Nobody spoke English and there was nothing to do

[AdoraLovesCake]

Sorry, this might sound like I am complaining when obviously in another country they won't speak much English.

I decided to go to France this summer as a single pregnant mum with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. Fortunately my friend and her 3 year old son decided to join us.

I booked in a place, by the beach in Northern France, I had been to when I was a young adult, I remember it being quite touristy but very kid friendly. Photos of the place looked like a touristy city where people would speak English.

I speak quite a lot of French and was teaching bits to my oldest daughter so she could ask for a crepe or say please and sorry and simple things like that, under the expectation that most people would speak English. My 1 year old can only speak a few words, so I am not going to teach her French. My friend speaks French well too, and her son also learnt please, thanks, sorry.

We arrived to find a really untouristy place. We unpacked and looked around the town for fun kids stuff. There was nothing. By this time I was exhausted, with an overexcited child and a screaming baby. So we hunted for a cafe or restaurant. Nothing. We went into a small bakery, asked in French for some stuff then asked in English, "Are there any children's playgrounds here?" The baker looked blank at us and soon there was about five French men shaking their heads and repeatedly telling us, "Me French"

So we left and went to the beach. No kids on the beach, just a couple and their dog. Thankfully they let the children stroke the dog. No places to buy ice cream, buckets, spades, balls, paddle boards or anything.

The next day we took the bus, still nobody spoke English and still, towns bare of tourists and kids, beaches bare of anyone and anything.

Thankfully the kids took it quite well, it could have been a whole lot worse. It's just that the research I did made it look good. Maybe I didn't do enough? Maybe I shouldn't have used my memory from 20 years ago? Maybe I should have taught my kids more French?

xxx Cora

I've found even the smallest French hamlets have an aire de jeux and your description of a French seaside town with no tourists in August sounds like my idea of heaven! Go for walks, make a sandcastle with your hands, paddle in the sea, walk in the woods...

I mean a quick trip advisor search would have told what was and wasn't there you should have gone to a eurocamp or something they have kids stuff to do.

But your eldest child is only 5, you have a one year old and you're pregnant and single so it would have been pretty easy to say we'll do France another time.

What was the name of the town?

I disagree with this. It's our expectation and entitlement that's off the charts. Have you ever had anyone in the UK come up to you and ask you a question in their native tongue?

It was very nice but kids had expected more and were very disappointed on first day. Luckily, they did not complain too much after that. I should totally have done more research.

Very weird. Sounds like you went to a random small town on holiday then we're surprised it wasn't a holiday place. No wonder they were a bit baffled.

By the thread title I assumed this would be a joke thread based off ridiculous reviews people leave places like 'beach was too sandy/why do people in another country not speak English?/sun was too hot' 😄

Ah well, next time you'll know to use Google.

This Is what I thought it was going to be. The French people were too French 😃

Yeah, maybe after I went there 20 years ago, all tourism stopped, didn;t delete tourist websites, nobody visited so no bad reviews.

the five french men in the bakery are probably laughing now

Hmmmm. I do think you need to do more research op, the fact that the town had changed so much in 20 years is not unexpected, and is on you to have checked.

As for expecting the locals to speak English - I think YABVVVU. I am astounded when I go abroad and the English have this expectation that even in the sticks, the locals should speak English. I speak French and have a working knowledge of Spanish and I always go in with the home language first if possible (even if it is to ask if they speak English!)

Can you imagine your local Greggs worker to speak enough French to understand a question about the proximity to a playground? Or maybe in the local cafe, where you might be trying to eat during their closed-for-the-afternoon period, common in much of Europe outside tourist areas.

I have done several trips alone with my dc and we have had some great adventures - usually the 'locals' are more than happy to help in any way they can even with the most basic approach in French, but to assume they would be fluent in English is just pure arrogance, and it infuriates me every time I set foot in foreign lands.

You want the foreign travel experience? Take time to research your destination and have a good few words of their language at the ready.

