What Did I Ever Do To French People?!

Ok, I have to admit, I had a pretty amazing night, but I swear it seems like in other cities around the world cab drivers actually want to pick you up. What happened to me tonight is making me really want to learn to speak French, because at around 2:30am 4 cab drivers in a row just flat out said no to me. They pulled up, rolled down the window, and once I started speaking they just said no. Maybe it was because I wanted to go all the way out to Vitry-sur-seine during a busy time when they could just zip around Paris. That really could have been it because once it was 4am, I found a very nice driver... but let me back up.

The afternoon actually started with a nice leasurly boat tour of Paris. A very touristy thing that Valerie and Daniel insisted that I do with them. Once we were on the boat, they admitted that it was their first time. It seemed that they were the only French people around. I guess it's like riding the horse drawn carriages in Manhattan. If you grew up there, you just don't get on those frickin' things.

Once we were tired enough of walking around the center of touristy Paris, they walked me through Les Halles to a place called Duc de Lombards, where a friend of mine was playing a show. I said good-bye to Valerie and Daniel and, knowing that the trains stop running after around 11, decided to stay for both sets and commit myself to taking a cab home. The music was great, and afterward there was a Jam session which was really great. After a couple of hours, I thought it was dying down, so I attempted to get a cab... no luck. When I went back in, the music just started heating up again. More and more musicians were coming to play, and plenty of people were just there to listen! Yay Paris! I forgive you for not liking that I only speak English... it's so great to know that the music I like to play is apprecieated! So, when it finally ended at 4am, I found my cab.

This guy was so sweet. After I figured out how to tell him where to go (by writing it on a piece of paper), I apologized for my terrible French and he smiled really big and said, "Oui! Se bon!" I laughed a lot, partly because it was ridiculous to call my French good, but mostly because he was so jolly and smiley and I was happy to get a ride home.

So I can't decide... Can I make a generalization about French people, or not? Most of the strangers I have met in France have lost all their politeness upon realizing that I'm American. They don't just stop being polite, they act as if that politeness they thought they were extending to a well meaning fellow Frenchman was wasted, and now they have to undo it somehow by being incredibly rude. Well, the truth is I have met quite a few incredibly warm and forgiving people here, so I really can't generalize. But it's still wierd. Ach... I've got some more time here, though. I'm gonna keep playing around and see what I find.