybe, maybe not, doesn’t matter) who acts like a "seasoned traveler" with her "I know everything, I’ve seen it all" attitude, even though she’s mostly seen her own prejudices, her arrogance-contempt (but that’s another story), and her ego-pride swelling in proportion to her tourist trips, like many others. It’s well known that travel improves the wise and worsens fools.

Look, the mascot of this section is back. For your next incarnation, I recommend you use this maxim at the bottom of your messages: chase away the natural and it comes back at a gallop. It would suit you perfectly on all levels.

You can't keep a good thing down

I’d have written you can’t keep a good thing down—it comes back by bike...😉

Haha yeah, that’s perfect just like that.

It’s mostly that we don’t shake off the "disdainful" and arrogant nature of many women in these materialistic societies (pun intended or not) 😉 and their ego-worship. Your ego doesn’t exist, just like your societies, which are nothing but houses of cards. The funniest part? When they collapse—when the Earth has had enough—I’ll be grabbing my popcorn to watch the show (in all your movie theaters and cities!). Free entertainment for ages 0 to 99 and beyond, if you’re into that.

Good evening Kola, Sorry, my brain’s a bit dusty sometimes and I don’t always catch the humor right away. I hope I didn’t ruffle your feathers—if I did, know it was totally unintentional on my part. Warm regards, Vietalier.

No worries... 🙂

Hi again, Kola, Before shutting down my Mac/Apple, I took a look at your profile on your latest V-Forum post. I see you're a woman, and in light of that, I want to reiterate my regrets for not realizing you were joking around and teasing some folks. I really like the shortcuts in your profile—it gives me a little glimpse of who you are. If you read some of my posts, there’s one where I say you can travel without leaving home, comfortably settled in a good armchair with a pastis, a great book, and a big purring cat. That’s travel too, you know. Around the age of 12, I inherited a huge atlas, which I still have. I’ve spent—and still spend—countless hours poring over its pages, and every time, I’m whisked away to places I’ve never been and would love to visit. What’s more, this treasure helped me write a few chapters of a book (256 pages total), with some scenes set in the Caribbean, Argentine Patagonia, Chile, Tierra del Fuego—all about travel. If you’d like, I can send you a copy by mail, even with a dedication. In that case, it’ll cost you 20 €, shipping and packaging included. You’d just need to send me your details via private message on V-Forum so the postman knows where to deliver the package. Warm wishes for a good night. See you soon... if you’d like? Vietalier.

Anyway, going "elsewhere"—whether for a short time or for good—sometimes lets you escape the ambient "mediocrity," especially if nothing and no one is waiting for you here, and if nothing’s holding you back ;) It’s better to leave with a good guitar in your luggage than with a bad travel companion, especially if you’re heading off alone, as is often the case ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNo4jGKvDzY

Do you have a sharp tongue and a heart full of bitterness toward women? NOT ME AT ALL!!! Good night.— Vietalier.

Sometimes you reap what you sow or rather "what goes around comes around" ;)

Too bad for you and... for them!!!

Vietalier.

Do you have a sharp grudge and a surplus of bitterness toward women? NOT ME AT ALL!!! Good night.— Vietalier.

🏴‍☠️uh! strumming a guitar by the fire with Cabrel is worse............I’d rather have a friend