I’ve been to Paris several times and have found Parisians not at all horrible. If you try to use a few French words (and you should greet people in the local language wherever you are) you are treated pretty well.
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Notre-Dame de Paris - cathedral on fire!
- Thread starter Oystein
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I’ve been to Paris several times and have found Parisians not at all horrible. If you try to use a few French words (and you should greet people in the local language wherever you are) you are treated pretty well.
Belz...
Fiend God
I'd think that would be a good thing. The cathedral at Carlisle is rather gloomy and it's all the better for it.
theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Why is it wrong for people to pronounce foreign words according to the conventions of their native language?
Why do you take such offense?
I don't mind when my foreign relatives pronounce my name according to the convention of Brazilian Portuguese. Why should the French care how Americans pronounce Notre Dame when speaking English? And why on Earth is an Australian white-knighting the issue on behalf of the French, anyway?
Seriously, man. What is your problem?
Apparently the anti-conspiracy theory algorithm at youtube has caused information about the 9/11 attacks to appear underneath streaming video of this fire.
Oystein
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Better than I expected from cliché. Two scenes stand out from my first trip to Paris, a weekend in mid-December 1988 with my girl friend:
1. There was a little fair in the Garden of Tuilleries (sp?), and there was a merry-go-round with wooden horses. Since my g/f was a passionate rider, we had to take that ride. Now, it was mid-December, cold, drizzling rain - and we were absolutely the only visitors at the time, so the owner let us go round and round and round and round for like 20 minutes. That was the most romantic moment I remember from that short-live relationship, and I'll thank this particular Parisian forever for it.
2. At a restaurant, we checked out the deserts, but with my French being sadly very basic, and hers worse, we couldn't figure out what one ingredient of many deserts was; so finally I took heart, waived the waiter to us, and asked: "Excusez-moi, garcon, qu'est-que c'est - chantilly?" - and then other guests from various tables around turned to us and said in German, and in unison: "Sahne!" (cream). (You have to understand that the French in general, and Parisians in particular, are commonly said to not employ a foreign language, especially German, even if they can speak it, and will stick to French at all costs)
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Oystein
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+1
My last name is of French language origin, and the majority of my extended family, living in Belgium though often speaking German as first language, still pronounce it more French than German. However those of us living as Germans in Germany pronounce it as if it were German.
The problem is that much of it's construction involves wood as a structural material. I suspect if they can lay it on a single person (which I highly doubt) that person should be long-gone several hours ago. BUT: why did not France and the church put in water and smotherant systems? Anyone aware of how and of what the church was built should have provided way good anti-fire systems.
Information Analyst
Penultimate Amazing
Yes, York Minster, which was also undergoing work at the time....
How do you pronounce the capital of France? Paris or Paree (the latter with a rolled 'r')?
Information Analyst
Penultimate Amazing
Rouen, Amiens, Bayeux, etc.
Information Analyst
Penultimate Amazing
<johncleese>Not a funny building...</johncleese>
Andy_Ross
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Why not? That's how everyone . I know says it.
Andy_Ross
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York was caused by a lightning strike.
I saw that the Paris Fire Department tweeted that they were doing everything they could except for water-bombing simply because that could jeopardize the structural integrity of the building.
In fact i don't know if it's ever a good idea to water-bomb a burning building.
Information Analyst
Penultimate Amazing
I think it's the difference between "No-tra Dayme" and "Not-ra Daame."
pgwenthold
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You know, the guy is the friggin president. He has the world's resources at his command. He could call the Fire Chief of France directly and the person would take his call. And he could ask why they didn't do X, Y or Z, and they would tell him exactly why they didn't.
But instead, he has to put it on twitter.
He really doesn't know what he's doing.
pgwenthold
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I was going to suggest it will be blamed on immigrants. At least by Trump.
theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Somewhere between saving the structure and saving the neighborhood, water bombing a building might be a good idea.