I think I'd have used the car (or transport) that I got there in to take me to some places of interest, using my phone when the internet was available, or signposts, or directions to the nearest large town.

I might then have visited the tourist office, and/or booked a couple of nights in a cheap B&B, in a slightly less deserted part of this deserted madeleine-cake-devoid hellscape.

Never mind, eh. Life's one big learning curve.

(There was episode of Ab Fab like this, and Edina and Patsy had to be rescued by Bubbles. They were in the wrong place.)

I know some people think the French deliberately misunderstand "less than perfect French", but I think it's just that tiny mispronunciations make a huge difference to meaning.

This summer, I was talking to French people who spoke great English and were very tolerant of my schoolroom French. However, I was trying to say we'd been to Verdun, and they just could not understand what we were saying. They then realised and said "ah, Verdun" in just a slightly different way to me. They weren't at all being awkward, they genuinely had no idea what I was saying. I think those tiny mispronunciations can destroy the meaning.

Sorry you had a tough time, OP, holidaying as a single pregnant mum was never going to be easy but that does sound hard going for you.

Fancy French people not speaking English! I cringe at the British assumption that wherever they pitch up someone will speak English - they don’t.

I wonder misremembered the place name OP? Memories can be deceptive.

Good place on the northern coast is Le Touquet.

Thanks everyone :) I will learn from this

At that age, I think you are better off with Eurocamps. They cater for children with lots of in- and outdoor pools, pony rides, pedaloes etc as well as safe beaches.
It's hard going anywhere with a 1-year-old. I admire you for trying!

If a French person had travelled to, for example, Hastings or Hartlepool (or any other non-touristy coastal town in the U.K.), would it be reasonable for them to expect it to have shops which catered for foreign tourists or for the locals to speak French?

I bet:
a quite heavily pregnant exhausted woman
another exhausted woman
a baby shouting in a language you don't know "cake!"
two kids jumping up and down
did suprise the French people who ran the quiet bakery and didn't expect many customers for some reason.

Yep both my kids love cake if you just looked at my username. Adora's the older one

Try Brittany, or the south coast. Everyone speaks English. I had entire conversations on the Côte d’Azur with me speaking French and waitstaff speaking English 😂
have you seen the Chtis movie; obviously it’s heavily caricatured but “Le Nord” can be a funny place!

Have had the same experience when telling French people we were going to "Mulhouse" or "Reims". Complete bemusement for a few seconds 😄

I’m very surprised you found a tourist free zone and would love to know where!!

I usually find that the French are desperate to practise their (however bad) English on anyone who speaks English (no matter how good their French).

I don't understand why if you and your friend can both get by in French, you were speaking in English to people

But my experience in France this year was that lots of the French can speak English. Quite often we would speak in French and they would reply in English. Perhaps if we'd not bothered in French they would have been more pigheaded?

As for there being nothing for the kids, I don't think there's any excuse nowadays with the Internet not to research before you book up somewhere to make sure it meets your needs.

It might be a regional thing ?

We're down in southwest France and rarely if ever have had that sort of problem...Yep you get the odd individual who's an awkward * ( same all over the world) and tactically decides to shrug their shoulders but generally the locals are very forgiving.....

First of all, big respect for going on holiday with a toddler, a baby and pregnant! I'm sorry you had a rubbish time @AdoraLovesCake . The French are not renowned for friendliness or speaking English though! And places change.I've spent a lot of time in France. I find the mid afternoon shut down infuriating! Catches me out all the time!

We're currently at a Dutch Eurocamp with 2 teens. Highly recommended. I work from time to time with Dutch colleagues. In their words "of course we speak English, if we drive for more than 3 hours no one else speaks our language!". I'm learning a bit of Dutch on Duolingo, and we're muddling along with this and Google translate.
I appreciate that finding 10 mins a day to learn a language won't be at the top of your agenda with the dc though! But Google translate is your friend.