Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2005 22:39:34 GMT
This is genuine.
Some years ago, I was coming out of the Orangerie art gallery in Paris. The main part of this gallery is quite domestic in scale: small rooms with priceless paintings just hanging on the wall (Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, Matisse).
A pair of American tourists came out at the same time. The wife turned to her husband and said, "Hyram. Do you suppose those paintings are the originals?"
The mind boggles.....
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Post by q8 on Oct 13, 2005 9:55:35 GMT
Actually I knew someone who worked behind the scenes in an art gallery and it is quite within reason that the painting or object you see on display is in fact a copy of the original. This is increasingly being done as theft and pilfering are on the rise and insurance companies are putting their foot down.
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Post by londontube on Oct 13, 2005 10:18:23 GMT
American tourists who come to London are quite nice actually!  Only hade an experience with them on 2 occasions but they were alright. The first one was when me and my brother were waiting at London Bridge station, an American business man looking guy came up and asked if we had any change for £1 for a machine because it wouldn't give change out or something like that. Anyway, I start changing it and I get to 50p and he says "thats OK, I only need this much" and he let me keep the other 50p! OK its only 50p but I've never had an English person say that! ;D The second was on a visit to The Tower of London and on a nice day it seemed quite empty, but there were a few Americans. There was a family of them who were the typical American stereotype, big, loud and full of it! But they started talking to us and they were really nice people. They were more interested in taking photos and videos of the place than actually finding out about them, but they were very happy and it just made a change from seeing a lot of miserable faces.  So yes American tourists can be stupid and a bit "full of it" but its the same for us, well me anyway, e.g. when I went to DisneyLand PARIS a few years back, I expected them to all speak English!  Of course they didn't, but it didn't stop me from moaning about it and speaking to them in English!   ;D |
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Phil
In memoriam
RIP 23-Oct-2018
Posts: 9,473
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Post by Phil on Oct 13, 2005 10:33:11 GMT
So yes American tourists can be stupid and a bit "full of it" but its the same for us, well me anyway, e.g. when I went to DisneyLand PARIS a few years back, I expected them to all speak English! Of course they didn't, but it didn't stop me from moaning about it and speaking to them in English! ;D You must have forgotten that on principle the French refuse to speak English even if they understand it (just as the English refuse to speak French if they can!) |
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Post by Tomcakes on Oct 14, 2005 18:23:38 GMT
A few months ago I was in Italy skiing, and before I went onto the slopes I went into a little cafe and bought a bottle of water (you'd be amazed at what some of the places higher in the mountains charge, I saw some people paying about €3 for a bottle) using a handy Italian phrase sheet. Having struggled through the sentance, the waiter reached below the counter for a bottle and replied "That's a euro mate". Mind you I suppose they would get a lot of English tourists there.
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Post by piccadillypilot on Oct 14, 2005 19:10:42 GMT
but it didn't stop me from moaning about it and speaking to them in English! I was once told about an English tourist in Spain who thought the Spaniards were thick because they didn't speak English.  |
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Post by q8 on Oct 14, 2005 19:20:41 GMT
When I was a Guard I had some German tourists get on my train. one of them tried to board via the Guards door and I stopped him. He then came the German verbal and ended by calling me a 'grosse dumkopf' (big idiot) and I retorted by saying 'und sie ist dicke schwein' (and you are a fat pig) You should have seen his face.
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Post by piccadillypilot on Oct 14, 2005 19:21:06 GMT
Having struggled through the sentance, the waiter reached below the counter for a bottle and replied "That's a euro mate". When I was stationed in Germany I managed to learn sufficient German to order some beer and food. As a young soldier these are the priorities in life. One of the lads I used to drink with never bothered "because they all understand English". One evening we went into a bar I'd never visited before. My mate "suggested" I got the beer while he grabbed a table. Me: "Zwie mal grosse bier bitte" (Two large beers, please") Barman: "Sorry mate, didn't catch that". Me, to mate: "George, you b£$%£&d". Me, to barman: "Where are you from?" Barman: "South Wales." |
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Of course they didn't, but it didn't stop me from moaning about it and speaking to them in English! 
;D
