{"id":7932,"date":"2020-09-18T13:42:41","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T17:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7932"},"modified":"2020-09-21T22:21:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T02:21:14","slug":"nice-people-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7932","title":{"rendered":"Nice People In Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was cruising around my Google drive, as I do from time to time, and came across this little document I had made that time Lyn and I hied ourselves off to Paris for the best week of my life. People love to criticize the inhabitants of places like Paris and New York and call them rude and unfriendly, but I have found plenty of wonderful humans in both those places. Maybe it’s all in what you’re looking for. But this post isn’t to prove a point or really for any purpose other than to spread the warm glow those lovely people left. So without further ado, in Paris I ran into…<\/p>\n

\u2026The girl on the train into the city from the airport. The train was terribly packed (the doors literally closed upon me as I tried to squeeze myself in), but of course it was no fault of this girl\u2019s. Nevertheless, she apologized for the condition of the ride, and wished us a nice trip.<\/p>\n

\u2026Several metro attendants who were more than helpful. There was the man who gave us extra tickets when we couldn\u2019t make ours work. There was also the lady who sold me my Navigo pass, never mind that I didn\u2019t have the mandatory photo to buy it. And there was the guy who kindly pointed out when I was trying to use a closed lane and couldn\u2019t make it work.<\/p>\n

\u2026The man who passed us on the street, and hurried to his little girl who cried with joy, \u201cPapa!\u201d His eyes lit up to match hers, and he looked so happy to be off work and back with his whole world.<\/p>\n

\u2026The ginger man in Shakespeare and Company who delighted a couple of us with a mini jazz concert, just for the fun of it. He sang beautifully and soulfully, then chuckled when done and accepted a listener\u2019s offer to buy him a drink.<\/p>\n

\u2026The pregnant lady who took pity on us thoroughly lost wanderers and looked up directions on her phone for us, even when she was clearly busy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026The guy who helped out his friend in the time of need, and dabbed bird doo off his head after an unlucky pigeon accident.<\/p>\n

\u2026The waiter who noticed a stranded cat, squalling on the roof. He coaxed it to a tree, and then persuaded it to climb down to safety, never mind that he had other more important things to do.<\/p>\n

\u2026The waiter at Le Bouillon Chartier<\/a>, who was just as friendly and merry as could be. He checked in regularly, and wouldn\u2019t take our appetizer plates till we had cleaned off every last\u00a0 speck of foie gras. \u201cIt\u2019s too good to leave!\u201d He wasn’t wrong, either.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Lyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2026The lady in the wee jewelry shop with the broken English. But she sure didn\u2019t let it deter her- no, she chatted it up with us, even creating an imaginary future husband and children for Lyn, whom she would of course bring to Paris as their tour guide. She laughed at herself when she tried to insert the card into the calculator instead of the card machine, and completely made our night.<\/p>\n

\u2026All the guys, who didn\u2019t catcall!<\/p>\n

\u2026The cafe manager who was overseeing three employees with Down’s Syndrome, and helping them provide great customer service.<\/p>\n

…The lady who kindly offered to take our picture as we posed in the hall of mirrors in Versailles, being the touristiest of all the tourists. Really, all the people who didn’t mind our English and broken French words, but who were most helpful and courteous to us wayfaring strangers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I could write many more posts about all the strangers in so many cities that have helped me along my way, but for now, do you have any good-hearted people to add to my list? I would love to hear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Year Ago:<\/h3>\n

Auditioning for the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir<\/a><\/p>\n

A Post That Is Not About the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir<\/a><\/p>\n

Two Years Ago:<\/h3>\n

Camping In the Rain<\/a><\/p>\n

Use Your Words<\/a><\/p>\n

Four Years Ago:<\/h3>\n

Side Hugs and Tall Girls<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was cruising around my Google drive, as I do from time to time, and came across this little document I had made that time Lyn and I hied ourselves off to Paris for the best week of my life. People love to criticize the inhabitants of places like Paris and New York and call them rude and unfriendly, but I have found plenty of wonderful humans in both those places. Maybe it’s all in what you’re looking for. But…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[94],"tags":[580,352,581,579,216],"class_list":["post-7932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-luxembourg-gardens","tag-paris","tag-shakespeare-and-co","tag-throwback","tag-wanderlust"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_4303-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1920","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-23W","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6375,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6375","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":0},"title":"How To Take a Secret Trip to Paris","author":"Rachel","date":"May 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One.\u00a0Sit at your desk day after day bellyaching to travel to Europe. Put it on all your bucket lists and pin pictures on Pinterest of what you want to see. Decide to do it before turning thirty but doubt that it'll actually happen. Eventually feel like you're going to burst\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Five Things"","block_context":{"text":"Five Things","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=87"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/img_4246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/img_4246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/img_4246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/img_4246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/img_4246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6174,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6174","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":1},"title":"We Woke Up In Paris","author":"Rachel","date":"April 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Pineapple Readers, It is Thursday, which means I would generally have a post for you, full of sunshine or sarcasm or grainy photos. But today, you're just going to have to wait. Here's why... I'm just spending a week in Paris right now, no big deal. Actually, it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_3750.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_3750.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_3750.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_3750.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_3750.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6419,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6419","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":2},"title":"Favorite Moments in Paris","author":"Rachel","date":"May 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I have found a new favorite travel activity. While in Paris, I stole Lyn's idea and created several running lists of memories. Feelings evoked, food we ate, extra pleasant people, that kind of thing. Even just a few short weeks later, I look back on it and realize I would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sitting by the Seine in Paris","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSCF7884.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSCF7884.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSCF7884.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSCF7884.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSCF7884.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7483,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7483","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":3},"title":"New York City Fashion","author":"Rachel","date":"October 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world, I hear, alongside Paris and other such progressive places. It certainly is a place where you can expect to see just about anything and everything walking down a sidewalk, and even though there's enough weirdness here that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6362,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6362","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":4},"title":"Packing for a Week In Paris","author":"Rachel","date":"May 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I lived back in the mountains of Honduras without a vehicle, and took the bus everywhere I went, I learned to pack nothing more than the bare essentials. After all, nobody wants to lug pounds of hairspray and extra towels through crowded bus terminals and for miles down the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6721,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6721","url_meta":{"origin":7932,"position":5},"title":"The Effortless French Look","author":"Rachel","date":"August 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"If you ask me about my trip to Paris in the spring, I'll probably spend so much time talking about the flaky croissants and melt-in-your-mouth duck confit that you'll begin to roll your eyes and regret asking. But if you can gently steer me away from the topic of food\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=244"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7977.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7977.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7977.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7977.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSCF7977.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7932"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7941,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7932\/revisions\/7941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}