Least Friendly Countries

[emmie]

not us, whew.

http://travel.aol.co.uk/2013/11/04/the-worlds-least-friendly-countries/?ncid=webmail6

[gness]

I will.....xx

[Baldric]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/falklands_programme4.shtml

[emmie]

if you practice your schoolboy/girl French on the waiters in Paris, i think they must spit in the soup, going on the evil looks and mutterings you get - aside from barking mad Chinese waiters in London they come out tops in the rudeness stakes.

[emmie]

we have some of the best restaurants, theatres, music in the world, French people may be more formal, i know because i have been there often enough, however it doesn't stop them being a little bit rude, and the chaps a little bit overfond of ooh la la, best time was spent in Paris, but rather spoilt by the sniffy waiters.

[FredPuli43]

emmie, have you ever thought, schoolboy level French and all, how we appear to them? If we simply translate what we think in English, and use here, into French, we insult them.

[237SJ]

I`ve spent my life constantly traveling and I can`t really say that I have ever found a particular country unfriendly. I find that if you are nice and smiley to people, they tend to be nice back - apart from the Border Control in the US (and Toronto)

[FredPuli43]

Immigration, and customs too, belong to a different body from the rest of us, the two being a different, but closely related, subspecies of humankind!

The US men at the Canadian border have evidently confused the northern border of the US with the southern one, and are equally disliked by Canadians and returning Americans alike. But 'friendly' peaceful Switzerland has the same subspecies. I go through Geneva from France and Britain a lot, commonly en route between the three, staying in Geneva for a day. For some reason, they regard any such traveller as supremely suspect. I have no idea what crimes they suspect us of, except that of wanting to live for 24 hours in Europe's tidiest country, but there it is.

[gness]

I crossed from Canada to US with my Irish passport the day after Lord Mountbatten was murdered.

I was taken out of my car....marched off and questioned about it.....

[naomi24]

gness, I’ve crossed from Canada into the US with my British passport – and was also obliged to leave my car and answer questions in the office. I think it’s just the way the Americans do things. I’ve never been ‘waved through’ passport control in the US.

[Sqad]

I agree with 237SJ, treat the indigenous population in ANY country with friendliness and a smile and you will be rewarded...by and large.

[gness]

Could be, Naomi but living in Calgary we crossed the border often with no problem.

This was the only time....the officer looked at my passport...asked if I could tell him where I was when LM was killed.....I couldn't think fast enough...time difference and the late hour...other than somewhere in Canada.

M'am was then ordered out of the car to answer questions....I think he was excited at perhaps solving the crime....☺

[maggiebee]

Lived and worked in Albania - found them to be extremely helpful and hospitable. They went out of their way to help - not the first time I have been asked to go behind the counter and search for an item I didn't know the Albanian word for.