To feel a bit like everyone hates me when I'm a British tourist in Europe now

Eh? French people really don't, as a broad brush stereotype, think that British people are too polite. Brits do have a reputation for avoiding direct confrontation and for smiling & complimenting insincerely (which is seen as being more of an American thing which has caught on a bit in Britain). What constitutes good manners varies by culture, obviously, but French people do not tend to think that the British are obsessed with please and thank you.

Always flummoxed by these comments. It's absolutely the norm in the UK too to greet staff on entering premises / when you approach them. I would never walk up to a member of staff and bark out an order without a greeting first, whether at a counter, on a shop floor or restaurant and always thank staff when leaving too.

That's lovely, isn't it?

Just come home from a week in Malaga - met some lovely people - no issues at all - I try and use as much Spanish as I can and use Google translate when I’m stuck
Big praise for the taxi driver who spent ages trying to track us down and drove an hour out of his way to return DPs lost mobile - then took us to the airport and wouldn’t accept a big tip on top of his fare

DD and I were in Valencia in the summer and honestly everyone was so lovely and friendly and helpful.
Felt no anti-British sentiment at all. Very welcoming.

And highly recommend Valencia as a city break-fab!!

What's mocking about ganso/ gansa?

@RobinHood19 I agree with you, for what it's worth. OP isn't coming across well on here.

I've lived and worked in Paris (twice actually) and have never come across the French making fun of the Brits for being polite. And that includes when I was the only non-French person in my Paris office. "La politesse" is incredibly important in France.

But then I'm Northern. So we say good morning etc when we walk in a shop anyway. It would be rude not to, regardless of country! And yes, I apply the same rule where I live in central London. And usually get excellent service as a result.

Nope, OP. I’m another who hasn’t experienced it. Quite the opposite. If I notice anything, it’s a sense of pity.

It’s ironic that you won’t answer a certain type of posts OP, and also that you complain of racism towards you from the “Europeans”, yet your last two posts have included:

• A ganso / gansa “joke” that you may have used in an attempt to be funny, when it’s anything but to a native Spanish speaker. It comes across as mocking, when you consider your previous words in that same post.
• Saying that the French make fun of you for your politeness and that makes their appreciation of good manners (such as saying good morning), somewhat cynical.

Have you lived in Spain or France for you to have this level of confidence about what the French and Spanish think, do or say? There are people who behave appallingly to tourists, yes. In every country. That doesn’t mean you have to call someone rude for using “what!?” in his interactions with you at a bakery.

I live in a Mediterranean, touristy country. I have used - and had said to me - the equivalent of “what!?” by various customer-facing staff members today in shops, a restaurant and the train station. It’s how we speak. Nobody is being rude. You can’t travel to a country then expect everybody to treat you just like they would at home. Perhaps their cultural norms are different… have a think about that.

I'm sorry if you get that.

Unfortunately there's ignorant shites in every country 🙄

We went to Spain last summer , and the year before. absolutely did not feel this at all. Everyone was friendly and welcoming

We've booked again this year 😆

I am British but living in Sweden and I have seen the protests in news here. I didn't take it as 'anti British'. It was reported here (or how I read it) that the protesters in Spain were complaining about the rise in general tourism and lack of rental properties/near impossibility of getting on the property ladder. Many former rental properties have been turned in to AirBNB type operations.

Even Brighton Council has discussed the AirBNB saturation in the city centre and local families are priced out. It hasn't got as far as firing water pistols though.

Was supposed to add, I really don't think you'd distinguish me as a Brit in comparison with my Danish family at all!

No, not the case! I've been skiing in Chamonix, Courcheval and Les Arbes, among other ski resorts - they're beautiful places with great people! The hotel staff couldn't do enough for us and the ESF instructors were the best I've come across.
Courcheval is just perfect 👌

I don't care about being labelled British but I just don't recognise this 'Brit' stereotype where I grew up, who I am married to and who my friends are. Perhaps if you do grow up in quintessential England then yes, there is a commonality you recognise but those aren't my cultural references and I do think that is a bit exclusive I.e a Brit looks like this otherwise they aren't a Brit. Equally, I do have Danish family so TBF it's quite an accurate guess.

This is very true. But if you think that Bordelais are rude, do not go to the big French ski resorts, it's just a whole other level, where rudeness is an art, a vocation 😂

Yes, I notice it too op, but I live in another European country. They adore the Irish, who can do no wrong, find the Scottish friendly and it’s usually English some can be a bit off with/about. However, where I am, there has been a huge influx of people moving there from other countries, including America, Brazil and illegal immigrants and now they say they don’t mind the Brits at all 🙈😅

Maybe he wanted those cakes for himself 😂.
Seriously, I honestly haven't noticed anything, but I do have the hide of a rhino. I smile and am polite to everyone and seem to get the same back most of the time. If I don't, I don't worry about it.

Sorry, no I was not referring to the Benidorm Brit, I just found your post very funny, the lengths you go so you are not labelled British. Maybe people can't tell you are a Brit, I don't know. I can generally tell what nationality people are by the way they act, dress etc. lots of little things, but people can't place me either - Danish a favourite also, so maybe I should know better.

Parisians are just incredibly rude. To everyone, not just the British. They are rude to each other as well. The only nice ones are elderly waiters in old school cafes. They are adorable. PS: if you think Parisians are rude, please never, ever visit Bordeaux. They make the Parisians look delightful by comparison.

I grew up in Spain and some parts of the country REALLY don't like tourists. It's not specifically a British thing, they just happen to make up most of the numbers. My town didn't much like tourists but relied heavily on the income so people were mostly nice to them.

The few times I've been to Paris everyone has been extremely rude, but that may be just my experience. The rest of France has been mostly OK.

Italy, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Turkey, Hungary - everyone was very nice.

Barcelona, Canaries, Balearics, Malaga, Seville have all been staging anti tourism demonstrations

until that passes I’m going to destinations that want and welcome tourists.

In what way? I don't think that is true IME, I have been asked if Swedish in Spain, I was with my British family and our British friends. I do have Danish heritage but I'm English and it is quite far back on one side. My husband is often mistaken as Greek, Italian or Spanish. We are originally from London and one of the friends we were with has Greek Cypriot heritage. IME living and growing up in a multicultural part of England means that it is not that easy to tell the 'British' unless you are so referring to drunk red faced stereotypes!