Last week I traveled to Montpellier, France for a project. This was my first project abroad but I wasn't afraid of it. It's the same kind of work as I do at home but in English. The only thing I was afraid of was the English knowledge of the French people.
The first thing I don't understand is about traveling by airplane is that I had to be at the airport 2 hours earlier than the departure...for nothing...waste of time. I sat there 1,5 hours and after got into the plane. The delay took another hour so I've almost missed the connection in Paris to Montpellier. I was wondering during the run from terminal D to terminal F in Charles de Gaulle how our luggage will be transferred to that plane this quick. They weren't. We were the last to board the plane and the departure was on-time. After exiting the plane in Montpellier we tried to find our luggage unsuccessfully. We were told later that the packages are still in Paris and they will be transferred next day. I think I don't have to say that no English speaking people were at the "lost packages" department. I had to sign some french documents which I was not able to understand, they gave us a toothbrush, toothpaste, T-shirt and said good bye. My travel-mates got their luggage at 22.30 on the same day but I got nothing not even an apology. I was really angry because my suite, clothes and other valuable things were in that package.
Next day I asked our French contact to call the airport for my luggage and I got my pack on the next day.
Generally speaking I had a wrong preconception about the French people because they are not rude to everybody who does not speak their language. They try to help as much as they could but most of them do not speak English. Mostly the younger generation is able to help in every situation and some alder people also able to speak. Of course the Taxi drivers, airport customer relationship, restaurant waiters and waitresses hardly even understand the most basic English words.
After the arrival to out Hotel we found ourselves starving from hunger so we entered the nearest restaurant to our place. It was something like McDonalds but in a French way where the food was awful (oily, not spicy).
Taxis are very expensive combined to Hungary and the taximeter starts when you call the taxi by phone. We traveled to the city to do some sightseeing activity. Montpellier is beautiful and reminds me to the Italian cities with narrow, paved streets and wide squares full of people and restaurants. I saw a lot of Pizza restaurants and I didn't know the purpose of them until I entered a French restaurant where the menu is always in French and there is no English or German version of them. According to this the Pizza is a safe choice...and this time of the year it is almost half price (around 10Eur + 3Eur for an Ice-Tea).The buildings are old fashioned and well maintained, the shops are small and nice, people are kind and smiling. As on the flyers.
To summarize my first day in France: I arrived to a country where anybody expected to be able can hardly speak English, my luggage was lost at the airport, I ate hamburger and pizza, I saw a beautiful city with kind people.
To be continued...